Saturday in Miraflores

Up at 8 to head down to the Balta Parque and watch the hangliders take off. Right off the 400' cliff with a gentle 15 mile an hour breeze. Amazing to see as 1 after another took flight. Walked back to watch a senior futbol game that was highly contested with some hard feelings, bumps and bruises. These 50'year olds take it very seriously. Took a cab across town ($2) to Kennedy Park where DBl/deck bus beach tour was just taking off. We spent 2 hours on the cliffs and beach 
roads below, watched a guy dive from about 150' into the very cool Pacific.

Grabbed a "Pepito Manolo" steak sandwich at Manolos (9) and headed back to
the condo. 

Sunny every day so far with some rolling fog/mist coming and going in the early and late parts of the day. Started John Lescroart's "The Keeper" and dozed off 2 hours later. Temps were 79/70.

Mercado for lunch on Friday the 13th

It's Friday, March 13th. We had coffee on the balcony after sleeping in until 10. Edwin the tech arrives, installs
a new router with repeaters, and we have the wireless internet speed we expect. 

Off to Mercado, (10) another Gaston Acurio wonder of a restaurant. Irene had pulpo
while I tried Ceviche and pig. Best meal so far in a string of fabulous restaurants. 

Took the upper deck Mirabus tour of Miraflores and got to see the District.  It's very clean, teeming with energy and good vibes. Very upscale with 5 star hotels
and restaurants everywhere. Very Southern and Central California like. They are building everywhere. In 5 years this place is going to be a major tourism destination.

Came back to our Condo and chilled. A walk in the seafront park (3 miles long on the cliffs above the beach) put the evening to rest. 78 degrees today and 68 tonight

Day 2 in Miraflores

Woke early. Had coffee on the balcony while the District (Miraflores is a District of Lima) awakened. Runners and walkers everywhere on various journeys.
Stayed there chatting until 11 when the internet tech came to review the sad situation. Gonna try a new router with repeaters. He will return mañana. Heading to the highly rated Pescador Capitales restaurante for lunch at 1.

Irene had octopus, langostinos and scallop ceviche with a large portion of 
Grilled octopus (pulpo). I had a lobster risotto and a pork shoulder with Mango sauce and boiled Peruvian yellow potatoes. The restaurant was a large open vibrant scene with a business and upscale slant. Service was impeccable and the ambience was simpatico! We loved it. 

We walked by Mercado and La Mar on the way to and fro--2 more of the superb restaurantes on Calle La Mar which the locals call "Calle Gastronomica". Two miles covered on a "Hot" Lima day...it reached 81 today. Lots of sun. We haven't seen a drop of rain yet and don't expect that we will.
Sat on the balcony over the 180'ocean view and chilled with an special sugar cookie a la Irene.

Waking Up in Beautiful Miraflores

Slept in until 9! Enjoyed watching our section of Miraflores wake up. 
There are myriad bikers, runners and walkers streaming by on the paths
designated for each as well as a waiting line for the next vball or futball game.
There is a small open stadium futbol pitch and 2 large bball/vball courts below.
No hangliders this early as the mist is still burning off. Decided to make our way to Larcomar, a famously located Mall built into the cliffs above the ocean. First class.
Ate a fine breakfast with a spectacular 180 view. The 3 mile walk back deserved a taxi ($2.25) and we got one. It turned sunny and 76 while we were out. The Malecon is absolutely gorgeous.

Back at the condo we went on....and mostly off the net, wrestled with the TV and 
wound up on the balcony of eternal serenity.
We watched the sun set on the Pacific and headed to the Asian/World fusion, highly rated Costazul restaurante with Chef Perroquet. His son waited on us and it was a truly memorable evening of fine dining. Skinned Octopus with garlic olive oil drizzle and avocado and tomato slices with toasted French bread strips. Causa with fried sea bass, maize, yucca and herbs. Shrimp and crab filled empanadas with 3 awesome dipping sauces. A large Sea Bass filet with garlic pepper sauce and white rice. A "10" pure and simple for Tripadvisors number 6th rated joint in Lima. Causa by the way is a Peruvian dish of mashed potatoes with lime stuffed with Avacado, crab, shrimp,fried sea bass or a combo or all of the above. Right up my alley!

