On June 9, TotalAdventure returned to Lima for the first time since 2006. Since then, besides a trade and surf destination, the Pacific seaside city has become a hip and happening place with foodies jetting in from New York to dine at Michelin starred restaurants. Peru is now a far cry from the war torn country I blasted though in 1988 as a young journalist covering the Trans Amazon Rallye.

This time I returned as a delegate to Adventure Elevate Latin America, organized by the Adventure Travel Trade Association and Promperu. Our transportation ,accommodation and other expenses were covered by those organizations as well as tour and accommodations providers. The convention was in Lima, , preceded by adventures all over the country. I was in the High Andes in the Cusco region, as you can read in the story above.

Plaza de Armas, in Central Lima.

Wall Art In Very Hip Seaside Barranco.

The Refreshingly Cold Pacific Ocean. June is the start of winter in Lima. There is little temperature difference throughout the year, though August can be cold and foggy.. The water is about 19 C and the air about 23 in the day, 16 at night. Lima is situated in one of the driest coastal deserts in the world,where it can go years without raining !

Passing by very cool old buildings.

Socialist Deco.

Ceviche ! Raw Fish “cooked” in lime and spice. Healthy and delicious. TotalAdventure much prefers Peruvian coastal cuisine over Andean cuisine, which is heavy on the carbs. TotalAdventure now weighs 30 kilos less from healthy eating and exercise.

On our tour of Barranco, our group visited the “laboratory” of Central ,rated as one of the top restaurants in the world, where dining can be over US $ 450 per person !

In the laboratory new recipes are tested. All their ingredients are from Peru, in this case newly discovered fruits from the Amazon rainforest.

We lunched at a different restaurant that was also amazing.

Not sure exactly what was in the stew , but the taste was incredible !

Late Night Lima.