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Lima: Day 2

The sun was shining brightly for us on our second day in the capital city - today, we decided to try Chicharrón sandwiches for breakfast at El Chinito. Even though we had to wait a while, it was totally worth it to get piping hot sandwiches stuffed with pork belly - the additional onions and chili sauce paired perfectly with the meat. A breakfast fit for champions!

From El Chinito, we headed back to Surquillo to show off the market to my in-laws, this time paying extra close attention to the fruits. We ended up buying chirimoya, mango, dragon fruit, and strawberries to eat later. With a bit more time on our hands to explore, we covered every corner of the area - sampling basil ice cream, a few more local dishes at a different cevicheria, and papaya juice in between browsing all the different products on sale. It was fun walking around with someone who is more familiar with the language and the local food. 

We were able to take a quick break at the hotel to drop off the fruits, before devoting a good chunk of the afternoon to do some alpaca shopping. In the morning, we learned that alpaca clothing comes in different quality tiers, with Lima having a very good selection of the higher end products (made from 100% baby alpaca, which results in a softer, less itchy piece of clothing to wear) at potentially lower prices than Cusco. Armed with new information, we took my in-laws back to the alpaca museum and its affiliated stores to hunt for potential deals before they ran out of sizes. Persistence paid off, and we each managed to find souvenirs that will hopefully last for a long time and help us remember this trip! 

Satisfied with our purchases, we headed to Barranco for dinner. Unfortunately, our intended destination, Café Tostada, was not open when we arrived, but we were able to get a table immediately at the nearby El Rincón de Siempre, an Argentine grill restaurant. We ordered a light dinner of grilled mushrooms and chorizo, with bread as appetizer, and the best part of the meal turned out to be the bread! It came with butter and a couple of yummy sauces (pesto and yellow pepper), which elevated the grilled meat and veggies. 

Since we were in the neighborhood, we strolled around Barranco after dinner, admiring the Bajada de los Baños as we made our way towards the Bridge of Sighs. This iconic structure was the only place in Barranco we saw vendors gather specifically for tourists (e.g. flowers, photographers, tours). Everywhere else was either quiet or bustling with people and traffic going for dinner or entertainment. The bumper to bumper traffic was apparently typical of a Friday night, but I guess we'll see tomorrow whether it's the same or worse on a Saturday night! Before heading back to the hotel for fruit, we tried some local craft beer at Invictus Taproom, to partake in at least a bit of the vibrant night life. 

Back at the hotel, we shared some chirimoya and dragon fruit, savoring the sweetness of the fruit, especially when compared to what we have access to in North America. Tomorrow, we'll head to the historic city centre!

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