MORE INFO ON LIMA, PERU

 Ten Things to do in Lima

  1.  Aliaga House 

The Aliaga House is as old as Lima itself. When conquistador Francisco Pizarro founded the capital city on Jan. 18, 1535, he gave the plot adjacent to that of the Government Palace to his trusted ally Jerónimo de Aliaga, so they could be neighbors. Eighteen generations of the Aliaga family have resided in the same mansion ever since — it's been renovated continuously, but it's the oldest house in the Americas. Jerónimo's descendants currently live in a modern annex, but much of the original main house is on display. 

The Aliaga House has a wide-ranging collection of Peruvian art and artifacts, including the sword Jerónimo de Aliaga used in the conquest of Peru, and reflects various eras of decor, going back centuries. Walking through the house's heavy wooden doors means stepping into layers of history.



 2.  Government Palace and Plaza de Armas: 

Government Palace, the official residence and office of Peru's president, sits on the banks of the Rimac River, Lima's principal waterway, and faces San Cristobal Hill, the city's highest point. Back in the time of the Incas, the site had strategic and spiritual meaning, which is why the last Inca chief in Lima also lived here. Pizarro, the conqueror of the Incas, so liked the site that he kept it for the first Spanish palace, whose construction began in 1535. Since then, Government Palace has been rebuilt numerous times; the current French-inspired mansion was constructed in the 1930s.

Government Palace occupies the north side of the Plaza de Armas (or Plaza Mayor), Lima's central square. On the other three sides of the square are the Cathedral of Lima and the adjoining Archbishop's Palace, which were originally built during the 1600s; the Municipal Palace (City Hall); and private office buildings. All the structures sport the intricately carved wooden balconies that make the downtown cityscape so unique.
After you've toured the Plaza de Armas, walk south on Jirón de la Unión, a long pedestrian mall, along which you can admire neoclassical and Art Deco architecture, shop and watch street performers. When you get to Plaza San Martin, which was refurbished in 2009, take a gander at the lovely 19th-century buildings, then duck into the Gran Hotel Bolivar. The hotel, which once welcomed the rich and famous, is on the wane, but the lobby and glass atrium are still worth seeing; the bar, with its polished woods and bronze, offers a surprisingly tranquil atmosphere to savor a delicious pisco sour ($4).



3.  Church of San Francisco

You can't walk more than a few blocks in downtown Lima without stumbling upon another colonial church. Catholic religious congregations were each allotted a piece of land in the early days of the city, and most of them erected monasteries, convents or churches in honor of patron saints. The Church of San Francisco is one of the best preserved (you'll recognize it by the swarm of pigeons on the patio out front; vendors sell bags of seed to passersby to keep the birds coming).

Built in the baroque-style of the late 1600s, San Francisco has several gilded side altars and an impressive lattice dome. The adjoining monastery has a superb collection of ancient religious texts, some of which were brought over by the first wave of Spanish priests after the conquest of the Incas.
Most people go to San Francisco, however, for its catacombs. The catacombs were actually part of Lima's original cemeteries, which were built under churches. Tour guides say an estimated 75,000 bodies are buried under San Francisco alone, and many of the remains are exposed, stacked in strange patterns in circular stone pits. A catacomb tour is not for the squeamish or the claustrophobic.

4.  Larco Museum

There are many public and private museums in Lima, but none as unique or pleasing as the Larco Museum. Housed in a former mansion, itself built on the site of a pre-Columbian temple, the museum offers a varied collection of 3,000 years of ceramic, textile and precious metal artifacts. There are also mummies that show off the different ways ancient cultures, including the Incas, preserved their dead.
Two things really set this museum apart. First, visitors are allowed into the museum's store rooms to see what's not on display: a vast array of ceramic objects crafted by ancient Peruvians; there are tens of thousands of pots in the shapes of animals, plants and people. Second, there's a special room devoted to erotic archaeological treasures. These are not your run-of-the-mill phallic symbols, but a collection of ceramic pots portraying a variety of sexual positions and acts — the Kama Sutra in clay, basically. Many such erotic pots were destroyed by Spanish conquerors, who were mortified by the explicit depictions, which makes this collection all the more important.



