Impeccable timing

Sometimes failure leads to greater achievement - be it luck in the short term or perseverance in the long run. With the luck we had during our tour of Central Lima, I have no idea why our night didn't end at a craps table at the Atlantic City casino in Miraflores.

It started with a tour of the Basilica of San Francisco in central Lima. Central Lima is gorgeous. It is a mash-up of old Spanish colonial and modern day grime, with enormous squares lined with tiny shops, some of which serve amazing food. The basilica stands alone away from the squares, but is a major attraction and an incredible piece of artwork. A shining example of a level of craftsmanship that has slowly devolved since the industrial revolution. Also there are a lot of bones. 12 meter deep pits of bones. Definitely worth the visit.

 

Straight Chillin at the Basilica

 

Post-Basilica, we headed in the general direction of what is called the Parque de la Reserva. Fountains and lights spread throughout the park are said to make a great show after sunset. We stopped first at a tiny lunch spot on the edge of Plaza San Martin. We went for the cheap, and our first stroke of luck brought us a very tasty burger, fresh papaya juice, and the best chicken VJ has ever had... out of his 3 total times eating chicken.

An hour or so of aimlessly wandering squares and parks as we worked our way down to Parque de la Reserva put us at the closed gates of the park. Closed Monday. Crap. Our great failures of the day. We sat there feeling stupid and watching a kid try and fail to jump a short wall on his skateboard until luck of the gods shined down upon us - two beautiful girls got out of a cab, looked at the closed gates, and put on the same looks of disappointment that we were clearly showing.

Plaza San Martin

Lia and Sena, the pair of beauties from Denmark then joined us for a night of drinking in Central Lima. We started at a strange little bar with disco lights and a video jukebox, moved on to an 80's bar whose owners were in love with Michael Jackson, and ended the night at Tanta, a joint owned by Peru's famed chef Gaston. Overall it was agreed that this was our best day yet. If our timing remains as impeccable as it was that day, we may meet again in La Paz next month. The moral of this story is to not be let down by one's own stupidity - it's always possible that a pair of beautiful, interesting women from Scandinavia made the same mistakes.

Our next move is to prepare for our trip to Arequipa. We finally have our tickets and a general idea of what to do once there. Friday is our day to leave Lima. Until then we will continue to wander this gigantic, amazing city.