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I have always had this fascination for South America. Done a few trips down there and those were before i became a clubhombre menber.
Have to admit i did made a previous trip to Lima a long time ago, but, it ended in total disaster when i had a plain and very bad case of "moctesuma's' revenge that put me out of "service" for the duration of such trip (all of those 10 days!!!). Only thing i got to know well was the bathroom of the hotel where i was.
Anyways, i decided to make for the lost time and put myself in gear. got me a good deal with my tickets with Aeromexico, wasn't taking much for luggage and all set in no time at all.
As usual, getting to the airport in Frisco was no problem and the BART took me all the way into the International hall ready to check in. was there with plenty of time and had no problems checking in and clearing security and passport for my first leg to Mexico city.
The leg to Benito Juarez International in Mexico City was quick and nice. the airport in Mexico city is going thru a facelift and it doesn't look nice now, but, hope it improves once all work is completed. One thing i didn't like was that no WIFI !!! bunch of cheapstakes !!!!!
The next leg to Lima was very quick and it wasn't bad. the Jorge Chavez in Lima it really looks real good, clean and the customs/inmigration formalities were a breeze.
I didn't spend much time at the airport once i went tru formalities, grab my luggage and just exchanged enough money for 1-2 days, it was like US$ 1 = S/. 3.20 or so. be aware that at this airport they charge commission so is better to get your soles in town !!!
I had transportation set up and it was waiting for me. the hostal was in a district not too touristy and it mainly for working class Peruvians (San Juan de Lurigancho. was hoping i made the right choices but time showed me i was on the money ha ha ha !!!! weather was not helping and it was a little cloudy.
This hostal was was but way ouuuutttt there and i was getting a little concern. it surely looks an aweful different than been in nice chic and "gringo" looking Miraflores but is just a matter of perception and putting your delicate feet solidly on the ground made things more calm.
I did take a few trips outside to get my feet wet and the station for the electric train (estacion santa rosa), wasn't too far. after all, the mototaxi (similar like the trikes in PI) was only S/.1= (about US$ 0.24= !!!). with these fars, i wans't going to do any walk if i could help it.
Downtown Lima looks old but is expected for an ancient city like this one. I was impressed with the colonial arquitecture that dates from the times of the Spaniards viceroys, real nice and gorgoeus. the hostal for my initial week or so was only the BIG amount of S/. 220= soles !!! it was a steal and i saved me a bundle in hotel room. another nice thing was to find tourist police when i went around Plaza San Martin. saw these two cute Peruvians on duty over there and they were real pretty in their uniforms.
Moving around is wise to use the electric train and the bus system called metro, it will save you a lot of time and heartache, trust me. is not difficult to navigate them and besides the language barrier is a no brainer.
I beleive some guys don't care for Peruvian dishes, but, i have to say that is outright very tasty and with so many varieties of dishes. i personally luv it and, though, i can't eat as much as when i was much younger, i tried enjoy as many dishes as i could. Most gals here have indian/mestizo traits but they are nice in their own way and sexy. beleive they women here are not as open to casual relationships with foreigners like in Asia but if you spend more time, you could meet more "normal" girls not looking for money. The room at the hostal was acceptable and it has the basic i was looking for (AC is not an issue here, cable tv, nice bed wt tick blankets, full bath wt hot water, wifi was weak, clean....) Above all the hostal was secured and wt desk attendant around the clock. you had to ring a bell to be let in or out and i like such setup for security reasons.
said it before, i was not in a tourist part of town, strictly working class area and so but so cheap as far as food, snacks, with local market nearby, restaurants, plenty of transportation to move around and once in a while you would see a cop car passing by. Of course i took my most basic security time frame and never attracted much attention to myself and kept my talking to a minimun (my spanish is good, i think so ha ha ha ). always carry what i needed for the day and kept all high value items lock up.
I went to this mall and watched the last spiderman movie before a nice "pollo a la brasa meal" and my first trip to Las Cucardas" !!!! (CH Link)
I did moved around town these initials days mainly as a tourist trying to know the lay of the land, such a huge city that no way you could do it well in just 8-10 days or so. I guess i would need no less than 3 weeks at least just to feel comfortable.
weather was cloudy most of the time and hardly any rain, except for one or two nites but just a sprinkle and done !!! One word of caution, I only used bottle water, even to wash my teeth !!! if you even drink a little of tap water, you're done and might as well sleep sitting in the toilet !!!! brought with me a small first aid kit with plenty of diaherrea pills, just in case (still i had to used a few almost at the end of this trip).
My first trip to Las Cucardas was with no problems at all. Most taxi drivers know the place and i beleive it stays open round the clock. is in an area way out there by ave. Argentina (between 6th and 7th, i beleive). anyways, any taxi can take you there. the way i did it was to get to close to Plaza Grau and then take the taxi, would pay something like 5-6 soles or so. you need to haggle with the driver and never ever never get into the taxi before agreeing on the fare, rule of the thumb for Peruvians !!!!!
I was here before and was familiar with the club' set up. it has changed somehow, nicer entrance. ticket cost S/. 38= soles to go in and the chicks charged between 6-80 soles, again, you could try haggling on the price but it owuld be up your skills. another matter is language; most girls are locals but you find also some foreigners (Ecuador, colombia ....) the times i was here i had sessions with 2 Peruvians, 2 from ecuador and a colombian; needless to add all were great and no rush on the time. be nice and you'd be treated nice in return. drinks were like 10 soles or so, plus there are shows done by the girls themselves on stage, not bad.
Plenty of taxis outside and though they charge higher prices, is wise to used them. trying to walk to ave, Argentina and catch public service is plain dumb, specially at nite. one thing aobut Las Cucardas, the security is tight and they used a metal detector before you go in, so i have never come up with a solution how to sneak in a camera. if they find one, you must turn it in til you leave or you don't go in, just that simple !!!!
My times i went to Las Cucardas, set up my system to get a taxi to Plaza San Martin, then get public transportation to station Miguel Grau to go home and rest. kind of funny mingling with locals but i kind of liked the experience and it saved me bundles of cash !!!!
There was a small casino by the gostal i was in an i tended to patronized it a few times but here they are mostly slots machines and not the fancy games you would see in the states. at least the one i went in it only has slot machines. another quick dish i found tasty was one sold by street vendors and it was chicken guizards with crushed potatoes, i think, or it was cassava ?!?! anyways, so cheap and filling !!!!
It was always a releive whenever i got back to the safety of my room and just chill for the nite. made it a habit to bring me same snacks if i hadn't eaten much for the day or nite.
I was looking to see more of Lima in the coming days and though i went to one massage place, decided not to go for it since the gals were not appealing to my taste. there are escorts with super gals BUT for a BIG price and i have decided for this trip i wasn't to go that way. it was strictly for me the way of the locals and time here told me i was on the money.