Lima, Peru
First impressions of Lima and Cusco — food, history, altitude and the beginnings of a South American adventure. (4 min read)
I arrived in Lima without any preparation or expectations, so there were lots of surprises.
Lima is a port city, established in 16th century by Spainards as the new capital (the Incan capital was Cusco, inland to the south). The architecture in centre of the city is very charming and shows a strong Spanish and European influence, though the area is prone to earthquakes so there has been much restoration. I was very impressed with the cleanliness and beauty of the main square, though this deteriorates as one moves out from the centre. The influence of the Catholic Church is evident everywhere. The Spainards granted them land in prominent places in the city centre and there are numerous major churches to explore – we visited the main Cathedral (which is actually a museum, except for one mass on Sundays and various holy days), the Cathedral of St Francisco d’ Assis and, my favourite, the Dominican Monastery. The architecture of these buildings is superb and the chapels within them illustrate the fusion of Spanish and local culture. They dress up the statutes here and the Madonnas all wear triangle shaped dresses – the significance of this is the concurrent honouring of the divine Mother Earth and Mary as the mother of Jesus.
Our hotel was in the rather non-descript but modern area called Miraflores. Most of the main hotels and shopping centres are here. This feels very western and comfortable, but the main asset is ready access to the Pacific Ocean. The beach we visited was rocky but still beautiful and the water was about as cold as Coogee in winter.
The sky in Lima is grey or white, never blue, even when the sun shines. The mist from the ocean creates a lovely atmosphere, but the locals counter the depression inducing effects of grey skies with bright colours in buildings and clothing, etc.
Lima has expanded exponentially since the terrorist attacks of the 1980s and this is really quite extraordinary growth. I think this is a testament to agile population.
Overall, I was very impressed with the Peruvian people and would readily employ one if I had the opportunity.
© Paul McCarthy & Iluminar.au
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