Life in Lima

For some reason I continue to spend ridiculous amounts of time in capital cities. Not because they are super awesome, I especially haven’t been impressed with Lima. No, ladies and gents, it is due to nothing better than indecision. What to do, when, for how long. And now that I have a formulated plan, I can tell you all the wonders of Lima.

First off, my time here did not get off to a great start. The airport and drive were great, mostly thanks to my taxi driver who was telling me a bit about the history and layout of Lima. We talked about oceans and where I’d been, and talked about how people typically lived in the same area their whole life (unless they moved to the big city for a job).

After that it all fell apart. I went to a hostel, and in hindsight new I probably should have left when they told me they may have a bed for me. I just needed to wait an hour. And if I had been more fully awake, I’m sure I would have done what any sane person would do and go seek out other options. Instead I hit up the pub next door and got some grub.

When I returned, I was told that I could sleep in the bar tonight and that tomorrow I would definitely have a room. I was confident that considering how tired I was, sleeping in the bar would be no issue. And I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I passed out at 8:30pm, like the party animal on 0 hours of sleep would be. But at 10:30 I was woken up to the sound of a pulsing bass. Thanks. To add insult to injury some drunk people decided I looked to peaceful (or possibly dead) and shook my shoulder. Words could not describe how much I wanted to rip their faces off for disturbing my slumber. While it was probably out of concern (or agitation that I was taking up TWO WHOLE SPACES of sitting space), I still wish they had left me alone. And turned down the music.

The music continued to 2am. After this, six people decided to keep me company by talking about how Hipsters in Melbourne are “fucking annoying”. I assure you, all their thoughts were similar gems and they kept them coming until 5am. My favourite part was when the “Melbourne hipster hater” started personifying me. He was saying things like “Oh shit, it’s 5am. If I were that girl I’d be like ‘go to bed’, ahahahahaha”.

But it wasn’t over yet. I had to listen to a Australian-Danish couple make out and talk about how cute they were.

As you can imagine, I was not impressed. And while I did this to myself, I sincerely wish I hadn’t. But I guess it was a huge lesson. GET A BED. GET SOME SLEEP. Duly noted.

After 3 hours of sleep I was up again. Apparently my body couldn’t get any sleep in this hostel. So I packed up my stuff and headed to Flying Dog Hostel. Conveniently located two minutes away, if traffic was bad. I have set up camp here for the past few days. Mostly catching up on sleep and trying to plot my next steps.

What I can say about Lima is that it is a decent city. But it is a city none the less. My favourite parts are that you can smell the ocean on the eastward winds. The nights are cool so I can wear a sweater (although the first night I slept on a couch in open air and thus was a popsicle). This morning there was a fine mist throughout the area. I even like Parque Kennedy (named after JFK, who visited Lima during his presidency--so says my taxi driver), which I am currently staring at from my hostel window.

The truth is though, I really just love watching people go about their daily lives. And while I almost collide with random Limans every 20 seconds because they stop to talk/think/text/pivot/gawk, it is sort of nice to just observe again. In particular the park really lights up at night. Vendors selling rice, meat pastries, and god knows what else have line ups waiting for the 1 sole goodness. Or the random photography museum set up, made of what appears to be shipping containers. And the resident cats who take solace from the crowds in the shrine of Santa Maria. Or the wedding that took place last night with the retro 1950s-esque car parked outside for the couple.

But in reality, the best part of my time in Lima has been the cinema. I have gone twice in three days. I saw Last Night and This is War. The first being a drama, and the second a rather hilarious (while impractical) comedy. I haven’t gone to a theatre since last summer and I can assure you it was a great treat. Equally delightful is that I have had all my things washed. And I mean all my things. Even my backpack is getting a thorough clean.

Hoping that I can get a clean start here in Peru. As soon as I get my bag back, anyway.