Day 13: Barranco’s Bohemian Vibes

I ran some errands and the walked about one hour to the Barranco neighborhood from Miraflores. I got to walk down the “malecón” along the coast and then I crossed El Puente de la Paz. I did a little bird watching, thanks to Morpho’s inspo and I took a pic at Bandera Park. I finally arrived at Barranco and there was a protest going on in front of a health center. I saw the famous Mafalda statue and took a selfie with her.

At 11 AM, Paola arrived and welcomed me and the other tourists on the food tour around Barranco. Our first stop was La Luna Nueva where we tried café Americano and an “ají de gallina” (peppered chicken) empanada. The “rocote” (pepper) sauce was a nice addition to give the empanada a little kick. On the next stop, we went to the Espirito de Peru office and tried some local fruits and cacao. My favorite fruits included the “granadilla” (passion fruit-like), “chirimoya” (Custard apple), and “tumbo” (banana-passion fruit hybrid). The “aguaymanto” (golden berry) was tasty also.

After that stop, we looked at some of the murals sponsored by Chuck Taylor of local artists like Nemo, inspired by Peruvian culture. We saw the bridge that was under construction for months now and La Espirita Church, which was destroyed by earthquakes and looks to be in disrepair. We got to try “ponche andino, causa de trucha (sea bass), and ceviche.” The chef did a demo on how to prepare ceviche with fresh sea bass and “leche de tigre”

I took a picture with the ugly turkey vultures or “gallinazos,” as the Peruvians call them. Then, we went into the Jade Rivera store and checked out some of his artwork. We saw the old trolley that no longer runs on the track. At Nuna, we met with Chef Hugo who prepared “anticuchos and lomo saltado,” or cow’s heart and sautéed beef chunks! The lomo saltado wasn’t the greatest because the dish was too salty and the meat too tough. Subsequently, we went to Juanito’s bar for a pisco sour. Jaime, our bartender, did a nice job preparing the drink. Lastly, I tried “granadilla” and “lúcuma” gelato 🍨 at Blu Gelato.

I walked back down the malecón and saw Paddington Bear at Larcomar. I was able to dip my toes into the Pacific Ocean and breathe in some fresh, salty air. I ended my day by getting Bembos, the Peruvian McDonald’s, a burger fast-food chain.Read more