Lima the Gray Octopus, Peru

Barranco Neighborhood, Lima

When you have a camera with you, you are always thinking about the next shot or the best shot. Your whole experience revolves around photography instead of enjoying the moment. So that’s what I did in Barranco, Lima. I enjoyed the moments and left my camera at the hotel. Besides, if you need a picture to help tell your story there are tons of them online.

Bridge of Sighs

The Bridge of Sighs is a Venetian creation. The bridge was built in 1600 or 1608 to connect the offices of the Chief Magistrate (Doge) to the prison. The doomed prisoner would sigh while crossing the bridge and look out at Venice for the last time before his death or imprisonment.

In Lima, it is a little wooden bridge used to connect a small gap over a gorge. In 1960, a love song about this bridge was written and performed by Chabuca Grande. The song was, “El Puente de Los Suspiros” or “The Bridge of Sighs”. And thus, the bridge became a place of love and romance. There is even a statue of the singer not far from the bridge.

We got there in the evening. They say that upon viewing this bridge for the first time, your wish will come true if you hold your breath and run across it. The bridge is 30 meters or 98 feet. We did it. It can be done.

Finally Some Signs of Life

We had a lot of fun. There were people, lights, restaurants, and music. I emphasize this because the other two neighborhoods we had been to, at night, were dead. I’m talking about San Isidro and Miraflores. Our hotel, The Westin Lima, is in San Isidro. The restaurant, Brujas de Cachiche, was in Miraflores. There was no foot traffic in the vicinity of these establishments. And it was uninviting to go out at night.

We ended up walking to the edge of Barranco and then down a long flight of wooden stairs, that hugged the cliff, to the highway and the Pacific Ocean. From a distance, it looks like this:

We ran across the highway to the beach. Concrete steps led to the shore. I sat on the top step and Maureen and Donavin took off their shoes and ran into the water. The water was as black as the Devil’s nutting bag. Which means it was really dark down there. They played in the water trying not to move when a wave hit them.

After about an hour, we walked along the shore and found a bar right on the beach. A menacing-looking man in a suit greeted us outside the bar. He had the face of a prizefighter. “Agua”, I said. He shook his head and smiled. “No, agua?” I asked. “No,” he said. How can a bar not have any water for sale? Then another man appeared at his side. He was younger and not at all scary-looking. “Taxi?” said I. Again with the no.

We turned around and walked back up the beach, crossed the highway, and climbed up the cliff. Once at the top, we jumped into a taxi and drove back to the hotel. We were exhausted.