After 8 ½ months we said goodbye to Lima, the beautiful capital we’ve called home.

It was time, we appreciate all you’ve given and all we’ve experienced.

Miro smiling with the Quincha House mascot.

Lima is a sprawling city, with multiple personalities, diverse districts each as distinct as the people who inhabit them. During our time spent in the capital, we lived in the Miraflores district, the ‘flower’ of all the districts, filled with modern comfortable dwellings, first world destinations, traffic jams, parks and beaches. From the ocean front Malecon to Parque Kennedy, this thriving district was our home. Miraflores showered us with all the conveniences we desired, easy to access pedestrian walkways, ruins, art, culture, consumerism (with all the familiar brands) and incredible restaurants to choose from. This district attracts expats and travelers at every turn as well as a new generation of affluent Peruvian professionals calling the modern highrises their home.

However, Miraflores is definitely NOT a microcosm of the total Peruvian experience. And through traveling extensively throughout Peru, we are quite aware of this. Nevertheless, we’re grateful for all we’ve been privileged to experience there.

In many ways, living in Lima is similar to the lifestyle and culture in Los Angeles. People tend to stick within their circle of fiends, centered around schools, work and family. From our observation, many are trapped in the cycle of working to live, living to work. (Familiar story, eh?) As an outsider, we found it difficult to make deep friendships or create a strong community surrounding us. But suppose that was part of our ‘Lima experience’ too.

But there are exceptions.

We did manage to create a very small circle of friends around us and develop some lovely friendships. And one family actually let us into their hearts, and helped us truly feel at home. For the last half of our stay in the capital, Miro and I rented a room at a guest house. This guest house remained a single family home in sea of single-home-tear-downs, apartment rebuilds and condo conversions. We loved living in this house filled with one family’s history, and especially fell in love with the mom and son team who opened up their home to receive guests.

Tony from Quincha House

And when they received us, Miro and I immediately connected with this English speaking duo. Violetta is a kind soul, hard working Mom and an elegant woman. Tony, a 30 something surfer, easy going professional, performing all the guest house duties himself, always on top of things and forever smiling. They received Miro and I with open hearts as we rented the top floor room with private bath for the last four months of our stay. But what we didn’t expect was that this mom and son team also received us into their family too. And this connection made our Lima / Miraflores experience meaningful and wonderful as can be.

Thank you Lima for all the unique experiences. Thank you Miraflores for taking care of us. Thank you small circle of friends for coming into our lives.

And thank you Violetta and Tony of Quincha House for taking us into your family and making us always feel at home. You will always remain in our hearts and a significant part of our travel experience.