Lima at our introduction was a dark velvety fog clinging to the cliffs along the beach on a pitch black night. To the left a galaxy of shimmering lights rose above the great expanse of darkness and was echoed down below by brief glimpses illuminating the fog off to the right: the breaking waves reflecting the city as they pummeled the pebbled coast. The rumble of rocks running up the shore and cascading back into the sea gave the impression that the entire city with its magnificent cliffs and all were being sucked into the water as well. In daylight it looks as though that just might happen. Perched upon cliffs made of pebbles and dust, Lima is waiting to fall, to return to the sea.
Lima is the Sea.
Clifftops in Barranco
Sediment and Sea Stones
Sea Views from Cliffs
Chorrillos from Above
Port of Chorrillos
La Herradura
Beach Houses by Barclay Crousse, under construction
Beach Houses by Barclay Crousse
Lugar de la Memoria “Place of Memory” by Barclay Crousse, under construction
The city of Lima was built along the southern bank of the Rimac River within a vast desert of an angry topography. To the north and south lay endless miles of sand and dunes, to the west the lonely seas, and to the east, this slender desert gives way to tightly gathered wrinkles, the dry, crusty beginnings of the much more plentiful sierra of the Andes Mountains. It is as though this tiny bit of populous were an accident. An unintended city in an expanse of harsh yet beautiful land
,
Lima is an island.
Lima from the Cristo del Pacifico
Cristo del Pacifico
Outskirts of Lima
Lomas de Lachay National Reserve
Palacala Falls in San Jeronimo de Surco
Hike from Ayas to Collana near San Jeronimo de Surco
Huanano Falls in San Jeronimo de Surco
“My heart stays where my body cannot.”
Rupac, the Machu Picchu of Lima
Markawasi Plateau in the Andean Mountains
Markawasi Plateau in the Andean Mountains
Lima comes with a heavy history. From Pre-Incan cultures to the Spanish colonization, this city has morphed and riled under its share of empires. Once an agriculturally based community, people have poured into the city from across the seas and rural areas as Lima rose and fell as the center of South American commerce. And still the city becomes more vibrant and modern by the day. Peruvian pride is the key to the past, to an Incan glory and rich agricultural bounty which resonates in modern and traditional cuisine. Yet buried by dust and hidden behind a touch screen, Lima is a contradiction of time. It is sometimes hard to find or even recall the artifacts of times gone by which sit and wait for rediscovery. But on some weekend you will walk into a museum which draws an audience with free admission and recall that despite the bustling, technology-driven metropolis
,
Lima is its History.
Huaca Pucllana Pyramid
Puruchuco Archaeological Complex
Puruchuco Archaeological Complex
Pachacamac Archaeological Complex
Pachacamac Archaeological Complex
Historic Center of Lima
Historic Center of Lima
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu
Ollantaytambo
Church of Santo Domingo, Cusco City
Cusco City
Inti Raymi “Festival of the Sun,” Qorikancha, Plaza de Armas, and Sacsayhuaman
Faces of the Sacred Valley of the Incas
Uros, the Floating Islands on Lake Titicaca
Uros, the Floating Islands on Lake Titicaca
Taquile Island on Lake Titicaca
Taquile Island on Lake Titicaca
Sun Gate above Copacabana
Copacabana, Bolivia
Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana
Island of the Sun on Lake Titicaca
Island of the Sun on Lake Titicaca
On long weekends and holidays you can witness a strange phenomenon in Lima: the emptying of a city. These great escapes are a retaliation against the dense cloud which covers Lima for six months of the year with its wet and salty breath. A trip outside the city to a thousand dream vacations is something to savor on cold gray days and holds you over until the next adventure. Savor the memories of sunlight as a swirling fog drifts up from the bay. The blank white is an excellent canvas for painting your next escapade, because as much as Lima is the damp cough of a congested dragon
,
Lima is anywhere.
Laguna Surf Camp
Mancora Beach
Mancora Beach Sunset
Iquitos, Peru
Cargo Boat - Santa Rosa, Peru to Manaus, Brazil
Mamoriรก River outside Manaus, Brazil
Fish Market outside Manaus, Brazil
Foz do Iguaรงu, Brazil
Puerto IguazĂş, Argentina