"A City of Contrasts" Lima by cruisingbug

Lima Travel Guide: 1,161 reviews and 2,723 photos

Choking Pollution, Lima, Peru - Lima
Choking Pollution, Lima, Peru

Lima is a city of the richest rich in Peru, as well as the poorest poor.

For the wealthy, it means life in Miraflores and San Isidro, dinners at the most exclusive country clubs and seaside restaurants, and the services of maids, nannies and drivers.

For those less fortunate, Lima is a dim and depressing place. Many of the poor are Indians from the Andes, who came in search of a better life but instead live in abject poverty on the outskirts of town. Their children beg in the streets and they themselves try to find ways to cash in on the tourists passing through on their way to Machu Picchu, by selling artifacts at streetcorners.

It's the age-old story of the conquerors (those of Spanish descent) ruling the conquered (those of Incan descent). Spanish Limenos are suspicious of Andean Indians going about their daily lives in Lima. But up in Cusco, these Incan descendents are rightly proud of their heritage, as they compare Incan architecture with shoddy Spanish work.

Lima is a seaside town, by location, but by no means by economics, with little to offer tourists. The city's beaches teem with locals - the wealthy, though, retreat to beach houses outside the city to escape the smog and noise. An endless cacophony of horns and car alarms (used as horns) define the city's drivers, and in some areas of town, the air is practically unbreathable.

Pros and Cons
  • Pros:Only way to access the rest of Peru
  • Cons:Only way to access the rest of Peru
  • In a nutshell:A sprawling, third-world seaside city
  • Last visit to Lima: Jan 2005
  • Intro Updated Feb 10, 2005
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Reviews (13)

Last Supper, featuring Cuy, San Francisco, Lima PE - Lima Serving Cuy at the Last Supper Things to Do (4)

During your tour of San Francisco, before you get to the anticipated catacombs, you wind around the upstairs convent... more travel advice

'Dem bones, San Francisco Church, Lima, Peru - Lima San Francisco Catacombs Things to Do (4)

I was reminded slightly of our trip to see the Sistine Chapel. Everyone takes this tour to see the bones in the... more travel advice

Pizza Street, Miraflores, Lima, Peru - Lima Check out Pizza Street Restaurants (3)

Calle San Ramon, a pedestrian street off Av. Diagonal in Miraflores, is known as "Pizza Street" or "Pizza Alley" - I... more travel advice

Huallamarca, San Isidro, Lima, Peru - Lima Pre-Incan Pyramid in the Midst of... Off The Beaten Path (2)

The Huallamarca pyramid sits smack in the middle of the more affluent San Isidro residential area of Lima. Our first... more travel advice

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