Reading about Lima is always a mixed bag but the tone is generally negative. Accordingly, we didn’t have any expectations for the city beyond our usual urban fears: traffic, corruption, and crime.  Despite the seasonal fog and clouds, we were impressed with Lima and if you know about our country ways, you know we are rarely moved by big city living.

We spent our first month in Peru wandering the back roads and dirt trails of the country’s furthest reaches. We drove for weeks without seeing a dollop of asphalt. We learned how to haggle at small town markets and how to enjoy instant coffee. Grateful for deodorant and toothpaste, we managed to maintain a healthy marriage through our longest stretch without a shower. Arriving in Lima was like stumbling upon a misty, cloud covered oasis.

When we weren’t getting our culture fill in the museums and cobble stone streets of downtown, we were indulging in Lima’s cosmopolitan delights. Specifically, we enjoyed more than one trip to Starbucks, we saw our first movie in over eight months, and Logan realized his chicken fried dream on a Friday night at Chili’s. Making our way through the isles of our first supermarket in ages, Brianna went wild and bought every can of Pam cooking spray on the shelf (we’ll never run out again!).

Lima was also our geographical midway point during a month shared with friends and family.  A few hours after bidding sad farewells to our friends Ty and Paul, Logan’s parents, perfecting the art of timing, arrived for a two week visit. Lima was an excellent combination of metropolitan and totally foreign, a great experience to share with our loved ones.