After 22 hours of bus ride, half of which are windy and twisty (I swear to God, the bus was turning constantly..... I am normally not a carsick person, but I did get very nauseous), we are finally in Lima!!!!! It was 10 times cheaper to take the bus than the plane, so we decided to go by bus. This is our very last stop before heading back home. (sad T_T)
This is actually the cleanest and most-developed city we have seen in South America. We have a day and a half to explore Lima. The first place we went to is called the Huaca Pucllana. It is a ruin in the middle of the city dated all the way back to 200 AD, and they are still currently digging around the site to learn more about the Lima culture thousands of years ago. They offered tours in different languages upon request so that you can appreciate the history and significance of the site. Then, we went to the Miraflores district, which is known for the beautiful beaches, shopping malls, parks and gardens. We also went to downtown Lima (Plaza Mayo, Monastery of San Francisco, etc) to see all the beautiful historical architecture.
Since this is our last day, we decided to enjoy a nice lunch at a cevicherias called La Mar. It is considered to be one of the best places to eat in Lima. The food and services were equally awesome. As soon as you sit down, they brought the table some complimentary munchies (cripsy corn and sweet potatoes chips) and they were SO GOOD. Definitely get the ceviche sampler that has five different kinds of fish and shellfish. The seafood was very fresh and they also made a twist on the traditional ceviche with more intense flavors. Highly recommended.
After lunch, we went to the Barranco district and Larco Museum. Larco museum was a lot of fun. They have an insane collection of ancient Peru's pottery ....... More interestingly, they have a erotic exhibition of artwork. They incorporated a lot of the different sex positions into their pottery. You would not have thought that they would express sexuality so openly in their art, but they did.
Last night in Peru, we decided to go to the Parque de la Reserva. It is a waterfront park with at least 7 different waterfront with colorful light effects. Perfect for a hot summer day! This concludes our 3 week south american adventure. The world is too big, and there is too much to see. It is my life mission to see as much of the world as I can, especially before the world becomes more and more globalized. I love the unique cultures of different countries, sometimes even different parts of the same country, as well as the spectacular scenery and nature in different parts of the world. Travelling is definitely addictive, this trip makes me want to travel even more and I am surprised that I actually hopped on that plane back to my sad graduate student life. Anyways, I am not very good at writing and expressing myself (and I have a blog....), but hopefully, all the posts I made for the past couple months on the South America trip have convinced you to make a trip either to one of the places I mentioned, or just anywhere! Try to do research yourself, avoid taking a tour, you will get a lot more out of it!! Bon Voyage!
