We were very late coming out of Pachacámac, so Javier said that, regrettably, he might not be able to take me to Barranco after all. He’d reevaluate as we got closer. Thankfully, traffic was much lighter and we made it there in 45 minutes flat!
He parked the car within sight of the Puente de los suspiros, the Bridge of Sighs, a meeting point for lovers. I was told to whisper a wish as I crossed it and then sigh at the end.
view from the Bridge of Sighs
Barranco is Lima’s Bohemian neighbourhood, where artists congregate, and it is famous for its nightlife and restaurants. It was very quiet on a Thursday afternoon, and yet the vibe was completely different from Miraflores. This is another neighbourhood that started as a retreat for the rich.
Javier pointed out these vultures to me. I appreciated that he gave their name, buitre, and then followed that up with “the birds that eat dead flesh,” to make sure I understood exactly what they were.
This is Ermita de Barranco, built in the 1880s and nearly destroyed in the 1974 earthquake. It’s lain abandoned since, but there are plans to begin restoration.
We walked to the Mirador, the lookout point.
Notice the sand beach here, compared to further north.
My goodness, what was going on here to warrant this sign?!
That’s Javier’s blue Nissan, the same model car I rented in February.
We headed to the main square so I could see Barranco town hall.
Barranco main square.
Barranco library.
These are the touristy highlights of Barranco outside its bars and restaurants. I decided that instead of hanging out, my time would best be served returning to Huaca Pucllana, so I took Javier’s offer to take me back to Miraflores so I could have a nap before heading out again. We arrived back at the hotel around 1:00 p.m. I couldn’t believe how much we’d done in just five hours!
The total cost for Javier’s services was 50 soles for the ride on Wednesday, 300 soles for the half-day tour, and then a 35 soles tip (10% per service). Get this — he hadn’t made me pay in centro on Wednesday afternoon, saying we’d do it all in one go on Thursday! So we put through a single transaction for 385 soles. Or tried to. I generally had no trouble using my BBvA credit card in Peru, usually just with tap and go, but sometimes, like here, the card would get declined and I’d have to ask to use the chip and PIN method instead. I barely used any cash at all in Lima, and the bulk of it was to pay the Taxidatum drivers, as well as cash tips for tours. Peru isn’t really a tipping culture, or at least claims not to be, but based on research and talking to people, I paid 10% of tour fees and restaurant meals as tips.