We arrived in Lima this morning, after rising at five to a drizzly and cool morning. We are staying in the Barranco neighborhood, which according to the Lonely Planet is a center of clubbing and nightlife (but that’s hard to tell at noon). Lima is on the coast of Peru and the weather is everything one might expect from a South American coastal city — warm (22 C) and humid (80%). After spending the last week and a half in chilly and damp weather, I don’t mind shedding the wool socks and fleece for my khakis and t-shirt!
Just a few words about New Year’s Eve, since it will certainly go down as one of the more memorable… After having dinner, we made our way to the packed main square, the Plaza de Armas. Everyone was decked out in yellow everything — hats, underwear, glasses, you name it — because yellow symbolizes good luck for the new year. As soon as the clock struck midnight, firecrackers were going off everywhere at your feet (I was pelted by one in the leg) and loud explosions from only feet away rocked my eardrums. Then the crowd began to run en masse in a circle around the square for the next 20 minutes, meanwhile dodging exploding firecrackers. We joined for one round, but sat the rest out since I was paranoid about having one of my legs blown off. I called it a night soon after since my cold medicine had worn off by that point, but it was definitely good fun!
Anyway, that’s about it for now. We’re going to spend the rest of today wondering around the center of Lima, and then maybe hit the national museum tomorrow. Adios!
More about our adventures in Peru: