Exploring Miraflores, Peru

The first full day of a long trip abroad can sometimes be a disorienting and hectic experience. Many times you can wake up unrested, anxious over all the planning to be done, or overstimulated by the newness all around you.  You might be on a new continent for your first time, afterall.

Our first day here in the Miraflores neighborhood of Lima?  Nothing like that– let’s just say that by the time we leisurely walked out the front gate of the hostel, into the overcast grey of the winter season’s weather here, it was close to noon.  All according to plan, friends… with three full days before flying to Cusco and the Sacred Valley, we want to do Lima gently.

Still, with a good slow morning start, we did do a pretty thorough job on our walking tour of Miraflores, an area of Lima that’s described as the focus of the city’s nightlife and shopping, with streets ‘lined with cafes and the city’s flashiest shops’ (per our Rough Guides Peru book).  Soaking in the architecture of the residential buildings with the gated front entries, wall colors and charming alleyways.

Building fronts in Miraflores neighborhood

A residential alleyway in Miraflores

Another home in the neighborhood

Postered window

We first headed towards the historical site of Huaca Pucllana, a large adobe-bricked pyramid a few blocks from where were staying, a temple of the pre-Incan Lima Culture between 200 and 700 C.E.  We connected up with an informal English speaking tourguide, who kind of disinterestedly pointed out areas of excavation and otherwise shuttled us from picture-taking spot to the next.  Pretty impressive structure though, with what must be hundreds of thousands (or millions) of carefully stacked mud bricks.  A talkative Australian in the group kept us good company.

Walking alongside Huaca Pucllana

Huaca Pucllana tour guide

S. really loving the tour guide experience

Huaca Pucllana with modern buildings in background

Alpaca, or a Llama?, near the Huaca area

We next made our way down Avenue Arequipa towards the center of Miraflores (Parque Kennedy) and then towards the Pacific ocean coast where the Larcomar shopping center was recently built.  Getting the chance to see busier streets and a concentration of modern shops.  Trying out Peruvian hats and stroking all the alpaca fur clothing and products.  Soft, soft stuff.

Limenos in Miraflores commercial area

Near Parque Kennedy

Looking over the Larcomar shopping center

Pacific coast near Larcomar, Miraflores

Evening was great, too.  We explored the central park a bit more with its open grass areas and small crafts market and walked out to see the places that sold mostly craft silver and jewelry.

Miraflores municipal building near the central park

Shopping for silver crafts

Capped off with an excellent and indulgent evening meal at a restaurant named El 550 that was recommended to us by a waiter at another one we initially walked into (we wanted to try some of the city’s criollo cuisine).

Some starter drinks at El 550

Decor through the mirror at El 550

Our recommended entrees

Let’s just say that the place was elegant and gracious enough to help us through a pretty complex Spanish-language menu experience.  A summary piece of our whispered conversation to each other:

Is this describing a meat or a vegetable?  Can you pass me that food dictionary?

This one has something related to ‘being filled with cheese,’ I think.

Um, I’m just going to pick something on the ‘meat and bird’ side…

A good night is one that ends with a good meal

All in all, a lovely first day on a new continent.