After the ordeal of trying to move around southern Peru during nationwide strikes, it was a welcome change to relax in the rich tourist-district of Mira Flores in Lima, the countries capital. Despite the city´s reputation as one of the more dangerous places for foreigners (due to high street crime and regular muggings from within ´unofficial´ taxis), Mira Flores proved very safe, with regular 24hr security staff patrolling the lively restaurant, bar and club scenes.
A small hostel chain known as "LOKI Backpackers" had become a favourite for me in Peru, due to their reputation for social/party atmospheres including in-house bars, TV/DVD rooms, free Internet access, reliable hot showers (a luxury here) and comfortable, clean dormitory beds with, wait for it ... ´duvets´ :)
It was easy to make friends here and soon I was swapping stories with others who had also been trapped in Peru´s recent road blockades. Whilst certainly taking time-out to visit Lima´s famed ´architecturally beautiful´ city centre, including it´s small pressed-in Chinatown and some recommended museums, I also decided to spend time sleeping in (at last), organising ripped clothing to be cheaply repaired (Roy had destroyed 2 of my pants), catching up on the latest north American blockbuster films ´in English´ and updating this time-demanding blog you´ve hopefully been reading!
Certainly, being constantly on the move, living out of a backpack and almost daily ´safety, budget and direction´ related decision-making can make independent travel quite tiring at times, yet here in Lima I finally had the energy to join others in checking out the local vibrant night life. Obviously I expected us ´rich white foreigners´ to hold unnatural attention in bars and clubs, yet I decided that most Peruvians were genuinely friendly, extraverted and easy to get smiles or giggles out of via my basic Spanish skills and exaggerated body language gestures ( a nice change from the droopy faces directed to most tourists by the poorer people in Bolivia ).
After a little over a week I left Lima for adventures in the north, including the famed "Cordillera Blanca" mountain range and it´s endless hiking, multi-day trekking and high-altitude alpine mountaineering opportunities.
