Peruvian New Years!

Central Lima is exploding with activity; lights, smells, shouts, and car horns on every corner overwhelm the senses in every way imaginable. Luckily, after taking the overnight bus from Huaraz we skipped the center and made our way to the more relaxed neighborhood of Miraflores. We had rushed to Lima in eager anticipation of my brother Richie’s arrival, currently visiting us on his winter break from Wake Forest.

We spent our first day with Richie exploring Miraflores itself, checking out the modern shops and parks that line the road to the beach. We peered down at the Pacific from the cliffs above, watching surfers below while enjoying a Pisco Sour. That night we checked out a small jazz club in Barranco, the center of Lima’s famous nightlife- we were tipped off by the Limeños who worked in our hostel. We sat in awe at a wooden table in a smoky room, experiencing jazz that would impress New Orleans and enjoying the energy.

The next morning we made our first (and only) venture into central Lima, proudly working out the bus system and making our way to the most chaotic and overwhelming location we have yet come across. There are beautiful buildings and an impressive central plaza but at the end of the afternoon we were more than ready to head back to Miraflores. After a nap we decided to try our luck at one of the many casinos in the area. We’d wanted to give blackjack a shot ever since reading “Bringing Down the House,” and while the house stayed standing, we turned out to have a lucky night at the blackjack and roulette tables.

For New Years itself we moved to an apartment that some friends of ours had managed to rent from some local friends. We tried to start off the afternoon with a paragliding adventure over the beachfront cliffs, but the wind died down just as we were getting set to go. I’m curious as to what would have happened if the wind had died while we were aloft…

We kicked off New Years with an apartment party before moving to Barranco to meet up with some other friends. Midnight was marked with a boom! Christmas Eve already proved that Peruvians love fireworks, but the sheer volume of explosives going off on our rooftop alone made it feel like a war zone. We celebrated till early morning before grabbing our bags for a 6 am flight to Cuzco… We stumbled into the city, a bit disoriented- we had partied all night in one city yet woke up in another!