Just less than two hours by bus through the centre of Lima or about thirty kilometres as the crow flies and you reach Lacomar in the heart of Miraflores, an extremely affluent area of Lima. Almost the perfect example of chalk and cheese or as my mother used to say ‘from chocolates to boiled lollies’ – or vice versa! On reflection I suppose it is the same for most of the heavily populated cities of the world. They all have their richer areas and their poorer areas, their ‘haves’ and their ‘have nots’.
The residents of Miraflores would know of such places as Canto Grande, San Juan de Lurigancho and Montenegro, however, you could bet your bottom dollar they have never been anywhere near the area. Nevertheless, a number of the residents of Montenegro would go to Miraflores for work, while some may have even visited the area, if only for ‘window shopping’.
From rock, dirt and dust to green grass, palm trees and beaches. From the most basic form of housing conditions to very presentable high rise accommodation. From small hostels to the International Marriott.
Lacomar, right on the Pacific Ocean, is the place to be seen in Miraflores. The restaurants and shops are of the highest quality and I would suggest they endeavour to target not only the tourist market but also the more upper class members of Lima’s society.Where else in Lima would you be able to stroll into an exclusive cigar shop, make your selection from hundreds of cigars displayed in a perfectly climatically controlled show room and then indulge yourself in the café with your favourite coffee? I must admit that I have not spied the equivalent around Montenegro!
Before we depart for Australia we could possibly introduce hang gliding off the sides of the mountains, it does seem very popular off the cliffs of Miraflores. It obviously gives the passenger a fantastic view of the coast line.
