~~~Sights from my balcony...though the fog makes it tough to see, this is a view of the ocean~~~
I write my first official entry in Peru from a small coffee shop just down the street from my new home. I am sitting next to a young family (a beautiful mama and two little boys) and the eldest boy was very excited to see me pull out my computer. He explained in a few English words that he is going to get a computer soon (he actually told me he was going to get two, which his mom quickly corrected). I showed him my screen saver, which is a photo I took of Cardiff beach just before I left, and he and his mom instantly said “California!” I guess that view is the quintessential stereotypical image of Cali. As they got up to leave, the mama, her name is Lourdes, gave me her number and explained that she spent two years in the US (her sons were born there) and that people were so nice to her that she wants to return the favor to me. Her exact words were “I am for you.” So sweet. New friends. You know I am smiling…
But I digress. Allow me to attempt description of my first few days in Miraflores, a district of Lima, Peru. Perhaps even before getting to my experiences, I should briefly provide some back-story about my new homeland (or at least a few basics that I know so far). As my taxi driver from the airport explained to me in Spanish, Lima is the capital city and home to approximately one-third of Peru’s population (or about 8-10 million people). Lima is a big city with 43 districts, one of which is Miraflores, where I currently dwell. Miraflores abuts the Pacific Ocean and is considered one of the most popular districts for visitors and Limenos alike. This is perhaps because it is one of the more well-to-do areas of the city, with beautiful parks, a bustling nightlife, gorgeous ocean views, and more.
As yet another preamble to my experiences, let me also explain a bit about my place and my new roomie. I live on a street called Malecon 28 de Julio, which roughly translates to Independence Day Street (as July 28th is their Independence Day). I am lucky to live about one block from the beach, with ocean views from my front balcony. The apartment complex, called Marbella (Italian for beautiful beach???), is gated and guarded (by a couple of nice gentlemen I look forward to bantering with once I know some more Spanish). I live on the second of sixteen floors. My apartment is a two-bedroom, three-bath, with ample living, dining, and kitchen areas, and a nice little balcony. My bedroom—which is on the street side (I wear earplugs at night…think living on the first floor of a NYC apartment with windows that don’t close all the way)—is a great size, with its own entrance to the balcony, my own bathroom, and enough room to do yoga ☺. My roomie is a bit jealous that I seemed to have lucked out with the nicer of the two bedrooms (though he lives in the back of the apartment and, thus, doesn’t require earplug assistance to slumber). All in all, I am very happy with my new home!
My roommate, Evan, is from Washington State. We get along well so far, and he has been great company for dinners, wanders, and talks over Argentinean wine. While I enjoy his company, I have spent most of my days solo, wandering my new backyard on my own. As most of my close friends know, walking and exploring are some of my very favorite things to do…thus I am a pig in sh*t right now (to be unnecessarily vulgar). I think I clocked in about 8 hours of walking yesterday (and one hour of running—as if I didn’t get enough exercise). I am beginning to grasp the lay of the land, as I have a pretty good sense of direction and location. I spent most of my day yesterday exploring what is my very favorite part about this city so far…the beaches! In my neck of the woods, there are approximately five miles of wanderable cliffs looming over the Pacific Ocean, which are bejeweled with gorgeously green parks. Each with a unique character, these well manicured parks are filled with playgrounds, dog parks, statues and fountains, tributes to famous war heroes and lovers alike (about 500 meters from my place lives a hugantic statue of two lovers embracing—it’s awesome), park benches (often occupied by lovers in the flesh and blood), skate parks (for all you skater buddies of mine, this park trumps most I’ve seen at home), long winding stairs down to the rocky beach, and more. [I plan to take pictures to share but am a bit nervous about getting my camera snatched. I will wait till I am in the company of friend-sentinels methinks.]
While not as crowded as many of the breaks at home, the waves here attract many surfers throughout the day. As I sat and watched them for a while after my run yesterday, it reminded me of home and all my friends who should come visit and surf these Peruvian waves ;).
One of these cliff-top parks is the take-off site for paragliding above the city, a popular pastime, though probably more of a tourist thing. Touristical or not, I am thinking of going paragliding this afternoon or sometime soon, as birdlike views are a favorite of mine. Don’t worry mom and dad, it looks safe.
Love, love, love.
Over and out.
