Lima: I Heart Rafael

After many days of hardcore preparation, I am finally here in Peru!! My day was extraordinarily long. Yesterday, I had dinner with my family and two of my best friends, Johanna and Jenya. It was a great way to end my short homecoming. Johanna was also nice enough to drive me to the airport so my parents could go home and rest up before going to work. Last night was crazy though. I had forgotten to pack my inhaler (yes, I am one of those nerds with asthma). I freaked out when I realized this. Luckily, Jenya had told me that I had left one with her a while back, and that it was in her apartment in Berkeley. What sucked was that we had to drive back to Concord, so Jenya could get keys for her apartment in Berkeley, and we had to make the actually detour through Berkeley to get it. After all the insanity, I still managed to get to the airport in time. I was already experiencing some cultural barrier issues by then. The lady who worked at the check-in counter did not speak English all that well. I knew it was going to get downhill from there.

My flights to get to Lima were fantastic. Thank goodness for red eye, I slept most of the way so travel didn't feel like a big deal. However, one thing that really sucked was that I tore my favorite pair of jeans on my second flight. After cursing TACA under my breath for a couple of hours, I realized that it wasn't so bad and that I was getting all worked up over nothing. I hope that I will be able to patch up the tear either in Ayacucho or Baltimore, because the jeans will pretty much be useless during those cold winter days on the East Coast.

When I arrived in Lima, I was luckily able to find whoever the hotel arranged to pick me up no problem. He was holding this sign "JEFREY DOUNG," cute. I went with him to his car, and off we went! Honestly, my initial reaction to Lima was not positive. The weather felt like Baltimore on a bad day, the city looked like it was in shambles, and the drivers were maniacs. I was surprised that I even made it to my hotel safely.

Riding through the insanity was well worth the stress and incessant praying. The Antiguas Miraflores Hotel is simply gorgeous. Upon entering my room, I was greeted by a window that opened to the courtyard. The room itself was well-kept, spacious, and homey.

Since my room was so comfortable, I almost decided not to go out to explore the city. However, I was not going to be a fool cheat myself out of this rare opportunity to be in a foreign city all alone! I took a quick shower, armed myself with my Frommer's guide, Lonely Planet Latin American Spanish Phrasebook, camera, insect repellent and was ready to head out.

Like many cities, Lima is divided into many districts, or barrios: Lima Centro, Miraflores, San Isidro, Chinatown, San Borja, and Barranco (Frommer's Peru). All of the historic must-see locales of Lima are in Lima Centro. However, my hotel, along with a majority of others that tourists tend to stay in, was in Miraflores. It is easy to explore each district by foot, although I don't even recommend doing that. Meanwhile, transportation by car is the best way to travel between each district. Since taxis are so cheap, that was my transportation mode of choice to get to Lima Centro from Miraflores.

To get a taxi, all I had to do was ask the nice people behind the front desk to call one for me. They can get to the hotel in as little as 5 minutes, which happened in both the instances I asked them to call one for me. Another reason why I asked the people at the front desk to call for one was that they had more knowledge about the more reputable taxi companies/drivers. I could have easily hailed a cab on my own, but taxis in Lima are not regulated by the government and can be somewhat dangerous. All it takes to be a taxi driver is for one to own a vehicle. Crimes in these things are not unheard of (Frommer's Peru). Furthermore, just by being in the city for a few minutes, I realized that these people were the same maniacal drivers that littered the streets, and merely stuck "Taxi" stickers on their dented vehicles to make things "official". It's crazy. Even the hotel's taxi driver maneuvered in such a way that nearly gave me a heart attack, but at least I trusted the guy.

Driving issues aside, my taxi driver was amazing. His name was Rafael Rojas, a real affable guy. There were no moments of awkwardness while riding with him downtown. Moreover, he gave tons of advice on how to stay safe and what were some must-sees for Lima. Towards the end of my ride, I asked him to drop me off at the main Plaza and then wanted to know if he'd be willing to pick me up after two hours if I paid him extra. Instead of accepting, Rafael actually offered to be my escort for the city instead! What a deal!! For 40 soles ($11), he drove me around town, showed me some noteworthy buildings, explained some of the history behind the buildings, let me get out of the car whenever I wanted, and took me wherever I wanted. What resulted were some amazing shots, some of which he took for me. *will upload the rest soon!*




