Peru is one of my favorite places to be and there is absolutely no explanation for it. Sure it’s home to wonders like Machu Picchu and the Andes mountains, and beautiful colonial cities like Cusco and Arequipa. You can also find something delicious to eat on just about every corner. And the beauty of Lima in summer or winter, con sol o sin, bougainvilleas and cactus spires spilling over walls overlooking the sea. You know how some places just feel like home? Peru is that place for me.
Peru as a Spiriual Calling
From the spiritual side I am not sure why Peru calls to me so much, except to say in some strange way it feels as though I belong there. Throughout my years learning Spanish I learned with a Peruvian friend, and from another friend who lived in Lima but was Venezuelan. I traveled to Peru for the first time in 2019. As the plane was coming down I felt an incredible energy of peace and of being home.
Each time I have been in Peru I have experienced the same feeling. Last summer I spent time in Leticia, Colombia. Leticia is a city in the Amazon Rainforest that borders Peru and Brazil. Unbeknownst to me I arrived during the annual celebration of the confraternity between the three countries, so although I was in Colombia the whole city was also adorned with Peruvian flags and many offers of Peruvian food. My trip through the rainforest of Colombia left me straddling the border of Peru.
I entered a village in Peru to see a sloth sanctuary. When the tiny boat pulled up on the mudbank and I disembarked in Peru I felt such a sense of joy and love for the Peruvians that I met there in the rainforest. It truly felt like being home again, and unexpectedly at that. When I planned my trip to Colombia I didn’t know that I would also enter Peru!
Lima, Peru Photography
I love Lima. Some things that make Lima special are its beautiful black cliffs dropping off into a rocky beach which sings each time the waves retreats back into the sea. Then there’s the hazy, misty atmosphere that hangs over the city in the winter obscuring all sunlight but which bursts to light the emerald greens. But I love it for more than its physical beauty.
The Malecón
When I was traveling in Lima I wasn’t focused on the photography aspect at all. Therefore my photos are a reflection of things that I loved and wanted to remember, and things that were different from Texas. When I first came to Peru in 2019 it was the first time I had traveled alone. I was thanking my lucky stars to be setting foot in South America, delighted with everything I saw. I never thought I would actually be there.
My photographs show, more than anything, the love and appreciation that I had for the Malecón. The Malecón is a long walk and park bordering the cliffs and overlooking the ocean. I took many pictures of the view each time I have been in Lima.
Lima in Winter and Summer
Lima in summer and Lima in winter are worlds apart in some ways. Looking through my photos of Lima. When I was in Lima in 2019 I saw a city without sun. In the winter Lima is shrouded by clouds. The only sunlight that reaches the city is that which has been filtered through clouds. Locals call her Lima la Gris because all is gray for months with no sun.
In this photograph you can see the Parque del Amor in the distance with its statue of the couple embracing. Do you see what I mean when I say that the gray makes the green really pop? It’s gorgeous. In the summer months Lima gets a lot more sun.
From this vantage point I was closer to the Parque del Amor (which is not visible). Instead you see the Farol in the distance.
Parque Del Amor
Each time I’m in Lima I visit the Parque del Amor multiple times. Mostly because it’s pretty and it lies on the Malecón which has the prettiest views.
Street Art, Colors and Cactus
Something that I love about Lima, and maybe ALL of South America is the abundance of street art. Official street art and street art which was placed by someone without permission.
There is so much more to love about Lima, and there are a many places I didn’t photograph here. If you’d like to see my videos of Lima I am linking my Youtube Peru Playlist. Have you been to Lima before? What was your favorite sight?
