We are currently staying in Jesus Maria about 45 minutes from the main tourist area by bus. I like to take the bus and it isn't just about spending $0.85 instead of $3.50 in a taxi. You get to see more people on the bus. Someone is always climbing and the bus to sell something; perhaps chicklets, perhaps their own hard-luck story. You have to keep in mind it is close to Christmas so people need money.
Today we were entertained by a comic who lamented that in Lima there was no social assistance for comics so he had to get on the bus and entertain us, promising to kiss anyone who wouldn't give him money in the end. He was very funny and used Olga as his partner in a little magic show. Since we are old we get to sit up front in reserved seats. It was entertaining, we gave him some money and after we got off the bus in Miraflores (we were heading to see the building that houses the apartment we will rent when the kids all come) and walked around for a bit we met him again in the street. We said hello and he remembered us and that was nice.
The street where we will stay is a quiet street with no buses or trucks. It is parallel and one block away from a major thoroughfare. We found a store that sells fruit, a pharmacy, a panaderia and a coffee shop that makes a very nice latte.
The barista's name is Juan Pablo.
We walked down to Larco Mar. This is a very fancy outdoor mall looking over the ocean from high on the bluffs of Lima.
They have a Christmas tree of sorts.
The coastline, from Larco Mar, is impressive. This view shows the southern part of Lima.
Here is some nice tourism for you - paragliding over Lima. I suspect it is expensive but these guys stayed up there for quite a long time going up and down (north and south) above the bluffs.
After Larco Mar we went to a department store called Ripleys to buy a phone. I have a basic pre-paid phone that cost me just under $20.00. My number is 011511940520254 from the US. This number now rings if your call our home phone number.
Getting downtown took 45 minutes. Finally we got to go home. We took the bus back. Things started out very well. It was 6PM and not too much traffic. Rush hour here is after 7PM. The shoe store across the street from our apartment stays open until 10PM every night. However about 2/3 of the way home there was an accident and it ground all movement to a halt. We talked to a blind grad student doing a masters in science communication and who wanted to practice his English.
We arrived outside our apartment at 8:09PM. We sat in traffic for over an hour.
This is the view from our select seats inside the bus. You can tell the bus is not full; no one is standing.
Across the street from our apartment is a market. We bought fresh fruit and made maracuya (passion fruit) juice as soon as we got in the door. It is my favourite. We bought passion fruit, grapefruit, madarin oranges, finger bananas for $2.00.
We could have taken a taxi and come home a lot cleaner but it wouldn't have been as interesting.
Today we were entertained by a comic who lamented that in Lima there was no social assistance for comics so he had to get on the bus and entertain us, promising to kiss anyone who wouldn't give him money in the end. He was very funny and used Olga as his partner in a little magic show. Since we are old we get to sit up front in reserved seats. It was entertaining, we gave him some money and after we got off the bus in Miraflores (we were heading to see the building that houses the apartment we will rent when the kids all come) and walked around for a bit we met him again in the street. We said hello and he remembered us and that was nice.
The street where we will stay is a quiet street with no buses or trucks. It is parallel and one block away from a major thoroughfare. We found a store that sells fruit, a pharmacy, a panaderia and a coffee shop that makes a very nice latte.
We walked down to Larco Mar. This is a very fancy outdoor mall looking over the ocean from high on the bluffs of Lima.
They have a Christmas tree of sorts.
The coastline, from Larco Mar, is impressive. This view shows the southern part of Lima.
Here is some nice tourism for you - paragliding over Lima. I suspect it is expensive but these guys stayed up there for quite a long time going up and down (north and south) above the bluffs.
After Larco Mar we went to a department store called Ripleys to buy a phone. I have a basic pre-paid phone that cost me just under $20.00. My number is 011511940520254 from the US. This number now rings if your call our home phone number.
Getting downtown took 45 minutes. Finally we got to go home. We took the bus back. Things started out very well. It was 6PM and not too much traffic. Rush hour here is after 7PM. The shoe store across the street from our apartment stays open until 10PM every night. However about 2/3 of the way home there was an accident and it ground all movement to a halt. We talked to a blind grad student doing a masters in science communication and who wanted to practice his English.
We arrived outside our apartment at 8:09PM. We sat in traffic for over an hour.
Across the street from our apartment is a market. We bought fresh fruit and made maracuya (passion fruit) juice as soon as we got in the door. It is my favourite. We bought passion fruit, grapefruit, madarin oranges, finger bananas for $2.00.
We could have taken a taxi and come home a lot cleaner but it wouldn't have been as interesting.
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