5.  Pucllana Temple (Huaca Pucllana)

You don't have to trek into the Andes to see vestiges of Peru's ancient civilizations. Lima has a large number of historical ruins, known locally as huacas, which can be spotted in many neighborhoods. They are generally fenced off, but that is the extent of the preservation. One of the major exceptions is the Pucllana Temple, or Huaca Pucllana, in the city's upscale Miraflores district. This adobe ceremonial center was likely built around 500 A.D., during the cultural height of Lima's history. Much of the site has been restored and excavations continue to uncover artifacts and the occasional mummy.

The huaca is creatively illuminated at night, giving it a movie-set aura. To make your visit even better, there's an on-site restaurant that serves haute cuisine prepared by an internationally trained chef. There's nothing like dining while taking in 1,500-year-old views. The restaurant stays open long after the ruins close.

6.  El Malecón, Miraflores

Lima has always been known as the Garden City, and no district rivals Miraflores when it comes to parks. The Miraflores government has spent years improving and adding to the district's green spaces, with a special emphasis on El Malecón, a six-mile stretch of parks situated along the cliffs high above the Pacific Ocean. (Bear in mind that the Malecón actually goes by three names, starting as Malecón de la Marina in the north, then becoming Malecón Cisneros, and ending as Malecón de la Reserva in the south.)
The Malecón is perfect for jogging, biking or simply taking in the view. Dotting the walkway are statues created by famed Peruvian artists. The two most famous works of sculpture are located on either side of the Villena Bridge, which spans a deep ravine at about the midway point on the Malecón. On one side of the bridge is the "Intihuatana" (sun anchor), designed by Fernando de Szyslo; on the other is Víctor Delfín's massive carving of a couple in deep embrace. The latter is the central piece of a section of the Malecón known as Parque del Amor (Love Park), whose design borrows heavily from Antoni Gaudí.

7.  Larcomar

Along the seawalk in the Miraflores district is Larcomar, a multilevel entertainment, food and shopping megacomplex that caters to most tastes. The first thing you'll notice about Larcomar is that you cannot see it. The entire complex is built into the cliffside, underneath Miraflores — the entrance is on Block 6 of Malecón de la Reserva, across the street from the JW Marriott hotel; take the stairs down just before you get to the cliff's edge.

Larcomar has breathtaking ocean views, which you can enjoy from numerous restaurants offering Peruvian fare, as well as several American franchises serving everything from doughnuts to ribs. Try Peruvian broaster chicken — or pollo a la brasa (literally, chicken over coals) — at Pardo's Chicken or have a cone of homemade ice cream from Gelateria Laritza D', while watching the sun set on the Pacific. There's also a movie theater, bowling alley and pool hall here, and shopping galore. Many Peruvian fashion designers have boutiques in Larcomar, and there's no shortage of high-end jewelry and clothing stores. This is a great place to while away your last few hours in Lima (and buying gifts for friends back home), before catching a cab to the airport.

 8.  Ceviche

You must not leave Lima without stuffing your gullet with ceviche — raw fish, hot chili peppers and onions marinated in lime juice — the mouth-watering dish that is the star of Peru's culinary repertoire. The best place to get it is on Avenida La Mar in Miraflores. Many of the city's top cevicherias populate this tree- and bench-lined boulevard, and also serve lots of other succulent seafood dishes, which you'll want to tuck into after your ceviche starters.

It's not the first seafood joint to open on the street, but the namesake La Mar restaurant is the best known; in March 2010 it was rated Lima's top cevicheria by the local restaurant ranking guide Summum. Begin your meal with an order of leche de tigre ($6.50), which is simply ceviche broth. Then get things going with the ceviche sampler, which has five different kinds of fish and shellfish ($16). Next, move on to your main course: try the swordfish, which is caught on Peru's northern coast and prepared in various ways ($16).

