Going South
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
After two days in Lima, we were done. We decided to rent a car and drive to the south coast. We had one day down and one day back so we chose to rent a car at a place near the hotel and then return it to the airport. We asked for a GPS to facilitate this since driving in Lima is a nightmare. There are no signs anywhere! The only way to know that you are getting closer to the airport is to watch the planes take off.
It turned out that despite being told by the gentleman there was a GPS, there wasn’t. This threw a serious wrench in the works, but we rolled with it. We asked for a map, but they didn’t have any. They finally gave us a photocopy of a road map of Peru which helped tremendously. Our car was battered and beaten and full of dings, but it drove alright. We loaded it up and headed out of town.
The drive south was fascinating. It was full of barrios and sand; lots and lots of sand. Almost immediately after leaving the city we encountered a sort of desert. Interspersed with nothing were little housing developments made up of straw shanties, wood shanties, and some metal shanties. We rolled and tumbled through this barren moonscape until we arrived at a little town for lunch.
We chose a place with a lot of locals and were escorted to a table in the back. The menu was huge, but my choice was easy; cuy. Cuy is a delicacy in Peru. It can be found in towns throughout the country. Usually it is grilled and the diner receives one half. Maybe I just got a particularly bad one, but that little guinea pig was one of the toughest pieces of meat I have ever had. It also contained very little actual flesh. Needless to say, I did not order it again.
We soldiered on, passed by the town of Pisco, and ended up in a little seaside burg called Paracas (from Caracas to Paracas!). We found a little inn and explored the town. There were a lot of restaurants and shops along the Malecon (beach walk), but many were closed. We wandered to the end where we encountered a neighborhood soccer game taking place on the basketball court. Those guys went at it solidly until one team won. They then left the court to allow another two teams their chance. Some of the players were quite good. Eventually, as busses went by, fellows would stop to watch, dressed in their work clothes.
The crowd was very supportive and none of them were drinking. This, even though the market right behind them had cold beer and beverages. Here, as in Lima, the streets were clean and there were plenty of trash cans everywhere. What a difference from Venezuela!
Next, we settled in at a sidewalk café. I was treated to a beautiful seafood dinner complete with Pisco Sours. Fit to burst, we meandered back to the hotel and tucked ourselves in. There was a boat trip in our future and we wanted to be rested.
MJR
After two days in Lima, we were done. We decided to rent a car and drive to the south coast. We had one day down and one day back so we chose to rent a car at a place near the hotel and then return it to the airport. We asked for a GPS to facilitate this since driving in Lima is a nightmare. There are no signs anywhere! The only way to know that you are getting closer to the airport is to watch the planes take off.
It turned out that despite being told by the gentleman there was a GPS, there wasn’t. This threw a serious wrench in the works, but we rolled with it. We asked for a map, but they didn’t have any. They finally gave us a photocopy of a road map of Peru which helped tremendously. Our car was battered and beaten and full of dings, but it drove alright. We loaded it up and headed out of town.
The drive south was fascinating. It was full of barrios and sand; lots and lots of sand. Almost immediately after leaving the city we encountered a sort of desert. Interspersed with nothing were little housing developments made up of straw shanties, wood shanties, and some metal shanties. We rolled and tumbled through this barren moonscape until we arrived at a little town for lunch.
We chose a place with a lot of locals and were escorted to a table in the back. The menu was huge, but my choice was easy; cuy. Cuy is a delicacy in Peru. It can be found in towns throughout the country. Usually it is grilled and the diner receives one half. Maybe I just got a particularly bad one, but that little guinea pig was one of the toughest pieces of meat I have ever had. It also contained very little actual flesh. Needless to say, I did not order it again.
We soldiered on, passed by the town of Pisco, and ended up in a little seaside burg called Paracas (from Caracas to Paracas!). We found a little inn and explored the town. There were a lot of restaurants and shops along the Malecon (beach walk), but many were closed. We wandered to the end where we encountered a neighborhood soccer game taking place on the basketball court. Those guys went at it solidly until one team won. They then left the court to allow another two teams their chance. Some of the players were quite good. Eventually, as busses went by, fellows would stop to watch, dressed in their work clothes.
The crowd was very supportive and none of them were drinking. This, even though the market right behind them had cold beer and beverages. Here, as in Lima, the streets were clean and there were plenty of trash cans everywhere. What a difference from Venezuela!
Next, we settled in at a sidewalk café. I was treated to a beautiful seafood dinner complete with Pisco Sours. Fit to burst, we meandered back to the hotel and tucked ourselves in. There was a boat trip in our future and we wanted to be rested.
MJR
posted by Bronx to Timbuktu at 7:22 PM
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