I’m in the back seat of a car, hurtling toward Pachacamac (say, “pa-cha-CAHM-ack“), the pyramid complex about twenty-five miles outside of Lima. The modern storefronts and well-tended flowerbeds of Miraflores quickly give way to...
Tonight’s stroll takes us to the literal birthplace of Lima — now called the Plaza Mayor. There’s history galore in this space — including a Catholic Church built right smack on top of what once was an Incan huaca (a sacred...
There was a time when, if you paid enough money, the monks at this Franciscan monastery would bury you in the catacombs beneath the church. If you were particularly wealthy, you would be laid to rest in a private burial chamber. If you weren’t...
Yesterday, we were taken to a spotless market — most likely built for tourists — where every single fruit and vegetable was displayed like fine art. Today, we head out to a real market, frequented by locals. “And if you...
We have no particular plans on Friday night, so we decide to do what the locals seem to be doing: wandering the streets, with no particular destination in mind. Our hotel is about a block off the main drag — a busy four-lane strip of asphalt...
I’m a little dubious about the restaurant at Huaca Pucllana. I mean, come on. It’s a restaurant built right smack in the middle of a pre-Incan huaca, or temple site. I imagine that the place must be incredibly touristy — something...
David, our fantastic guide from Lima Gourmet Company, plops us down in front of a bowl of raw fish. “It’s a mild white fish,” David explains. “Sea bass, cut into small chunks. It’s very fresh.” He gestures at the...
The good folks in Peru and Chile both claim the pisco sour as their national drink. History appears to be on the side Peru. Victor Vaughn Morris, an America bartender, seems to have created the prototypical drink for a bar he operated in Lima. Mario...
We’re in Barranco, Lima’s funky, artsy, bohemian district, taking a morning stroll on what locals tell us is a rare sunny day. (Lima, particularly along the shoreline, tends to be overcast.) We make our way past the statue of Chabuka...
