Thanks to our good friend Nestor, from Lima, second from the right, we had a great time in his home town. Because of Nestor's hospitality, we have an impression of the city we would never get had we just wondered around the city on our own. The other new friend is Recardo, from Quito Ecuador. More on that later.
We arrived in Lima early afternoon and found the Flying Dog Hostel in the Miraflora area that Nestor had arranged for us. What a nice place and a Starbucks right next door. Chris and I were in heaven.
Here are some shots around the Miraflora area.
The city had a number of sidewalk cafes that would rival Europe's best. Well that may be a slight exaggeration, but not by much.
On our first night in Lima Nestor picked us up, took us to dinner and a tour of Lima. It was at night so the pictures don't do the city justice. What impressed me was the amount of new development underway. The local government has a plan and they are executing it, from new transportation infrastructure to beautification projects. One area we walked around was a park, niteclub resturant area called something Mar. It was about 4 stories built into the side of a cliff overlooking the pacific. We were there at 11PM on a week night and it was crowded.
We also drove in to the downtown area and saw some of Lima's historical buildings under lights.
Here is the Flying Dog Hostel were we stayed. Its right across the street from Miraflora's main plaza. 
A view from its lounge area
Inside the lounge area. That is my new computer slowly uploading photos.
And while Chris and I were hanging out who should show up but Guillermo, his Duaghter and Michael. They were headed south and Guillermo developed a problem with his rear shock so Tato also took care of him.
Tato's shop seems to attract a lot of KTMs big and small.
One of Nestor's friends, Ivan, came by the shop and gave us all kinds of good information on motorcycling to Ushuaia and going to Machu Picchu. He also told us to look out for one of his friends, Recardo, to show up at the shop later in the day. Ivan said we would not miss him, jestering that he was very tall and riding a 1150 Adventure loaded down. Well Recardo pulled in and I have to say he may be the tallest person in Ecuador. Recardo was making his way home after following the Dakar race in Chile and Argentina. I was envious. As it turned out I had heard about Recardo from the Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travel group. Eduardo was instrumental getting Ecuador change some of their policies to make it easier for foreigners to travel through Ecuador. In the picture below Recardo is talking to another BMW rider that lives in South America and Thailand.
Between talking to other motorcyclist and walking around the area, Chris and I found a food court in the nearby market where we enjoyed some more Ceviche (fresh fish marinated in lemon sauce).
Here is the owner of the food stall in pink. She was very proud of her eatery and seemed to be the big boss of that little corner of the market.
All in all we it was a productive and fun time in Lima. We got the motorcycles all fixed up for the next leg of the trip and met some people that reinforce how great the motocycle community can be around the world.
A view from its lounge area
Inside the lounge area. That is my new computer slowly uploading photos.
Another thing that made our stay in Lima great was Nestor turned us on to his motorcycle mechanic Tato. Nestor has a BMW R1200GS and with no BMW dealership in Lima Tato is a great resource. He took care of installing the knobbies we had shipped to Nestor. Tato also took care of some of our other maintenance issues. Tato's shop is well known in Lima. Its so well know there isn't even a sigh out front. You know you are there because you will see all of the motorcycles out front and its next door to a Honda dealership.
Yes, that is a Honda Transalp. The dealer next door had brand new Transalp.
And while Chris and I were hanging out who should show up but Guillermo, his Duaghter and Michael. They were headed south and Guillermo developed a problem with his rear shock so Tato also took care of him.
Tato's shop seems to attract a lot of KTMs big and small.
One of Nestor's friends, Ivan, came by the shop and gave us all kinds of good information on motorcycling to Ushuaia and going to Machu Picchu. He also told us to look out for one of his friends, Recardo, to show up at the shop later in the day. Ivan said we would not miss him, jestering that he was very tall and riding a 1150 Adventure loaded down. Well Recardo pulled in and I have to say he may be the tallest person in Ecuador. Recardo was making his way home after following the Dakar race in Chile and Argentina. I was envious. As it turned out I had heard about Recardo from the Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travel group. Eduardo was instrumental getting Ecuador change some of their policies to make it easier for foreigners to travel through Ecuador. In the picture below Recardo is talking to another BMW rider that lives in South America and Thailand.
Between talking to other motorcyclist and walking around the area, Chris and I found a food court in the nearby market where we enjoyed some more Ceviche (fresh fish marinated in lemon sauce).
Here is the owner of the food stall in pink. She was very proud of her eatery and seemed to be the big boss of that little corner of the market.
All in all we it was a productive and fun time in Lima. We got the motorcycles all fixed up for the next leg of the trip and met some people that reinforce how great the motocycle community can be around the world. I also found another one of the multifloor computer markets. My mini mouse died on me and I easily forund one for about half what it cost me in the States. Bestbuys better hope this concept never catches on in the States.
On to Machu Picchu next....
On to Machu Picchu next....
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