Today… Breakfast, met with our guide and new fellow travelers, then walked to the nearby Miraflores area. Yes, I am out of the Amazon and have returned to the hubbub of honking cars, motorcycles…no one really stops for a red light or a pedestrian in a walkway unless there are many pedestrians! I will say the streets of Lima are clean. Our group stopped at a fruit stand and were shown a passionfruit which I have had as a delicious morning juice. On the street, I exchanged some American bills to Peruvian money from an official person and did not need to go to a money exchange. If I did not have cash and needed to use a debit card, I then would have to use an ATM. (Be sure it is an official exchanging your money!)
The day was for us to explore Lima, with its perpetually gray sky….sort of an ocean mist that seems to hang on the city and never burns off during the day. While walking on my own, I bumped into 2 people from our group and we headed toward the Pacific Ocean. Surfers and paragliders were out, along with many people shopping at a mall on this holiday of Santa Rosa. We enjoyed drinks while at the ocean and later joined everyone at a local restaurant for dinner.
What I learned in Lima today: Independence Day celebration in Peru is July 28…more history to come. Peru is mostly self-sufficient, but their apples come from Chile. On some street corners you will notice a yellow circle with the letter "S" written in it to designate a "safe" place in case of earthquake. For me, some spots were debatable as I looked up to see the tall building nearby. Chichamorada is a dark-colored non-alcoholic drink made from dark corn and tasty. Pisco sour is Peru's popular alcoholic drink and mixed with pineapple and passionfruit it is a moradita, or if it is with chocolate it is an algarrobina which tasted like a dessert. I had a craft beer called Maddok; not bad! August 1 is National Alpaca Day. We stopped in a few stores selling solely alpaca products….beautiful, pricey jackets, hats, scarves, etc. Kennedy Park in Miraflores area has beautiful gardens, trees, pedestrian walk and bicycle trail.