Mancora and Lima, Peru

Firstly, I must apologise for the infrequency of my updates, I've been struggling to get decent internet connection anywhere that will allow me to download photos! Anyways, here goes..

After my shortish stint in Ecuador I got a hellish 18 hour bus ride down to Mancora beach, in the North of Peru. Now usually long bus rides aren't a problem, in some ways I kind of like them, they're a chance to chill out for a while and get to know the kinds of people I wouldn't usually get much chance to meet. On this occasion however, I was told upon getting on the bus that the seat that I had booked and paid for was not available and I would have to wait for 4 hours for a seat. So, after 9 hilarious hours of huddling in a corner on the floor of the coach trying to keep the feeling in my legs, I finally got my seat and attempted to get some shut eye. Daylight was breaking though, and the bright sunshine refused to let me sleep. My first day on Mancora beach was spent in a bit of a daze. I somehow managed to check into my hostel, Kokopelli Beachpakers, a great little new hostel in the centre of town with a pool and a swim up bar! The day was spent chilling out with some of the other residents, and the evening was spent at the bar of the area's main hostel, Loki, a full on resort of a hostel with a reputation for being party central.

The beach at Mancora.

Pretty much every day in Mancora was relaxed, soaking up some sun, walking on the beach, sleeping and checking out the local nightlife. Loki held a big party on St. Patrick's day which was a blast and complete hedonism, but Mancora was one of those places that is great for a few days, for an ageing backpacker like myself though, three or four days in the party vibe was wearing thin so it was time to move on.

Paddy's day with Sabryna.

She went a bit overboard with the bodypaint!

I tentatively booked another bus ticket and headed down to Lima. Luckily on this occasion I ended up on an incredible luxury coach that was something like flying business class. They provided food and drinks, a huge seat that pretty much turned into a bed, blankets, pillows etc. It was a great trip that enabled me to arrive in Lima on Monday totally refreshed and ready for some sightseeing. After checking into Kokopelli's sister hotel in the very safe and modern Miraflores region of the city, I headed two minutes around the corner and got a great lunch for the equivalent of less than £2. Some soup, ceviche and grilled fish with rice was great and just what I needed to prepare me for a busy couple of days. After all, I'd only given myself 2 days to see as much of Lima as possible!

Amazing ceviche in Lima.

In the evening, as soon as I stepped out of the hostel I bumped into a group of guys that I'd hung out with in various stops along my trip, so we ended up going out for some dinner, wandering around the streets and craft markets, and getting chatted up by various dubious groups of local girls who then wanted to take us to various local nightspots. I bailed early with in the hope I could keep hold of my wallet.

Parque Central by night.

First impressions of Lima were great, after experiencing Quito and not being that impressed, I felt so much more at home in Lima. The streets felt safe, the Miraflores area was incredibly clean and on the whole the people were very friendly and approachable. I did however accept that Miraflores was something of a tourist haven, so I vowed to venture out to the old part of town the next day to see some more authentic and historical parts of the city. Upon getting back to my hostel I met up with a great guy called Lorenzo in my dorm. Turns out that Lorenzo is a food and wine journalist in his native Rome and is quite a wine buff. We agreed to hang out the next day in the old town and then check out what Lima had to offer gastronomically in the evening.

Incredible architecture around Lima's Plaza Mayor.

Heading into the old part of town wasn't exactly what I expected and I can't put my finger on why. The area was a hub for the financial sector workers with something like 11 major banks having their head offices there. It was buzzing with restaurants, the odd tourist, and a lot of police officers not doing much apart from getting their boots polished. After a bit of sightseeing around the main squares, we headed to the Plaza San Martin and the Gran Hotel Bolivar. Apparently they had Lima's best Pisco Sour, a drink synonymous with Peru, typically made with Pisco (a colourless grape brandy), Peruvian Lime juice, egg white, sugar and bitters. Their version didn't disappoint. Apparently Chile is also famous for it's Pisco Sours, but according to Antony Bourdain, Chilean versions are boring, the Peruvians come up trumps on this count!

Pisco Sour a la Gran Hotel Bolivar.

