Travel to Lima Peru – Episode 668

Hear about travel to Lima, Peru as the Amateur Traveler talks to Maggie O’Reilly from the Mayta Collection about a city she has come to love.

Maggie says, “I actually ended up going my first time to Lima because I ended up marrying someone from there. I do have to admit that prior to meeting him Lima was not on my radar. However, every time that I go I learn about something different and the city grows on me. The reasons why someone should go to Lima: number one is the culinary experience. I think, honestly, it is probably one of the best cities for foodies. You do not have to eat at expensive restaurants. The second thing that I have found to be very enjoyable is that Lima is on the coast. It’s called the Costa Verde. We spend many afternoons watching the sunset. We walk the Malecon. We hear the waves crash. We always have to watch all the surfers. The third item that is special to Lima is the colonial architecture with all the beautiful buildings and the wooden balconies. I have had the experience of going into some of the casonas [old mansions] within the center.”

When people came from Chicago to Lima for Maggie’s wedding she had to come up with an itinerary for them. So she tells us of a tested itinerary. Traffic can be problematic in Lima so she recommends we start in Miraflores and walk into the neighborhood of Barranco which is a more bohemian area. Maggie says Lima is a very walkable city.

She and her friends dia bike tour in that area as well, stopping in cafes or ice cream parlors along the way with a lunch stop at a lucheria (sandwich place). Miraflores (literally “to watch flowers”) is a green neighborhood with Parque Kennedy and other parks in the old historic center of Lima. You should see what Peruvians do with a sandwich and with a potato, which they have had centuries longer than the rest of us.

If you go in the heat of the summer and want to get away to a beach town Maggie recommends a mid-week visit to Punta Hermosa which is only 45 minutes away. For a longer beach getaway, she recommends the district of Asia.

Maggie recommends a trip to the old center of town at Plaza de Armas which you can find the Cathedral and the Governor’s Palace. She recommends a visit to the Museo Larco to see their collection of pre-Columbian art. They also have a beautiful garden cafe where you can have lunch. This after Maggie admitted that she is generally not a museum person.

Maggie’s business selling the work of Peruvian artisans began at the markets in Miraflores and she recommends a visit to the Inka Market.

In Barranco, you will find more independent boutiques and restaurants. There is a new museum in Barranco called the MATE Museo which is dedicated to the work of the photographer Mario Testino. From there you can walk down to the bridge in the heart of Barranco with a view of the coast. She also recommends a couple of casonas that have been converted to shops or boutiques.

We also get some recommendations from Maggie about what to order when you go out to dinner including ceviche, ají de gallina, and Pollo a la Brasa. She will have a pisco sour but draws the line at Inca Kola.

Listen to this episode and see if Maggie can get you to spend more time in Lima on your trip to Peru.

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Show Notes

Mayta Collection
Lima
Miraflores District, Lima
Barranco District
Lima Bike
Parque Kennedy – Parque Central de Miraflores
Lima Bike & Mountain Bike Tours
Lima Walking Tours
El Circuito Mágico del Agua
Punta Hermosa
Plaza Mayor, Lima
Domus Restaurant
Cathedral Basilica of Lima
Government Palace
Museo Larco
Inka Market
MATE Museo
Dedalo arte & artesania
Ceviche
Chifa
Punto Azul
Pescados Capitales
Pisco sour
Lomo saltado
Ají de gallina

Community

Dear Chris,

 

I have been listening to your podcast for a few years now.  I was inspired by one of your podcasts to take my wife to Zambia and see the world’s largest bat migration.  She studied bats in her undergrad and just loves them.  So we went in Oct 2018.

 

David

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