La Mar is the seafood creation of chef and TV star Gastón Acurio, Peru's Paris-trained ambassador of food. Acurio, who owns a small empire of restaurants, including the flagship Astrid y Gastón (which is also worth a visit), is taking ceviche international with La Mar: franchises operate in Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Panama; there's also a La Mar in San Francisco, with another outpost scheduled to open in New York City in Summer 2010. 

9. Bridge of Sighs, as Seen From Chala

The Bridge of Sighs (Puente de los Suspiros) is a lovely wooden structure spanning the Bajada de Baños, a stone walkway that runs down to the Pacific through Lima's bohemian district, Barranco. This comely neighborhood was the place to be in the 19th century and retains its laid-back charm today; there are lots of bars and restaurants in Barranco, plus views of the water, and it's worth strolling around here for an afternoon.

The best place to sit and contemplate the Bridge of Sighs and the ocean behind it is Chala. This unassuming Peruvian restaurant is located in a restored manor, with a long porch shaded by ancient, towering ficus trees. Chala's food and drink are as refreshing as its setting. The pisco sour is dry with just right amount of froth, and sipping one at a porch-side table is an unforgettable experience. Co-owner and Peruvian congressman Carlos Bruce recommends the saltado characato de lomito, strips of sautéed beef and chilis on a bed of refried garbanzo beans, accompanied by tempura-style plantains. Finish with the mango cheesecake ($8).



10. Magic Water Circuit - Parque de la Reserva, Block 5 of Av. Petit Thouars, Lima, Peru

The Lima municipal government has transformed a dusty park on the edge of the downtown area into a delightful tour of dancing water and lights — more than a dozen fountains send water shooting into the air, choreographed to music and light. The Magic Water Circuit (Circuito Mágico del Agua) is the city's newest attraction, and locals and tourists agree it's surprisingly awesome. Check it out for yourself. The fountains are open Wednesday through Sunday, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., but go after the sun has set to see the light show; admission is $1.50.

Credit and for more info go to this site:  http://www.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1977548_1977464_1977463,00.html

 * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~*

Lima:  Side Trips

Pachacamac

Located on a desert bluff, Pachacamac has panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean on one side, and a view of the foothills of the Andes on the other. The location made it one of the principal religious centers of pre-Columbian Lima. Until the Spaniards arrived in Lima in the 1530s, Pachacamac was the home of the most powerful Incan oracle on Peru's central coast.

Today, the site, which covers several square miles, offers visitors a glimpse at the intricate mud-brick structures of ancient Incan architecture. There is an on-going archaeological project run by several institutions, including Southern Illinois University and the Catholic University of Peru, and a small on-site museum that displays artifacts found over nearly a century of excavations.
Pachacamac is located within the confines of metropolitan Lima, about one hour by taxi from San Isidro/Miraflores, at Kilometer 31 of the auxiliary road that runs along the southern Pan-American Highway. A tour of the site can take several hours. The entrance fee is $2.

Asia

If it's summer in Peru (December to April), then Lima's hip crowd can be found in one place: Asia. Not the continent, but the coastal district located 60 miles south of Lima. Asia comprises some 30 beaches, but people come here more for the party than the playa. There are numerous nightclubs and discos to choose from, plus summer locations of many of Lima's top restaurants. And there are shops — lots of shops. Most of the nightlife and shopping is located along a strip known as Asia Boulevard (Sur Plaza Boulevard), the area's main strip.

A nine-hole golf course was completed in early 2010, and at press time, there were plans to build major hotels and spas — meant to turn Asia into a year-round destination. Currently, the top hotel here is Aquavit Hotel & Casino, with rates between $170 and $250 per night.

Credit and for more info go to this site: http://www.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1977548_1977533_1977513,00.html#ixzz2LVtIhxPJ

HJ:  We really hope you would have the time to explore Lima, Peru.  And if you need a personal tour guide...  *cough-we can discuss that at your fm-cough* ;) ~ Cyn