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Peru, the land of the Llama, the Alpaca, and the quest for the elusive Inca Princess.
Day 1, Nov 21, 2017 – The Rise and Fall of Master Chef Gaston Acurio in the Lima city: The three of us arrived via different flights and met at the 14th floor restaurant of the Hotel Estelar located in the upscale neighborhood of Mira Flores in Lima city. The restaurant had giant glass windows offering breath taking views of the Lima skyline with the back drop of the Pacific Ocean and the mountains.
We gathered for the fresh breakfast buffet and hashed out the final plan for the trip. Landing at the Lima airport had a feel similar to landing at the Karachi airport. There were numerous people waiting outside the arrival area behind metal fence to receive some one. Many were holding cards with the names of their guests. Customs and Immigration went smoothly. Staff was courteous. Spanish is the official language. Living in Texas for all these years and dealing with a significant size Spanish speaking population, I have picked up some Spanish speaking capability. This trip gave us the opportunity to practice our limited Spanish vocabulary without getting embarrassed. Locals always appreciate when visitors try their language. The local currency is Soles trading at that time about 3.3 Soles to 1 US$. The official taxi charged about 8 US$ to the hotel. People of Peru are very friendly and helpful. This friendly attitude started from the airport with the very friendly taxi driver and continued throughout the trip. Every person we encountered greeted us with a smile and tried to help. Language was a barrier but they appeared to listen to us with patience. In the morning breakfast the waiter brought a freshly made omelet to our table. We complained that we wanted no meat in the omelet and we wanted egg yellow in addition to the white. Four staff persons came to our table to understand the complain and within few minutes all four of them brought freshly made veggie loaded omelets to our table. As is a custom in all South American countries, breakfast always include variety of freshly squeezed fruit juices and fresh fruit. Between the multiple omelets, fruits, breads and other dishes we left the breakfast buffet fully stuffed. We decided to have a quick shower, get ready and explore the city. This was the only day we planned to spend in Lima and time was a precious commodity not to be wasted. Let me introduce the 3 amigos making the trip. All of us including I, my dear friend Wasim Khan and his younger brother Fawad Khan love to travel both international and domestic. We like to be in the nature, hiking, mountains, glaciers and try authentic local cuisine. This was my first trip with Wasim and first meeting with Fawad. Eventually it turned out to be one of the best trips of my life. Wasim and Fawad are passionate about food. Photography is my hobby and I love to take many pictures wherever I go. I also maintain albums of my travels online for everyone to enjoy. All the things described in this blog can be viewed on my Machu Picchu album on my flickr page.
Lima is just like any other large, fast moving, loud third world cosmopolitan city. It reminded me of Karachi. There were people everywhere, rowdy and chaotic traffic, non-stop blowing of horns, numerous motor cycles, multitude of street food vendors etc. Like any other such city one would not want to end up in the wrong part of town. The Mira Flores neighborhood is one of the best and safest from other 43 districts in the city. There are beautiful beaches in this neighborhood, mountains in the back ground and skyline filled with high buildings. The 10 million population of Lima accounts for about a third of the total population of Peru. The city is built above black granite hills dotting the coastline thereby providing a natural protection against possible Tsunami following earthquakes that occur frequently here.
Peru is situated in the Southern hemisphere, where summer and winter months are opposite to those in the Northern hemisphere. The climate in Lima is different from any other city I have visited. From June to December, it is always cloudy and foggy. The sun or the blue sky is hardly ever visible during this time. A new comer may feel that it may rain anytime because of menacing clouds. The first day, I wanted to take an umbrella. The concierge explained that I did not need it. It never rains in Lima. It is classified as a sub-tropical desert. Locals call it ‘Lima La Gris’ , Gris for the permanent grey color of the sky. Must be difficult and at time depressing not seeing the Sun or the blue skies. Sun does however appear in the summer months from late December to April.
