I looked for the book in several bookstores on Thursday. We didn’t find it, but everyone we asked assured us that we could find the book in the center of Lima, near the Plaza San Martin. On Saturday, on the way out of Lima, we loaded ourselves and our luggage into the Yaris, and got on the road towards downtown Lima.
Driving in Lima is not for the timid. Since I tend to get nervous around aggressive drivers, Nando took the wheel. When we got to downtown Lima, we found ourselves turning around and around looking for one-way streets that went the way we wanted to.
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| Traffic in Comas on the way to downtown Lima |
After turning around several times, we finally made it to the street that leads up to the Plaza San Martin that is full of bookstores. There was no parking nearby and the traffic was stop and go. So, I jumped out of the car in front of bookstores and asked in each one: “Do you have a copy of Aventura 757 kilometros written by Rafo Leon?” I got a “no” in each of the stores. Then, I realized they were all used bookstores, so I asked one of the book sellers where I could find a new bookstore. She sent me around the corner.
This time, Nando pulled up on a side street and waited while I went inside the bookstore. It looked promising, with new books lining its glass windows. When I got there, the cashier was on the phone. When she finished chatting, she told me they didn’t have it either, but recommended I check out the bookstore in Plaza Real – two blocks away. I jumped back in the car and we found a parking lot nearby. It was a block away from Plaza Real, so I left Nando and the kids there while I ran to the bookstore.
The cashier in this bookstore looked on her computer and told me she had sold her last one. But, she assured me they had a copy in the Miraflores store. I had to go back to the car with bad news. The kids were hungry, and I had promised them we would have Pizza Hut before leaving Lima. Confident I could find a Pizza Hut in Miraflores, we decided to trek over to one last store to find the book.
It took about 30 minutes in traffic to get to Miraflores. I went inside the Ibero bookstore and asked if they had the book. One of the attendants went over to a shelf and pulled it out! I was so relieved that all that running around had not been for naught. I bought the book and we set off across Parque Kennedy to Pizza Hut.
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| Raymi with Aventura 757 - finally! |
There was no way my last meal I Lima was going to be at Pizza Hut, so after the kids ate there, Nando and I set out in search of our menu. On the way, there was an artisan selling jewelry in front of the park. Nando, of course, knew him, and had to greet him. The artisan’s name is Cisto, and Nando knows him from decades ago when he also sold jewelry in Miraflores. Nando called out his name, and Cisto immediately recognized him. They chatted for a bit, and Cisto recommended a restaurant to us – Samantha’s Criollo Restaurant, one street away from Parque Kennedy – near the Banco de la Nacion.
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| Nando, Raymi, and Cisto |
We made it to Samantha’s and sat down to eat. Our food was amazing. Nando had cau cau – a potato and stomach dish – and causa de pollo – a dish made with chicken and mashed potatoes. I don’t favor beef stomach, but Nando said his cau cau was delicious. I had a salad and aji de gallina – a dish made with cream, chicken, and hot peppers. The food was so good that, although the kids had already had pizza, they were more than happy to help us finish off our huge portions. The food at Samantha’s is not only delicious, but also cheap. Our bill was 25 soles – about $10.00.
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| Causa de pollo |
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| Cau Cau |
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| Aji de Gallina - a family favorite |
After eating, we loaded back up into the car, and made our way to the Costa Verde highway, which goes along the beach in Lima. The kids begged to get out of the car and go to the beach, but it was getting late, so we decided to keep going. We left the city around 4pm. It’s at least a 4-hour drive to Nazca, our first stop, so we had to get moving.
The kids were very impatient in the car when we were stuck in traffic on the way to downtown Lima, but once we got on the highway, they chilled out a bit and we all were able to relax. I even got a chance to peek at my book, which looks amazing.
Once we were on the highway, things were going smoothly until our first police stop. The police officer pulled us over and told us that it is mandatory to have your headlights on and that there is a 300 sole fine for that. He called Nando outside of the car for a chat. Nando came back letting me know that the police officer wanted a bribe. We didn’t have any soles left, so I gave Nando $10. That seemed to do the trick.
About 20 minutes later, another officer stopped us. He asked if the girls had on seatbelts, which they fortunately did. We had our lights on and were going under the speed limit, so hoped we wouldn’t get another request for cash. We didn’t and he let us go on our way. Since that incident, the girls barely need a reminder to put on their seatbelts.
At 7pm, we had only made it as far as Pisco – just halfway from Lima to Nazca. But, it was dark and we were tired so we decided to look for a hotel in Pisco. We found a nice hotel with a very large room, comfortable beds, hot water, and Internet. The hotel is called Villa Manuelita, and is right next to the Plaza de Armas in Pisco. The girls were very pleased with the room and immediately began to play on the beds.
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| Happy at Villa Manuelita |
After relaxing for a bit, we went out to grab a bite to eat. There were two very full Chinese restaurants, but I didn’t want Chinese food. So, we chose one of the two very empty Peruvian restaurants. The chicken soup they gave all of us for a starter was tasty and hot. But, the main course was clearly leftovers from lunch. The papa a la huancaina tasted like the milk had gone bad, and the tallarines with chicken was just a little off. I took a couple of bites and left it. Next time, we will be sure to go to the restaurants that actually have other people in them.
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| Sopa de menudencia de pollo |
To get back to the hotel, we walked down a pedestrian street and past the plaza. Soraya went straight to sleep, Tatiana and Raymi took showers, and we all relaxed.
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| Pedestrian walkway in Pisco |
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| Pisco Plaza at night |
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