Lima, Peru

(a rather quick visit, unfortunately...)

Was in Lima for a few days this week, and had a couple of hours Friday to grab what photos that time, light and weather would allow.  July is mid-winter in Lima, and because of the very cold Humboldt Current that runs just off the coast, it's apparently always overcast, with slight drizzle.  Constant white sky, never sunny, never actual rain...

The Miraflores area has a very nice cliff-side mall / restaurant area.
 

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

A few restaurants are down at the water level...
...with several others, coffee places, etc. up on the cliff's edge.



Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

A bit chilly, but what get's you is the constant, penetrating humidity.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

There is one thing that is weird for people who are used to sandy beaches...these beaches are composed of rounded pebbles and stones, like river rocks.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

But the weird thing is...the wave-sound is pretty normal as the waves crash, and roll up the slope of the beach.  But as they roll back, the rocks roll too, knocking and clacking together in a surprising racket that you hear clearly, even way up on top of the cliff.  It's quite strange.

From there, we zipped over to try and catch the dwindling light at Huaca Pucllana, still there in the Miraflores District.  A Huaca is an Inca ruin, there are several in and around Lima, but I believe this is the largest. 

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

See: www.huacapucllanamiraflores.pe/

My poor night pictures cannot capture the huge size of the huaca, it covers more than a few city blocks, and is quite high.  The "stones" are actually (millions of) clay "tiles" about 1 ft x 1.5 ft x 3 inches thick (300 x 450 x 75 mm).  But the unusual thing is, they are set on edge, like millions of books, side by side, not lying flat.  They also seem to have a mud layer between them, instead of mortar.  The idea is, in this very active seismic region, the tiles just rattle and settle a bit when the earth shakes, and do not fall.  It must have been a good idea, because after many, many years...the huaca is still standing !

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

To promote tourism and support the archeological work,
there is a nice restaurant right there on the edge of the huaca...

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

...where you can sit and view the area, and the tourists on guided tours through and on the ruin.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

La entrada de la Restaurante Huaca Pucllana...(it wasn't open, so we didn't try it, but it looks quite nice).

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Another really nice thing about Lima is the food !  All sorts of fusions of the various cultural influences, but modern and native.  A wide variety of great restaurants.  Fantastic !

Y'all take care.

- Mark W. Laughlin