We started our city exploration tour by walking towards the beaches and the Ocean. Due to the grey clouds the Pacific Ocean water looked grayish, cold and uninviting. We could spot the surfers dressed in wet suits. When one got close to the beach, one would find oneself perched high on the black hills, above the beach. It is a long hike down to get to the beach. We decided not to go down due to time constraints, and instead walked at the shopping mall above the coast. Soon it was time for lunch. Peruvian cuisine has been making splashes in the international scene, thanks primarily to the world renowned Peruvian Master Chef Gaston Acurio. He is the official brand ambassador for the country of Peru and due to his hard work, now we see Peruvian restaurants popping all over the world. He owns several restaurants in Peru. Wasim and Fawad held him in high esteem and made it a point to visit maximum number of Gaston owned establishments. We started by taking a cab and went to Lamar Seafood restaurant. Lamar restaurant was a lively informal seafood joint serving fresh creatures from the sea to the creatures of Lima. All the tables were full with customers enjoying the Gaston’s food creations. Everyone seemed happy and it lifted our spirits as well. We had fish, shrimps, assortments of sea food including clams and octopus. We came out stuffed to the skin of our stomachs, but Wasim was not fully satisfied and felt he should have tried the prawns as well. I believe that if a world championship eating contest were to be held, Wasim will definitely make it to the final round. But the guy is also a fitness freak and burns all the calories that he consumes. Occasionally he runs the full 26 miles marathon. Following the lunch, we went to take a guided tour of the city center. We boarded the tour van outside the hotel. There was a South Asian, desi family in the van. A couple with two young boys, who loved to sing songs by Imagine Dragon and were very entertaining. They had embarked on a fascinating trip to South America to cover as many wonders of the world whether man made or natural including those in Brazil, Argentina and Peru. After a brief stopover at a scenic point looking down the Lima coast line and taking pictures, we headed towards the Historic Center of Lima, which was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1988 for all of the historic monuments that were constructed here in mid 1500s by the Spanish colonists. The city center was brimming with life. People were everywhere, chilling out, taking pictures, enjoying the views and trying street food vendors. All the buildings displayed grand colonial architecture with more than 1600 balconies made of wood and other material displaying intricate carvings and structures. Some of these balconies reminded me of some old neighborhoods of Karachi with similar colorful balconies made of carved wood. There were street cafes with many varieties of tasty coffee and pastries. We also visited a chocolate factory in the square with large variety of chocolates. The sprawling square was surrounded by palaces, churches, museums, basilica, offices, fountains and grand houses. The architecture is magnificent in the best traditions of the Spanish colonial era. The city of Lima was founded right here in this square in 1535. The Spanish named it City of Kings. With the passage of time, the city managed to be identified with its original name Lima. This name was based in the word Rimac from the Inca language of Quechua. The ancient river Rimac flows through this city. Lima was the most important Spanish city in South and Central America and a center of power for the functioning of Spanish colonialism juggernaut. This area was the center of power. The city center is a must visit venue for anyone touring Peru. We had coffee and light snacks in a 200 year old historic café. Upon completion of this tour, we said good bye to the Indian family, and got dropped at our hotel. Sun was setting and the dinner time, which I also fondly call Wasim time was approaching. Both Wasim and Fawad are serious foodies. They research and try out the food at the top-rated restaurants anywhere they visit. They were already fans of Chef Gaston. They had made reservations for dinner at Astrid and Gaston, which is another Gaston owned fancy restaurant and rated in the top 50 restaurants in the world. I am not that enthusiastic about trying very fancy or exotic food during travel. I don’t like to subject my stomach with experiment food, not knowing when it might get upset and decide to retaliate while we spend lot of time outdoors. Both of them out weighed me by few 100 lbs so I had to comply. We also found the only Pakistani restaurant in Lima. The name is Guru restaurant owned by Mr. Ejaz from Karachi. We did a quick stopover at Guru but were disappointed for not meeting Mr. Ejaz. Restaurant had authentic South Asian feel with artwork and décor. The menu had all standard options and dishes. We had nice chai and some spicy appetizers to satisfy the desi craving. Peruvian cuisine has neither of the two. Then