After showing me around, I was ready for dinner. I had originally been looking forward to going to this one expensive restaurant my guidebook recommended to dine at, La Hamaca. Yet, Rafael resisted my stubborn desire to spend an exorbitant amount of money there and took me to a restaurant called El Seniorio de Sulco instead. He did a great service by doing so. The location of the restaurant, right in front of the coast, is fantastic. My seat next to the window gave me a great view. However, just by looking at the lay out of the restaurant, it seems like all the patrons must enjoy the scenery whenever eating there. In Baltimore, many of the restaurants at such a location would have cost a fortune to eat at. I was the only one there, which was awkward, but also afforded me a great deal of attention from the servers, especially since I was a foreigner.


After being seated, I was convinced that Rafael knows only best. I ordered what Rafael recommended, Lomo Saltado, which "comes from the scorching fires of the chinese inns." It is a beef tenderloin dish served with "crunchy onion and juicy tomato strips sauteed in the wok for just a few minutes." It also came with beans, french fries, and an egg (Seniorio de Sulco Menu). He also recommended that I drank Chicha Morada, a beverage "prepared from maiz morado (purple corn). It is usually sweet and consumed cold like a soft drink" (Wikipedia). Both were delicious! The Lomo Saltado was so tender and juicy. Unfortunately, it also seems similar to many saucy chinese dishes I have had before, except with beans and french fries. The Chicha Morada was a whole new experience though; I have never tasted anything like it and it was GOOD.

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that the bill was a lot lower than I would have spent elsewhere. However, one thing that had me taken aback was a curious "tax" I had never encountered before called the "Cubierto Salon," approximately 10 soles ($3). I saw the bill and thought, "What the HELL is that!?" I was appalled. I didn't order SALON! (durrrr). I had to reference Frommer's, again. I swear; I live by that book now. Here is what it told me: "Some upscale restaurants will place a couple of small plates of cheese, sausage, olives, or other tidbits on your table to nibble on as you wait for your meal. In almost all cases, you will be charged for these items, called a cubierto, or cover. Usually, it'll add 5 soles to 15 soles ($1.40-4.30) to your bill. If you don't touch the stuff, in theory you shouldn't have to pay for it because you didn't order it..." Oh, so that's what it is. But you're telling me that the 3 pretzel sticks I ate cost me a dollar each!? Holy cow! On the otherhand "...many restaurants automatically tack on the charge- and few are the customers who don't consider the cubierto part of the cost of eating out." Well, now I know what to expect, at least.

After I ate and paid my bill, I had to wait a bit for Rafael to come pick me up to take me back to my hotel. While I was waiting, I chatted with Joseph, a server at the restaurant who gave me a glimpse into the hardships of living in Peru, as if it was not evident already from touring the city. The gentlemen was from Cuzco, but had come to Lima to work temporarily. His friend had just moved to London, and had promised Joseph that if he moved to Lima to work, he would help him immigrate to London so he could join him. The plans never came to fruition; He never even heard from his friend. Now, he works twelve hour days, six days a week, and has high hopes of saving enough money to get out of Peru and make a better life for himself. His story was very inspiring, and reminded me of all the stories I had heard while working with those at the Hispanic Apostolate back in Baltimore. Once again, he left me thinking how I wished I could do more for him and others like him. The best response I could give was to encourage him, and tell him that he had a decent chance of living a better life in America, considering how his English was strong, and he possessed computer programming skills.

Shortly after my chat, Rafael finally arrived, and took me back to my hotel where I could recover from traveling on the plane and being out all day. So here I am, sitting on my bed in a room all to myself, and reflecting on what I had seen. I know I said earlier that Lima left some crappy first impressions for me. However, all of that seems trivial now. After being driven through it for a couple of hours, I felt like Lima possessed an irresistible charm that cities like Baltimore have. Lima is definitely a resilient city. In 2001, it suffered a devastating earthquake that damaged much of the city's infrastructure. Yet, many parts of the town are currently undergoing construction to rebuild landmarks and structures. I am also starting to remember that Joseph is but one of the many examples of the people in Peru who are trying to turn their fortune around by working extremely hard to make better lives for themselves. By the end of the day, the city and the people really grew on me.