Miraflores District of Lima, Peru - March 10, 2015

Welcome to Irene & Pats Lima Peru review. 

This will be the second trip to  review an area of the world that we might want to spend more time in. We will be all over the globe and hope that some day some of you may join us or be able to make some of your own travel decisions based on our input. In 13 and 14 we pretty much fell in love with Salinas Ecuador and we  Have decided to make many a return trip. This year we will review the Miraflores District of Lima. We have studied this area on line for a couple  years and it sure sounds like a probable keeper. The sheer beauty of the  coast must be breathtaking in person based on all written and visual  accounts. In the fall, we will head back to Salinas until Ruairi and Stacey's  Wedding. Then on to Penang Island in Malaysia to undertake a similar review.

The People: In Lima there are about 8 million residents, 3rd largest city in the America's. 15% of the population is White. 37% are Mestizo. 45% are Indigenous People. A fraction are Black or Asian. In Miraflores about 30% are White and 67% are Mestizo. There is a stream of Indigenous Peruvian People coming into Lima daily. These Provincianos are made up of Serranos and Cholos (Migrants of the hill and mountain country)and they have changed the make-up of Lima's inner city. There is no evidence of these people in Miraflores, San Isidro or Surco. They are the poverty stricken class that work the most menial jobs available in Lima. Money and education determine class here as in most places. The difference is very apparent when comparing neighborhoods. 

Our time in Miraflores: We have rented a condo that is on the northwest side of Miraflores. It's on top of the cliffs overlooking the ocean and just off of restaurant row which Limeno's call "Calle Gastronomica". Lima and Miraflores specifically is the foodie haven of South America and named as the Gastronomical Capital of the Americas (as in North, South and Central) since 2009. The area abounds with great restaurants and hotels. The weather is rarely over 80 or under 60 anytime of year, 70 is the norm. Significant rain just doesn't happen. The humidity is comfortable at about 70% this time of year. It is significantly higher (80-85%)in their wintertime which makes the high 60s feel warmer. Right away we found out: *Driving is a little nuts but there is a technique similar to Italy (daring cat & mouse) *Pedestrians are an endangered species with no crosswalk laws like in the US. *The people of Miraflores are wonderful and very helpful in introducing Gringos to their slice of the paradise pie.  *Tourism is strong and getting stronger. Lots of visitors from Australia, Europe, Asia and the rest of South America.

Arrive Lima, Peru

Arrived in Lima, Peru on time at 8:47 PM  after long but pleasant flights with a change of planes in Mexico City.
Peruvian Shuttle provided a black SUV limo for a $20, 20 minute trip to Miraflores.
Our driver spoke English and we made plans to reconvene for the return trip.
We found the Condo loaded with goodies if not extravagant in furnishings.
The balcony and fabulous views instantly made up for any minor shortcomings.
The Pacific is beautiful, powerful and magnificent all at once.
180 views of the beaches and cliffs that make up an absolutely stunning Miraflores!
We drank agua, took in the view and almost fell asleep sitting up at 1030.

Panama City and Ecuador Second Look - September 14, 2014

8:55 AM Departed O'Hare Airport for a very pleasant flight to Panama City on Copa Airlines. Arrived @ 1:40PM. 40 minutes early. There was a last minute change that caused us to go get our bags (After having left them in Customs), escape back into Customs, bring them through and back up to the Avianca counter. A bit harrowing, but Avianca made up for it by handing us off to various agents and having an agent drive us to the plane!

In the end it was great to get to Cuenca 2 hours earlier than originally expected.

Irene was awesome throughout. I need to be more like her.

So, the owner of the hotel picks us up at the airport. Great guy from Munich. He and a friend decided to invest in Cuenca and built this little boutique jewel with a fine Brasserie. Had a filet Bernaise that was sensational...$14. We both had as good a mushroom soup as we have ever consumed....$4.  The room is spotless with a fine new King bed. Found out this place is 4 months old! Going to bed watching the US destroy Serbia....it's 930PM.