3/10/2009 17:41
Today I spent more than three hours walking around Miraflores, going down to see the Pacific Ocean by day and up to Kennedy Park which is the centre of Miraflores. We had the first day of almost sunshine since I got here when the sun was almost burning through the smog and one could actually see blue sky around noon. Now I am finally getting a sense of where the different locations in Miraflores are with respect to each other. The area that I walked in is mostly the tourist centre of Miraflores, but it was still fun to see it. Then I splurged out on a good lunch of ceviche with half a bottle of white wine. This ceviche was much better than the one I got yesterday and contained both raw fish and lots of raw shellfish and mussels with a sweet type of onion and both fresh and fried maiz. This is really good fish, much better than sushi and in an area where the total rainfall of the year is less than 10 mm fish has naturally become the typical meal. I finally also got to try Peruvian white wine. Even though it was labelled as dry it was quite sweet, had a sherry like hint in the taste and at 13.5 % it was very strong for a white wine. Altogether it was quite good but rather different from most European white wines.
Went to the Larcomar which is a big complex of bars, restaurants and shops on the cliffs leading down to the ocean, this was where we started on a bar Wednesday evening and ended up coming home at 3 a.m. The place has a really nice view and sometime I definitely have to go there to watch the sunset over the pacific. Apparently the cliffs give some good updrafts because the place was extremely popular with paragliders with 10 of them circling overhead most of the time. I then walked along the top of the cliff face which is lined with small parks filled with romantic couples cuddling and admiring the view that really makes one feel alone here. Then I continued up to Kennedy park, which is at the centre of Miraflores next to the main church. The paths of the park was lined with stalls selling pictures and sculptures and in the centre of the park was a small amphitheatre where Peruvians of all ages where dancing to music from two large speakers. It looked really nice because it was obviously not a thing for the tourists and most of the couples where mature locals in their forties to sixties the stands around where lined with people of all generations from teenagers to old grey men and ladies in wheel chairs watching the dancers and enjoying the music.