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Lima: Day 4

For our last day in Lima, we decided to take it easy to start - wandering over to Kennedy Park (a.k.a. Miraflores Central Park) to enjoy the many cats. At first, we didn't see too many, but after awhile, we saw them everywhere - dozing in the sun, lying under benches, climbing trees. Some were friendly, while others were a bit more shy - all seemed pretty well looked after, a few were a bit skinnier than the others, and there were signs encouraging people to adopt the cats. It was neat to see how the landscaping in the park accommodated the cats - lots of shade from large trees, trees with lower branches to enable safe climbing, open spaces to avoid startling the cats. 

Outside the park, it was pretty quiet because the streets were blocked off to cars! After multiple days of dodging traffic, it was a bit strange to see the streets devoid of brake lights and honking. Apparently, citizens are encouraged to take Sundays as rest days and get outside for some exercise (during the day) - we saw people dancing for fitness, running, and cycling. After getting some fresh air ourselves, we went to tackle the main activity of the day - a cooking class! 

The class turned out to be a lot of fun - we learned how to make causa (a dish made from potato, avocado, and your desired protein), Pisco sour, and ceviche with Mahi Mahi. Our instructor was really fun and engaging - an excellent guide to the techniques used in Peruvian cooking and mixology. As we were preparing the food, he told us about the history of the dishes, variations we might try, and answered any questions we had. We spent about 3 hours in class, and it flew by in the blink of an eye. Drinking the Pisco sour was pretty tasty, but that 3 oz of alcohol really did a number on me - I definitely felt drunk walking around! After consuming all of our creations, we finished off the night by grabbing some dessert and eating the rest of the fresh fruit we bought from the market. 

We also swung by Kennedy Park again to see what it was like at night, and the quiet park was completely different - really busy with many people dancing, eating, and interacting with the cats. While the cats were lazy during the day, they were curious and alert at night, with so much activity in the park. We even saw a DJ with a tight-knit crowd around him, dancing and cheering as they enjoyed the night.

One thing I found surprising during our stay in Lima was the ubiquity of the Scotiabank brand in the city. It felt very strange to be in another country, with signage for a Canadian bank - though if you went inside, you wouldn't be able to use any services unless you have a Peruvian account. Aside from Scotiabank, we didn't see any other indication of Canadian brands - there was a lot of American presence in the form of fast food chains. 

All in all, our stay in Lima has been pretty comfortable - most areas felt safe and clean, with maybe a bit of anxiousness felt in the historic center due to larger crowds and police presence. Being by the sea felt familiar and the food was amazing, with many fruits available to sample (tuna, dragon fruit, mango, strawberry, blueberry, chirimoya, lúcuma).

Tomorrow, we'll be flying to the desert: Arequipa!

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