22/07/2019 – Miraflores, Lima, Peru

We had a long old lie in and coffee in bed, before getting up and making ourselves a yoghurt/fruit/cereal breakfast. The kitchen and house has loads of character, a diamond in the rough, just like many of the casas we have stayed in. Josh pointed out that at home these places would sell for a fortune with the high ceilings and beautiful tile work, just needing a good scrub and some cosmetic work! (Oh and probably some rewiring – Josh’s gasps at some of the electrical work over here has been interesting!) One thing we have noticed here  is that the sinks only have cold water, hot water really is a luxury and is only occasionally available in some showers. I think at the moment hot/powerful showers and drinkable tap water are what I miss from home. It was another grey overcast day, but it was dry at least. We walked to a bank to change the 200 Sol notes the ATM had given us into smaller change, as most places just seem to not accept the large notes. We walked past a road of artisanal markets, full of colour and character. I ended up buying some hair scrunchies made from the classic colourful Peruvian fabric, something I have had my eye on for a couple of months!

Market place

Then we walked along to parque Kennedy, a well maintained, pretty park in the centre of Miraflores, surrounded by bars and cafes and restaurants. In the park there are lots of cats and kittens just chilling out, alongside locals and tourists alike. We walked through and along the main road until we got to the cliffs. From the cliffs we could see out across the rolling ocean, many surfers enjoying the waves.

We walked along the coast to the seafront ‘larco mar’ mall, a small mall built into the cliffs with a beautiful sea view! We strolled around before reminding ourselves not to spend money in a Levis store and hurried ourselves into a taxi to our favourite café, the one we had been to yesterday. The café is so far my highlight of Lima, and I don’t mean that as a negative reflection on Lima, but at this point, 4 months in, it is nice to chill somewhere where you can really breathe and relax, feel welcome, and safe. It is a hard thing to describe, as in contrast, we love discovering smaller, less trodden paths and places, but at the same time, the odd pause and reset somewhere comforting, is very replenishing! We walked home from the café and stopped at a little supermarket for some water. Once we were home we got comfy and chilled on the internet, our tiredness has caught up with us both!