With a population of over seven and a half million, Lima is home to one-third of Peru’s population; a huge city by any standard.
For most people a visit to this fast-moving metropolis is all about ‘culture and cuisine’. However, for a potato ‘expert’ no stay would be complete without a visit to CIP – The International Potato Centre. It was an extremely interesting place to visit and the staff were incredibly welcoming.
I’d like to say that Lima was a great city to visit but sadly it was not. Places of interest are spread far and wide and the only (safe) way to visit them is by taxi, which is never a cheap option for a budget traveller.
I did manage to visit one historic site – Huaca Pucllana, which was a 30-minute walk from my hostel. Huaca Pucllana, also Pucllana or Huaca Juliana, is a huge adobe and clay pyramid located in the Miraflores district of Lima and built from seven staggered platforms. It takes its name from the Quechua word “pucllay,” meaning “game,” which in its entirety can be translated as “a place for ritual games.” It served as an important ceremonial and administrative center for the advancement of the Lima Culture, a society which developed in the Peruvian Central Coast between the years of 200 AD and 700 AD.
Next stage: Huaraz and Lago 69.
