10 Colorful Shots of Lima

November 3, 2012 by love.antoinette

It surprises me that it took traveling to Lima three times before I finally saw the raw, colorful beauty of this city.

The first time I traveled to Peru last year was quite a culture shock, bracing ourselves more than enough times while sitting through traffic, hoping no car or bus would collide with us. The chaotic traffic conditions were more than enough to enduce a heart attack.

The second time was basically over indulging in the cuisine and forming a closer bond with the local medical and nursing team, along with the other new volunteers of HCI.

This time around was discovering Lima as a whole.

After peeling back the many layers of Lima, from its nauseating diesel fumes and gritty streets, to its dreary weather which often times put me in a dismal mood, its raw beauty finally revealed itself to me.

As much as I don’t like to compare places, only because each place fully deserves its own identity, this I’ve got to say: Lima reminds me of a run-down, gritty version of Madrid.

I never realized until now how Lima is filled with an abundance of green parks, especially around the San Isidro and Miraflores districts.

Aside from that, the city is also filled with grand boulevards, bike lanes and green walkways, overflowing with the chaotic traffic, pedestrians, and street vendors.

However, what I’ve come to really love about this city, aside from its cuisine, are the colorful houses, colonial buildings, and other important landmarks. The vivid colors truly pop out, bringing about an incredible contrast against the gray skies that endlessly hover over the city.