Lima

By Michelle Hopey

The guidebooks terrified me. The way most described it, I was about to get mugged, knifed, gunned down or assaulted in some fashion. They said I could never take a taxi, walk alone or a ride a bus, and that my hotel would be scary, unless, of course, I was staying at a luxury hotel. So, as I sat on the plane flying through the Andean night sky, it’s no wonder my feet began to dance nervously. As I flipped through one of my travel guides, I began second guessing myself: why on earth had I chosen to travel to Lima of all places? I knew the answer. As a curious writer, I had yielded the internal call to explore Cusco, Machu Picchu and the mysterious Sacred Valley. Since I was flying into Lima as a start-off point, I decided that I should visit this 6.4 million person metropolis—one of South America’s major cities and economic hubs. After all, it was founded by Spanish Conquistador Francisco Pizarro, and nicknamed the City of Kings. For three centuries Lima was the greatest city in South America. I figured there had to be something to it.

But as the grand ol’ bird smoothly landed at Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chavez my heart raced, causing a slight tightening in chest. My thoughts kept circling back to my friend Claudia, who didn’t particularly enjoy Lima when she visited either: “If you have to go to Lima, get the heck out of there as fast as you can,” she had said. As I said goodbye to what now felt like a nice, safe plane (ironic, because I hate flying), I was surprised and felt instantly eased when I walked into the Lima airport: it was clean, modern and downright nice. I didn’t know what I had expected—something depressing, I suppose, and this sure wasn’t it.

Neither was most of Lima, as I soon discovered. In fact, Lima as it turns out, is a culturally rich but modern city on the rise. Lima could very well be the next big thing, maybe even the next Buenos Aires. The abundance of cultural nightlife in Lima makes this Latin America city sizzle, its pulse is upbeat and electric. I’m not just talking about hot sweaty bars stuffed with designer youths. In a way, it has a whiff of the Buenos Aires night scene. Art aficionados will love the evening exhibits put on by several of the Miraflores galleries, while musical enthusiasts can get drunk in the sounds of the Orquestra Sinfonica Nacional, one of the best in Latin American. If you like performing arts or music you shouldn’t leave Lima without visiting a Pena—a bar that hosts dancers dressed in elaborate costumes who passionately groove to local music. Cultural events, such as poetry slams, independent films and concerts are always offered by the Centro Cultural Ricardo Palma.

While the unemployment rates in the 1980s and 90s contributed to the demise of the city and rise in crime, Lima also suffered from intense pollution, mostly emitted from the large number of cars and industry that has emerged. The smog, combined with a heavy fog, called garua which blankets the city from June to December, makes Lima seem dark, gloomy and scary. But under it all, Lima is a colorful city, and in recent years as the government has cracked down on crime and made many tourist areas safer, the city as a whole with its reputable gastronomic scene (including signature fish dishes) musical talents, lively historic and contemporary art scene, terrific performing arts and cosmopolitan shopping venues—has become a great place to explore.

In 2003, under the mayor’s orders, the old city got clean. For years, the historic center, El Centre, had been considered an unsafe area not worthy of any attention. But like so many South American cities that hold exquisite architecture and rich history all that was needed was bit of money and a whole lot of loving.

Today, Plaza de Armas located in El Centre as is the square where Lima declared independence from Spain in 1821, shows off its beauty and safe. The renovation of this area has also made it easier and safer to visit some of the Centre’s most unique treasures such as the Inglesia de San Francisco which houses catacombs with tunnels that reportedly hold bones from 75,000 people, or the Museo de Arte de Lima, a Peruvian art museum.

Farther away from the center, the Museo de Oro del Peru, Lima’s gold museum has with tons of Pre-Inca and Incan artifacts, and the Museo Nacional de Antropologia, Arqueologia, e Historia del Peru has the most well-preserved collection of pre-Colombian artifacts, perhaps anywhere.

If you are still nervous to be in Lima, you may want to find lodging in Miraflores or San Isidro. A very touristy section of town, Miraflores is safe (but remember tourists equal pickpockets) with plenty of Limenos and tourists walking around in the day and even at dusk. As I experienced, Miraflores isn’t necessarily a gringo-land. Wealthy residents from the south of Lima, and business people alike frequent this barrio, since it has some of most exquisite high-end boutiques and some of the swankiest restaurants around.

Lima may be on the cutting edge, but it’s an edge worth exploring. Its raw vibe mixed with its new sense of pride is sure to bring this once Spanish capital back into the spotlight. And although there will always be dark streets not to go down, and phony taxis preying, just use your common sense and remember many South American countries are always evolving—that’s why they are developing nations.