After several vertigo inducing bus rides....

It's been a few weeks since I last posted. I had to do some troubleshooting because I was unable to edit and post content here. Surprisingly, as" un-tech" savvy as I am, I think I resolved the issue!

After two 20 hour and one 15 hour bus rides through the Andes mountains, we are now in Lima, Peru. The area we are staying in is called Miraflores. Miraflores is a larger residential neighborhood on the south side of Lima bordering the Pacific Ocean. There are many parks, restaurants, shops and brand-new high rise apartments. I was pleasantly surprised to find a very modern, cosmopolitan Lima.The colonial architecture is preserved in the numerous plazas scattered throughout the city. It definitely does not feel or look third world. Talking to locals about the changes and growth in Peru occurring every year, it's evident that things are getting better. Real estate is very expensive and appreciating at a very high rate. The apartment we're renting for a month would sell for $250,000. It has 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, den, maids quarters w/bath, 14th floor city view with balcony and it's a few blocks near the ocean. For us to rent for a month, it's a steal at $30 a day, utilities included. A hotel in Lima for a family of five runs around $115 a night. Here are some photos:

BALCONY VIEW

Pacific Ocean

Miraflores city skyline and mall built on the side of a cliff

Cathedral in Miraflores town square

 

TIP #1 FOR LIVING LARGE IN LIMA:

Rent a furnished apartment in an ideal location instead of a hotel.

I highly recommend using www.rooomorama.com or www.airnb.com to find a short term lease apartment.  You can rent by the day, week or month. The sites are very detailed with photos and maps.You can also google short term apartments with the city to find listings. We usually pick an apartment based on the proximity to the center of town, safety , is there a grocery store nearby, restaurants and shopping. We also now know to ask if the kitchen is fully equipped. We learned this most recently as a matter of fact! We were all excited to try our hand at Peruvian cooking. We discovered that our fancy looking kitchen contained two frying pans and one stock pot with non stick coating so scratched up that they were no longer nonstick! And, ONE plastic spatula that had been melted to resemble a bubbly, blob of plastic! That''s all! We talked to the real estate agent who rented to us and showed her how unequipped the kitchen was. She said she had been meaning to buy new pans but never got around to it. The next morning she delivered brand new pots and pans and cooking utensils. Thank goodness! Now were able to cook up a Peruvian storm without the Brain Cancer!

TIP#2 FOR LIVING LARGE IN LIMA:

Cook at home in your rented furnished apartment.

Traveling is all about the food! I love researching about regional food and then seeking it out in restaurants. It's always a fun challenge to recognize names on a menu [in Spanish] from my  research. Unfortunately, eating out can be expensive. If you at least cook breakfast at home, the savings will be good. We generally eat two meals at home.

 Grocery shopping in foreign countries is rather exciting. Seeing unusual ingredients and reading labels in Spanish is all part of fun.  The selection of fruits and vegetables in Peru is amazing!
There are around 4200 varieties of potatoes and 55 varieties of corn alone. We have been truly enjoying the abundance and balance in our diet. To top it all off, food is really cheap here in Peru.

TIP #3 FOR LIVING LARGE IN LIMA:

Shop like the locals do.

The grocery stores that are near to our apartment are beautiful! The first grocery store we went to was two levels and had a moving ramp for your cart. The shelves were perfectly merchandised and the floor was so clean you could eat off  of it.  I discovered that every Saturday in our neighborhood there is an organic farmers market held in a park.We bought 2lbs. of  broccoli for $2.50. The very best deals are found at the closest "Mercado". These are usually in the city center ,open air and very large. It is a one stop shopping trip for locals. Here are some lively photos of the "Central Mercado" in Lima:

 

 

 

 

 

TIP #4 FOR LIVING LARGE IN LIMA:

Eat where the locals ,or as they call themselves; limans eat.


There are restaurants on every corner to fulfill every craving. Take it from a self proclaimed gastronome, "Gastronomy" is the buzzword that's on every one's mind. If you want to dive in to culture and experience traditional, regional cuisine your gonna have to ask the locals where they eat. Tucked in between the chain restaurants and the tourist traps are these tiny , little mom and pop diners.
They don't even have a name!  What you will see is  a "menu of the day" which is usually written on  a dry erase board hanging outside the door. The best deals are for lunch, since that is most Peruvians largest meal of day. The menu consists of  the soup of the day, a choice from several different entries, a dessert and a drink. The entries are always traditional Peruvian dishes. The best part is that it will cost you between $2.50- $5.00. How's that for living large?

Lomo Saltado -a very popular Peruvian dish

Tallarin with chicken and vegetables

More food photos to follow............