Thursday, June 21, 2012

A recent excursion

Lima is a very large city of more than 8 million people! In fact, it is very difficult to put a number on its population, as it is increasing exponentially with people from the sierra moving to the city each day. Lima is comprised of more than 50 districts! I consider these like large neighborhoods, much like the burrows of NYC. We currently live in the province of Callao, which is like a suburb (I think!) of Lima. In the province of Callao, there are five districts: La Punta, La Perla, Carmen de la Legua, and two others I don't remember. 

Some districts are known to be more beautiful or tourist-friendly than others. One of these is called Miraflores, where we traveled last Monday, June 11th, with Daniel.

We live in the top left corner - Carmen De La Legua Reynoso.
We traveled to Miraflores, the district located in the center, towards the bottom of the map. 




We first stopped at the Parque de Amor (Park of Love) in Miraflores, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean. It is beautifully landscaped with flowers, grass, and many palm trees. My favorite part was the bench that wrapped all around the park. The bench was a mural with different quotes about love written in tile. Some quotes were very sweet, others funny, and of course, there were sad ones as well. One of my favorites said something like, "I love everything that is not mine. You, for example." :)

In the center of the park is a... well, an interesting sculpture. You can see it below. I don't think I need to explain it!

We walked through the park and made it all the way to the lighthouse called El Faro de la Marina. Along the way, there were families walking together, boys skateboarding, and couples imitating the scuplture. :)


     

Aimee, Erin, me, and Monique in the Parque de Amor in Miraflores.
The interesting sculpture in the center of the Parque de Amor in Miraflores.

Working on my fitness! Exercise equipment in a park?! Don't mind if I do!
A lighthouse in Miraflores overlooking the Pacific Ocean. For you, Mom!
After visiting the park by the ocean, Daniel took us into the center of Miraflores. Here there are many shops, restaurants, hotels, and parks. This area very much caters to the tourists - I saw KFC, Pizza Hut, PinkBerry, Starbucks, Burger King, McDonald's, and other very American restaurants. Below you can see one of the parks that we walked through in Miraflores, along with a beautiful old cathedral.


Yet another park in Miraflores!
They offered free Wi-Fi in the parks. So cool!  
An old church in Miraflores. The architecture is typical for Latin and South American catholic churches.
At the end of our trip, Daniel decided that he needed to stop for a Big Mac at McDonald's. Since we were not hungry, we decided to instead visit the coffee or ice cream counter.  Yes, you read that correctly! There are three different places to place an order: the coffee shop, ice cream shop, and typical food counter. All of the coffee drinks were served in real glasses or mugs and with a saucer and the food was delivered to our table by a server. It was the most elegant McDonald's I have ever been to!


Erin's fancy americano at McDonald's! In a cup and saucer and everything!
I need to update you on all of the places we have visited lately! So stay tuned... there is more to come!

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