Peru Travel Notes [One Day at Miraflores Beach in Lima]

If Cairo, Egypt's capital, is the driest capital in the world, The first thing that comes to mind is dry It is a desert area, which seems to be natural, but it is a bit unexpected that the capital of Peru, Lima, is almost as dry as it.

Miraflores is the wealthiest district in Lima and relatively safe for tourists. Walking towards the seaside in the early morning, I saw that everything was shrouded in thick fog. With an air humidity of nearly 90%, it didn't look like one of the driest cities in the world. It is said that Lima has not rained for more than 600 years and is known as the "rainless city", so you don't have to worry about this problem when traveling here and you can play outdoors every day.

What surprised us was the seaside of Lima. The city is located on a cliff by the sea, and you have to "come down" first to get to the seaside. There is no soft sand or pleasant beach on the seaside, which attracts surfers from all over the world. In our opinion, the gray weather cannot stop people rolling in the waves.

Peru's two thousand five hundred kilometers of coastline means there is a wide variety of wave conditions, so beginners and professionals alike can find a suitable spot all year round. Adventurous surfers can head to lesser-known world-class breaks in the south or north, while beginners can try it out on a day trip near Lima.

The Costa Verde beach in Miraflores is very popular due to its location. People can start by carrying their boards and walking directly down the hill from home.

The building with a blue roof in the sea is La Rosa Náutica restaurant.

This nearly 40-year-old restaurant is built on an old pier in the sea. There are some small shops along the road, but it was noon when we went, so none of them were open.

Although these wooden houses built in the middle of the sea are decades old, they seem to be in good condition. For us southern Chinese who have been hit hard by heavy rains for a long time, we are really envious of such drought.

The uncle who delivered the bread served us back and forth in the hall. He was very kind. The hateful pre-dinner bread always wanted to feed us as soon as it was served.

The location and service of the restaurant determine that this is a restaurant that is very suitable for dates. You can listen to the waves, watch the sunset, taste delicious food, and taste fine wine... In order to ensure a romantic and comfortable atmosphere, the restaurant provides different menus to male and female customers. However, this behavior of not marking prices on the menu for female customers was suspected of discrimination and was fined 210,000 soles (approximately more than 400,000 yuan) by the Peruvian Consumers Association.

For children, the fun of dining here is finding a seat by the window to watch the birds. The spotted one on the left is a young Barred-tailed Gull (Larus belcheri), which lives on the Pacific coast of South America and is also called the Peruvian Gull. The heavily made-up ones in the middle are Inca terns (Larosterna inca). Their beaks and paws are dark red. There is a yellow feather at the base of the beak, and two slender and curly white "beards" on it. It is said that the longer the "beard" is, the longer the beard is. It means healthier. Both male and female birds will grow "beards", and the one on the right that has not yet grown a "beard" is the young Inca tern.

The tip of the beak of the soon-to-be-adult Spot-tailed Gull slowly begins to turn red, and the feathers on its head will eventually turn completely white.

The thick fog gradually dissipated in the afternoon, and everything on the seaside became clear.

There is a shopping mall Larcomar on the cliff. If you don’t have time to wander around in Lima, most of your travel and shopping needs can be taken care of here. We also bought our train tickets to Machu Picchu directly here.

Hangertips' T-shirts, badges, stickers and other gadgets are very cute and can be found in many souvenir shops.

Barranco's largest arts and crafts store, Dédalo Arte y Artesanía, also has a branch here.

In the corner of the park (Parque Alfredo Salazar) on top of the Larcomar shopping mall, there is a statue of Paddington Bear (Paddington) donated by the United Kingdom. In the story, Paddington Bear's hometown is Peru. He became an orphan after a major earthquake and went to London with a "Please take care of this bear" tag on his body, which triggered the subsequent story.

There is currently only one kind of bear in the entire South America, and that is the Andean bear (El Oso Andino) or the spectacled bear. It is also the closest relationship to the giant panda among the existing bears.

Driving on the roads in the Andes Mountains, you can occasionally see bear warning signs, but unfortunately we have never seen an Andean bear with our own eyes.

This is a stuffed Andean bear seen in the Natural History Museum in Lima.

Looking south from Miraflores, next to the seaside is the Barranco district. The farthest place, which is much higher than the sea level, belongs to the Chorrillos district, with a large cross on it.

Looking north you can see a lighthouse.

Follow the cliffside trail to the foot of the lighthouse, where there is a military-civilian concert of the Peruvian Marine Corps every month.

There are many vehicles transporting people and equipment parked on the side street.

The military band played music.

The onlookers danced to the accompaniment of the military band, and the handsome boy with missing teeth stood out.

I couldn't help but watch it several times after taking the photo.

The main purpose of the activity is to raise public awareness of national defense and provide patriotism education. Therefore, in addition to music and dance, many obstacle facilities are also set up for children to break through. Children will wear protective gear before the game begins.

The ground is lively and lively, and the sky is not lonely at all. Paragliders float here and there from time to time.

The children also went up to experience the "Peru Fly". It was said that it was "nervous and exciting" when they first took off, and it felt "so cold" when flying in the air.

This is El Parque del Amor (Lovers' Park) that you fly by on a paraglider. The road is covered with love poems decorated with mosaic tiles. The sculpture in the middle, El Beso (The Kiss), is a pair of kissing men and women, from a Peruvian sculptor and painter. Victor Delfin. Newlyweds and couples come here to take photos to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Go to the beach for a walk in the evening and find a restaurant where you can watch the sunset.

This CALA restaurant is located on the seaside in Barranco.

Beef tartare served in an ice cream-like mustard sauce, served with fried shredded potatoes and arugula on the side.

We sat by the window to eat and drink and wait for the sun to set into the sea.

People surfing all day long.

Braised osso bucco with mushroom pasta.

Foie gras steak, it seems we all love beef.

In the distance is La Isla San Lorenzo, the largest island in Peru. Although the island never rains, has no water source, and no one lives for a long time, it is not peaceful at all. The ancient Peruvians built temples and tombs here. Darwin visited the island for inspection and later built a naval base and prison. The pirates' treasure legends also added a mysterious color to the place. There are many kinds of seabirds inhabiting the island. In order to protect the ecology, tourists are not allowed to visit the island, but they can swim with sea lions nearby. Today it is still the base of the Peruvian Navy, and the government is preparing to build it into a large port.

As night falls, Chorrillos' huge cross, converted from an electric tower, lights up in the distance.