Peru was always on my must visit list, but I had no idea I will have the opportunity to visit it so soon. I guess some things are just meant to be. I had to do some paperwork for my job outside of the country and I thought it is the perfect opportunity to combine some boring bureaucracy with exciting adventures.This week I am going to devote to Peru and things I was so fortunate to see with my own eyes. First stop was Lima.I booked a small boutique hotel in Miraflores - this is the best neighborhood to stay as a tourist - safe, clean and beautiful to walk around. I can recommend this hotel if you are not planning to spend there lots of time, as the rooms are pretty small, but other than that it was perfect for a short stay. I spent in Lima just a couple of days, but they were filled with such numerous beautiful experiences that it seemed much longer. On the first day I decided to explore the city and just walk around without any plan - my favorite kind of tourism, I do feel that this way you get to know a new place much better rather than a planned excursion, at least this is how I feel. Those are my personal notes from what I have seen and how I have interpreted them, my experience might be really different from others. The first thing that really stands out is the nature that is integrated in the city's landscape.Miraflores neighborhood is very urban and quite minimalistic with high apartment buildings mostly built with the use of stone, wood and lots of glass - most of the windows are ceiling high, which is understandable - the views from there must be breathtaking! The city is very green - not only in parks and streets, but the nature is integrated in the architecture and the exterior design of the buildings.The other thing that I noticed and experienced - is the absolutely crazy traffic, I thought Moscow traffic was bad, but gosh, this city is moving so fast and seemingly hectic (or maybe it just seemed this way because it was new to me), but to be honest I had a lot of trouble crossing the street in the area marked for pedestrians - the cars just would not stop, had to be very careful!Without an actual plan I walked out to the city's promenade that stretches along the rocky Pacific ocean coast. Wow, what a feeling. The combination of a megapolice with its stone and glass skyscrapers and its sound of active traffic with the waves crushing against the rocks is so powerful. I always wonder how local people see the beauty of a place that they call home - do they get used to it and treat it as granted or they stop and wonder at how lucky they are to live surrounded by so much beauty. I think we are all guilty sometimes of digging our head so deep into the everyday routine and forgetting to appreciate what's around us, this is like air - we do not really notice it while it's here but as soon as we are cut off from it, we feel the lack of it oh so strongly, I know as it happened to me... Anyway, back to Lima. So, I did notice how local citizens are enjoying and using the beauty of this place - running and cycling along the coast, walking in the park with their families and stopping to stare at the magnificent ocean. Those scenes of simple life always make me peaceful and happy.I reached a little shopping mall that seems to be floating over the ocean, there you can find little cafes and restaurants with the breathtaking view. I chose The Sun and had probably the best sushi of my life with the fresh fish and the view.During the second part of the day I took a city bus excursion where we visited the main neighborhoods of Lima and a cathedral, it was beautiful, but to be honest I realized once again that this is not my type of exploring - I love wandering around and stopping at places that catch my attention without a certain plan or guide, I feel like this way I remember them better and some of them will always stay in my memory.

See you tomorrow!

Peruvian Week. Lima.

Peruvian Week. MATE.

S.O.S. Gang