I'd heard that Lima had a great restaurant scene and one of South America's biggest celebrity chef's, Gaston Acurio Jaramillo, had his flagship restaurant, Astrid y Gaston, not far from my hostel. I didn't think I'd get the chance to check the restaurant out though, as firstly it was pretty unlikely that I'd find anybody else on the Gringo trail who'd be up for it, and secondly, it would be a bit of a stretch from my usual $5 a day spend on dinner. Turned out though that Lorenzo's office were pestering him for some reports so he was going to check it out anyway to write a review. I thought that letting him go alone would be rude of me, so I agreed to tag along!

The restaurant at Astrid y Gaston.

So I know this blog is meant to be more of a travel journal rather than a restaurant blog, but I think that this restaurant was worthy of it's own section, it seriously was that good!

Upon entering the restaurant I must admit I felt a little out of place in my flip-flops, even though when booking they stated that they had no dress code. This was obviously where all the beautiful people of Lima hung out. You can see by the photo that it was a pretty swanky place. There were two main dining rooms, as well as a bar area, and we were lucky enough to be seated in the dining room that was pretty much a shrine to wine. My kind of place. There was a choice of three different menu's, a 12 course 3 hour extravaganza, a 5 course tasting menu offering samples of some of Peru's best cuisine, and the standard a la carte fayre. After much deliberation we chose the 5 course offering, rightly presuming that it would give us an insight into the history and culture of Peruvian cuisine, albeit on a rather grand scale.

We started with a range of 3 tasting items to accompany another awesome Pisco Sour, one of which was fancifully served mounted dangling from a wire in a light crispy cone containing raw tuna, shallots, chillies and a couple of other nondescript ingredients. Along with this we had an incredible bread board with some traditional and more modern creations including Crostini with Quinua and Chilli. Next we went on to a dish containing two different ceviches. The first, on the left, was the traditional option, containing octopus, another whit fish I didn't get the name of, red onions, chillies and plenty of Lime juice. It was tangy yet almost sweet to eat. On the right we had a more contemporary offering, with similar ingredients, just prepared in a slightly different way ad this time with the traditional accompaniment of crispy corn.

More Ceviche, I think I'm addicted!

After our starters, Pisco Sours almost finished, it was Lorenzo's turn to attack the wine list. We ended up settling on a 2010 Argentio Torrontes from Los Crios, which although young, was a good choice and complimented the rest of our meal very well. Our next courses involved some traditional pureed potatoes served cold. With broad beans, crab meat, avocado punta, crispy Peruvian freshwater shrimp and a chilli and shellfish coral emulion, which although was very tasty was neither of our favourite courses. Next up came some fresh fish and shellfish from the daily catch which was great and incredibly fresh. Next up, being a red meat course, we decided to opt for a taster of a Peruvian red wine, we settled on a Malbec from the Ica region which surprisingly was nothing like what either of us expected. The Argentinian Malbecs I know and love, produced in a cooler climate, tend to be quite punchy and chocolatey. This Peruvian version was comparatively thin with very little body. It was an acceptable choice to go with our next course however, traditional Lomo Saltado, with Tacu Tacu. The Lomo Saltado being a dish made with strips of tender salted beef with peppers and soy sauce (a typical feature in Peruvian cuisine), the Tacu Tacu being a kind of fried rice cake, all topped off with a fried egg similar in size to a quail's egg. Delicious.

Lorenzo and our feast.

Our dessert was a trio of dishes, the first one being a selection of sorbets which were beautifully refreshing, next came a kind of ring donut, similar to a churro but with some curious spices such as anise that to my palate seemed a little weird. Finally came a ridiculously indulgent 'Suspiro Limeno', made with milk, sugar and egg yolks. If you've ever tried Dulce de Leche that is the closest thing I can compare it too. By this stage in the meal we were at the 'just one more wafer' stage, ready to burst. Then came the petit fours, a magic box containing drawers of dozens of sweet items such as jellies, biscuits and macaroons containing coca that apparently made some people 'a little bit loco, a bit kind of...energetic', we ate them all the same and topped it off with the best espresso I've had so far in South America. All in all a great meal but not the typical diet of someone on the Gringo Trail.

Our magic box of Petit Fours.

Anyway, to finish up, here's a nice little picture from Plaza San Martin, outside the Gran Hotel Bolivar. 

The Statue of San Martin in Lima's City centre.

I've just arrived in Cusco now and am ready for a bit of adventure. Next update will probably be after a bit of trekking to Macchu Picchu. So expect lots more photos!