Lima
Otherwise known as the City of Kings, Lima is the capital, the oldest city, and the largest city (by far) in Peru. It's also a city of great contrasts, in terms of wealth, culture, and lifestyle. Lima was the first place I visited in Peru, and in the whole of South America. I didn't plan to stay here as long as I did (about 6 days), but because of Semana Santa (Easter Week), I kinda got stuck here.
Stocking up for Pesach
So far in my travels, I haven't really done the whole buy-groceries-and-eat-frugal thing. It's been cheap as it is, eating at restaurants and at hot-food street stalls. But with Pesach coming, I decided that I have to stock up on some unleavened supplies to keep me going for the next week. So this morning, I popped into a supermarket in Miraflores, and did some basic shopping.
Still no tengo cambio
Clearly, the lack of loose change is not something specific to Mexico, but rather, something that's widespread throughout the Latin world. Today, on my first day in South America, the no tengo cambio saga reached maddening heights of frustration, as a taxi driver refused to accept a 50-sole bill from me.
Flying Dog hostel, Lima
This is quite a nice hostel, with a bunch of very friendly staff, and a crowd that's generally really warm. It's not the most exciting place I've ever stayed at; but I get the feeling that the crowds come and go (there isn't a huge crowd here now), and that it's pretty hip by Lima standards. Because I kinda got stuck in Lima during Semana Santa (Easter), I ended up staying here for a full week.