Joell met us at the airport. I've never used a full service travel agency for travel abroad. While the personal greeting was comforting, I don't know for sure that the exhilaration of the unknown doesn't make for a better trip. I am happy that I don't have to worry about all the others, especially those arriving individually and/or with less travel experience. We arrived at the Casa Andina Private Collection in Miraflores where Tasty T was waiting outside in sweat pants. She fashioned a homemade welcome sign and had a bottle of champaign waiting. We lounged in the lobby and toasted what must be a great trip. Despite the exhaustion of lengthy travel, it was time for breakfast so M, A, Timmy, and I took a walk around Miraflores and settled on Haiti, as recommended by the hotel, for our first breakfast on the street. Tasty T went for a rest and I'm fairly certain she had been up all night kicking off vacation with a bang!
The consensus after breakfast was to return to the hotel for a nap. It was necessary but the excitement of our first day in Peru made it difficult for quality sleep. The shower, however, was absolutely mandatory. We were refreshed and ready to hit the streets. I pulled some starter Soles out of the hotel ATM. The $7 fee plus whatever Chase will charge reminded me to find a B of A or Scotia Bank where there is no surcharge. Some of the others decided to exchange US$ at Casino Palacio Royale, the first Casino we passed. We heard they don't charge any conversation fees and they surprisingly offered a competitive conversion rate. We were also willing to throw a few small bills at the slots for free beers. Nobody won anything, even on the Fairy or Cat themed machines, but we did come out ahead with the free beers and wads of local currency to begin our adventures.
Latin countries love their futbol and a crazy double decker fan bus was our first indication that something big was happening this weekend. Peru was scheduled to play Ecuador in a World Cup qualifier later this evening. I'll get to the outcome in a moment. We shot a few pictures and joined in the cheering. This was also when I noticed that every other person on the street was sporting a Peru jersey. We found a little place, Chef Cafe, across from Paraque Kennedy, and enjoyed some beer and wine while the hustle of the world went on around us. We originally that it was a cute little independent place but walked by one or two others with the same name/theme as we meandered to the famous Larcomar Mall. This was our first real look at the Pacific Ocean and became photo stop number one. At Joell's recommendation we snagged a taxi to the Parque de la Reserva for the light show. T was fairly certain the show didn't run on Saturday or Sunday and we didn't want to miss it. We put our negotiation skills to work and got there for S./25 from a very posh taxi stand at the mall. This seemed really high but at least they let us squeeze five people into a little Corolla or whatever it was. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled due to the futbol match which was literally right next door at National Stadium. Funny that I then remembered the chat with a Peruvian American on the plane that said, "Whatever you do, don't go near the stadium on Friday because it will be very crowded, difficult to get in/out of the center, and potentially dangerous for tourists, especially if they lose." Oops!
Despite the cancelled show, the park was beautiful and it was enjoyable to walk around the various fountains. The main entrance was closed so we had to exit a back gate onto a questionable side street. Thankfully there was traffic, but every taxi that passed was filled with people en route to the match. We made our way to a larger street, parallel to the freeway. Along the way, T picked up a red and white Peru jersey of bought me a scarf for the equivalent of $5-6. It isn't the highest quality but I love it and we'll now blend in a little better. A few other team Peru items were also purchased. We found a taxi on the main drag. It was not from one of Joell's recommended companies for our safety but it was available and we've never been known to follow the rules. I climbed into a cage in the front passenger seat with my knees to my chin. The four others piled into the back of this broke down and beat up wagon. T thought about climbing in the way back until she saw a big CNG tank. While CNG is apparently common in Peru, we didn't expect to see a somewhat secured tank in the open. At least there was a fire extinguisher in case something went wrong. The harrowing ride back to Miraflores showed us why the cab was so beat up. Truthfully though, it seems everyone drives this way and this ride was only S./8 which shows our negotiation skill improved greatly. It may or may not have something to do with our likely unlicensed and uninsured driver! We didn't die.
T arrived the night before we did and made friends on Pizza Alley. This is a tourist trap pedestrian street that runs perpendicular to Parque Kennedy. It is flanked by pizza restaurants with menus that all seem to be about the same. The street was packed with TV camera crews and animated fans as the match with Ecuador was about to begin. No seats were available anywhere but fortunately one restaurant held our table. We enjoyed our complimentary Pisco Sours and had a decent meal. The real treat was cheering Peru on to a 1-0 victory. These folks sure love their soccer and it was contagious! I tried to capture the spirit but the videos don't begin to tell the whole story. Afterwards, we walked through dense crowds of cheering fans and by this time, even the diagonal street was closed to vehicles. From our 17th floor room with the windows closed, we were lulled to sleep by the sounds of chants for Peru and the continual blowing of car horns and fan horns. Truthfully, we were downright exhausted and probably fell asleep before our head hit the pillows.
*Note: Post backdated to align with vacation date
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