we took the cab to Astrid and Gaston hoping not to be late for the reservation. Housed in a brilliant 17th century bright white Plantation home, Astrid and Gaston is a top restaurant in the whole of South America. We arrived at the restaurant awaiting to be seated. The elite of Lima was arriving in their fancy cars and fancy suits. Neatly dressed valets were taking care of the car parking. The waiting staff was dressed in suits and black bow ties. Being tourists, we were simply dressed casually in jeans and pullover shirts. At one time we were concerned whether they would let us in due to non-compliance of dress code. But as often was the case, Peruvian hospitality for the visitors was more important than any other code and happily we were escorted to our table. The ambiance of the restaurant was natural, inviting and comfortable. The sound of water fountains and milky white color of the structure inducted a sense of peace and purity to the environment. A middle aged snobbish waiter was assigned to our table. Perhaps put off with our casual attire, he appeared stiff in the beginning but gradually warmed up to us, and then took really good care of our group. Wasim and Fawad carefully studied the menu as if preparing for some important exam. They were in foodie paradise and ensured to get the maximum out of this opportunity. They were like kids in a candy store. They ordered a lot of food. The food arrived with creative and tasteful presentation. We sampled as much as we could to savor the different flavors of Peruvian delights from a master Chef. I tried to stay away from some of the exotic sea creatures. Wasim and Fawad ate like Chef Gaston was retiring that night. However, at the end of the evening we felt a little disappointed. The food felt below par and we left with a not-so-good taste in our mouths. There was a minor funny incident. Twice I had asked for some water and felt that the waiter may have forgotten about it. I called him, ‘Hey Amigo, please bring my water’. Both Wasim and Fawad appeared to be shocked as their jaws dropped to the floor. Wasim said, ‘Wasif bhai, what are you thinking. This is not your land scaping crew or the bus boy from back in Texas. This is one of the head waiters in the most prestigious restaurant in Peru. He is not your Amigo. Show some respect’. We all started to laugh as both of them continued to blurt funny remarks. The laughter grew louder in the restaurant as Wasim’s rant continued. No more Amigo, the honorable Senor waiter seemed perplexed but started to smile soon. Other guests were looking at us in disbelief and wondering who let us in. Verdict on Gaston. Mine: Its ok, did not expected much to begin with. Wasim: Gaston, Topi Drama (thumbs down), Fawad: Gaston, Choona Laga Dia (double thumbs down). Poor Chef Gaston! His status got demoted from a cuisine God to that of a leftover food dumpster within 24 hours. Maybe retirement time for him.
Evening had set in, and the long day was winding down to a tired conclusion. We went back to our hotel. Did some walking in the shopping lanes of the trendy streets of Mira Flores district. Most restaurants were full. There was a double story McDonalds. A huge Starbucks was open on a busy intersection. Outdoor cafes were busy. It seemed that Peruvians love to eat out in the night, and have a good time. Weather was nice and cool. The evening breeze was refreshing and the night walk provided much needed relaxation and energy. Finally we all crashed in our beds in the hotel. I heard a knock in my brain. It is the lunatic again. Wasif!, he exclaimed. ‘Why are you wasting precious time in the land of the Inca. You left one concrete jungle only to be in another concrete jungle. I wanna be in the mountains, I wanna be in the jungle, I wanna meet the Inca princess, I wanna experience the spirituality of the Inca ruins and Machu Picchu. I am feeling suffocated in this big city’. ‘Relax buddy’, was my reply. ‘Today was just the first day. We had to start the trip from Lima. Tomorrow we will fly to the historic Inca city of Cuzco to start the real trip. If we can make the right spiritual connection, we may get lucky and meet the Inca princess in her current reincarnation. So just stay put for one more day, and you will be in the lunatic heaven tomorrow. I patted him on the back and sang a lullaby to put him to sleep. Poor guy waiting to have encounter with the Inca princess. While researching the Inca history, I noted that some historians claimed that many times Inca would perform human sacrifice that would routinely include young virgin girls that may also cover the royalty. There is also a widespread belief that when someone does not die of natural causes, the soul does not achieve salvation and continues to come back to the earth in a different body hoping to find salvation. Any encounter with the Inca princess in her current reincarnation would completely authenticate this trip.
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Day 1 Lima – Day 2 Cuzco – Day 3 Ollantaytambo – Day 4,5 Machu Picchu
The Lunatic Travels by Wasif Malik 