Week 5 Miami and Lima, Peru

WEEK 5

Day 1 On Amtrak from Jacksonville to Miami Florida.

B&L: Fruit fresh and dried and snack Vegetables.

D: Right opposite accommodation was Bennegins Bar and Grill Irish Style Pub decided to have Grilled Salmon, with ginger and sesame glaze, savoury rice, broccoli and garden salad, a nice wholesome meal, rating 7.5. As we were in a pub thought I had better sample a beer, so on the advice of a former work colleague who is very well travelled as an International Stamp Show Judge, I opted for a Samuel Adams lager on tap, not a bad drop and to be tried again on future east coast USA travel, rating 7.0. 

Day 2 Miami, until 6.00pm.

B: Breakfast was included, so dined on Cereal, toast, OJ, self -made waffles, yoghurt and even had a half decent coffee, rating 7.5

L: After the big start had a slice of cheese pizza, rating 7.0.

D: LAN flight Miami to Lima, served up beef stroganoff and rice, and desert, rating 6.5.

Day 3 Lima Peru

I should start this blog, by saying that all food servings in Peru are large, not quite USA supersize, but when you consider the Peruvian people are short in stature, ranging from 1.3 metres in the Andes to big blokes of 1.65m on average in other areas, the servings are still large.

B: Fresh bread rolls with butter and strawberry jam, passionfruit juice, and a half decent Peruvian coffee.

L: Cheese and Crackers.

D: First dine out meal in Lima, went to a large complex, spectacular views of sun setting over the Pacific Ocean. I had a rump steak with rice, beans and fried plantaine. 

Rmp at Lacomar Centre

 I also tried first Peruvian beer (cerveza)  Cusquena, a 5% lager, quite a reasonable ale, will try again, rating 7.0.  

Day 3 Lima

B: As in day 3.

L: Found a small café and had grilled chicken (pollo) with rice chips and salad, rating 7.0.

Cerveza and Pisco Sour

D: Met up with the tour guide and rest of g adventure group 16 in total and went to a local restaurant. I dined on Seafood and Tacu Tacu (a mix of rice and beans), which was a medley of fish, calamari, scallops, prawns, and sea cucumber done in a tasty and spicy sauce, quite tasty, rating 7.5. Also backed and tried a couple more Cusquena ales, went down well, rating up to 8.0.

Day 5 Lima

Cocoa Tea and Inca Cola

B: Buffet breakfast at accommodation, Eggs scrambled and boiled, stir fry beef and vegetables, bread rolls, heaps of fresh fruit, rockmelon, pineapple, watermelon etc, and freshly squeezed fruit juice, also on advice on tour guide started drinking cocoa tea to help prepare for altitude climbs ahead, rating 8.0.

L: On bus for 5 hours, so bought ham and salad rolls and fresh fruit.

D: Arrived in Pascara a seaside town, and dined on fresh crumbed seafood platter, including, prawns, fish, scallops, sea cucumber with chips, rating 7.0. A few other cerveza drinkers in tour group and found Cusquena also comes in grande big stubbies 620ml, rating again an 8.0.

Day 6 Pascara

B: Fruit

L: Made it to Nazca, where had the wildest time, riding in dune buggies over huge sand dunes 300-400 metres high, then tried sand tobogoning down a few dunes from 60 -100 metres, after all the hard work finally had some lunch, which was vegetable soup with noodles, very wholesome rating 7.0, and a local delicacy called cebiche fish, which is raw fish (white flesh), marinated in lime juice, chilli and served with red onion, a lovely meal rating 8.0.

Ceviche

Cristal Cerveza

D: Had dish of beef, red onion and tomato stir fried, with mashed potato, given Peru is the birthplace of the spud and they have more than 3,000 varieties, the mash was great, rating 7.5. Found another cerveza called Cristal 5.0%, not as good as Cusquena, but still an ok beer, rating 7.0.

Day 7 Nazca

B: Fruit

L: On bus trip to Arequipa, fruit and snacks.

D: Went to a local restaurant, where I dined on Creamy Pollo (Chicken) and rice, a bit like chicken a la king, so got a bit of extra chilli sauce to spice up a pretty plain dish, rating 7.0. After such a plain meal, I had to wash it down with a couple of grande (large) Cusquena beers, rating 8.0.

CHICKEN RICE