Vecina Miraflores

I am now officially a resident of Lima city! I moved into my depa (apt) on Saturday and have since been settling into my new digs.

My new place is on the west side of Miraflores, a mere 2 blocks from an ocean-side park. If I had to choose a long-term place to live here, this place would almost be it Pictures are at the end of the post!

After a weekend of getting things in order, I think I finally am set up at home. I spent most of Saturday and Sunday (when I wasn't getting supplies) exploring the neighborhood. 

If you walk north from my place, there is a plaza with almost entirely American establishments that I rarely visit, which is a bit weird. McDonald's. KFC (which is very popular here), TGIFridays, Chili's. Starbucks (with valet parking, I might add). Which I actually do go to because free wifi! There as also even an authorized iStore for Apple products. The only non-American venue is the grocery store, Wong's. I don't know if it's just because I'm a foreigner, but people always seem to describe stores to me in terms of what origin its owners are. And people always want to point out the Chinese, Arab, and Jewish stores the most. I was expecting more Japanese stores, considering the large Japanese population in Peru, but I have yet to see any other than the occassional sushi bar.

However getting away from Ovalo Americano, if you head east, the neighborhood is full of great things to do. I just joined the neighborhood listserve which has a ton of free events, from art shows to plays to movie screenings. And crazy enough, most of it is free. There's even a Mario Vargas Llosa tour that you know I'm going to have to do. And there is public art almost everywhere.

On Sunday, a friend of my mom's was in town and suggested we go down to the beach to the fish market for lunch. While the Humboldt current results in a plethora of sardines in the waters around Lima throughout the winter (making Peru one of the biggest sardine exporter in the world), most of the fishing is actually done near the Chilean border. 

Chorrillos is an entirely artisan fishery. These fishermen ride 7-9 hours EACH WAY to get to their fishing sites. Given that Peru-Chile border waters is such a draw for both Peruvian and Chilean fishermen, there is a big risk of overfishing. They said that there is always a plethora of coast guard ships around to ensure that no one crosses the maritime border to fish in the others' waters, and one can only hope that the regulations in place for overfishing are effective as both nationalities try to fish as much as they can before the fish cross the border. I asked, but no one had an answer for me other than "there is some kind of agreement."

Chorriilos sells a staggering array of fish (I only got a pic of a smaller stand, but it has sea urchin!). In addition to a fish market, there is also a bunch of resturants where you can eat fresh fish on the beach. We tried a spicy fish soup called Parihuela, which was good, but we but were disappointed when they held back the spice for us gringas. Probably some of the freshest fish I've had though.

Any leftover fish were fed to eager Pelicans.

We took a boat ride into the ocean to see some more of the coast, but we mostly only saw the grey coastline that is a constant during winter, and the uneventful private sailing club next door. 

Also as you can kind of see below, the pelicans and seagulls hang out on the boats when they aren't being used to sunbathe. They say being pooped on is good luck, and given the level of bird poop I saw on them, these boats are really lucky.

There is a big conference this week that I am headed to, so I'll be busy again, but I have already started to plan out weekend activities to FINALLY see some of Lima's famous museums. Also I'm hoping to do a day trip to nearby ruins either this weekend or next!

Pictures of my new home:

My front door from the patio (I'm on the left)

My slightly messy living room

My kitchenette. I'm getting really good at cooking with a hot plate. At least it has a super nice espresso maker.

My bedroom.. As you might be noticing, it was hard to get photos of entire rooms. Also since this photo, I invested in a down blanket and I have never been happier with a purchase.

This is the best part, my own little garden in the back!