Lima Day Two

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Rob and Daryl walked over to the Indian Market area and found some of the spots mentioned in Daryl's magazine clippings, like "the place" to get Peruvian breakfast sandwiches, with a long line outside the door. The Starbucks next door was closed for renovations so we did the unthinkable and had a cup of coffee at Dunkin' Donuts before heading back to meet Terry and Micheline for our lunch at Astrid y Gaston, named the #14 restaurant in the world for 2013. Daryl has since looked at some reviews on TripAdvisor, etc. that were relatively negative, but the four of us had a wonderful experience.

The restaurant is about 1 1/2 blocks from the hotel, so was a nice, easy walk. We arrived a little early, but were seated in the wine room (Barb and Ulf and their friends also ended up in the same room at the next table.) We started with Pisco Sours and their fantastic breads, made in house. Rob spoke with the wine guy and they picked a Tempranillo. Rob had Roast Suckling Pig and Daryl finally had Lomo Saltado. Both Terry and Micheline tried the "cuy" so they would have it before leaving Peru. We had coffee, but not dessert as they brought a revolving display of small bites of chocolate or coca flavored treats and macaroons.

We walked back to the hotel, well satisfied. Micheline wanted to rest before the late night flight, so Terry, Rob and Daryl got in a hotel car and went down to LagoMar, the shopping mall with the view over the ocean. Daryl found a photo/cookbook from La Huaca Pucyllana, our previous night's dinner and we took photos, then walked back to the hotel through the busy Miraflores area and said our goodbyes.

Rob and Daryl decided to repack to meet weight restrictions and determined to check both the large bags and the roll-ons. After this monumental task, with many weighings and re-weighings, we settled in for a reading period. By 6:30pm, we realized there was no way we could do justice to another meal, so went downstairs and cancelled, picked up a couple of soft drinks and read until we fell asleep.

On Friday, May 10, a driver picked us up at 9:30 and took us to the airport where an Abercrombie and Kent guy met us and shepherded us to the Business Class check-in for LAN airlines. We then went to the VIP lounge until our flight was to be boarded. It was a really easy return trip, with Business Class only 1/2 full. They offered a "light" choice for a meal, of a salad with ham and poached pears and cheese, which was much better for Daryl who has difficulty eating rich food on flights. We read and took a nap and before we knew it, the 8 1/2 hours was up and we had gained 2 hours and were at LAX. We breezed through passport control, got our bags and breezed through customs as well. Rudy from Sterling Rose was waiting and the drive home was uneventful. We got home about 10pm, left our bags unpacked and headed for bed, knowing we had a mammoth week ahead of us and lots of laundry to do.

All in all, it was a great trip and more than met our expectations. If we didn't have so many other places to see, we would definitely visit Peru again... if for nothing else than the food and the friendly people.