Our tour of Peru starts in the capital city of Lima. We booked the "
9 Day Peru Inca Special" tour through GATE 1 TRAVEL and added an extra day at the start of the tour package to give us some time to adjust and explore Lima.
Our hotel, the El Carmel, is situated in the middle of downtown Miraflores and is conveniently located a short walk from many of the Miraflores attractions.
Kennedy Park & Miraflores Central Park
This park has many cats and this one didn't move for minutes. From another angle you can see the subject of its focus, a bird.
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Lima is noted as the "Gastronomical Capital of the Americas". A block away from Kennedy Park is Astrid & Gaston, one of the best restaurants in South America. We were able to get a table in the bar section and it was the best meal we have ever had.
El Malecó
A short walk from our hotel is El Malecón, a six-mile stretch of parks situated along the cliffs high above the Pacific Ocean.This section of Miraflores once contained private homes overlooking the ocean but most of the homes have been replaced with highrise buildings. El Malecón separates the new highrise development from the ocean and provides a public "green space" for everyone to enjoy.
Parque del Amor (The Park of Love)
A young couple in Parque del Amor ...
and the sculpture of a man and a women in romantic embrace that inspires them.
The sculpted walls of
Parque del Amor, with murals and mosaics with romantic poetry, are modeled after Barcelona's Parque Güell.
Larco Museum
The Larco Museum is a privately owned museum of pre-Columbian art, located in the Pueblo Libre District of Lima. The museum is housed in an 18th century building built over a 7th century pre-Columbian pyramid. It is well known for its gallery of pre-Columbian erotic pottery.
Dinner & Show
One of the optional tours for Lima was "Dinner & Show in Lima". The dinner included a huge buffet of Peruvian dishes and a dance show that featured some audience participation.
Nathan and Rebekah, from our tour group, did an outstanding job during audience participation.
Rebekah showing her moves on the dance floor.
Juan Carlos, our tour manager, and Rebecca didn't need a stage to show us some of their moves.
Street Scenes
Norky's Restaurant, across the street from our hotel and one of the many casinos in Lima
Mercado de Surquillo
Mercado de Surquillo is a public market located a couple of blocks from Kennedy Park.
