Lima Travel Guide
Tags: Summer-Signature-Cocktails-Map / Drinking Travel / Peru Travel / South America / → All Tags
Double The Pisco Sour In Peru, Double The Fun
While the summer is at its peak and you're no doubt tired of chugging bottled water under the sun at tourist sites, we're going to hit some of the world's best watering holes and down their famous summer cocktails. Bottoms up!
For many, a trip down to Peru means some serious Macchu Picchu trekking, but we're frankly more interested in chasing down the best of the country's official drink: The Pisco Sour. Although Chile also lays claim to this tart concoction, the master of the double-sized, or Catedral, Pisco Sour is definitely in the center of Lima at the Hotel Bolivar.
A member of the classic grand dame hotels of the world, the Bolivar was a home-away-from-home for dignitaries and Hollywood stars like Ava Gardner, who was known to favor the Catedral Pisco Sours of the bar. We'll also freely admit to salivating at the mere mention of any "sour" cocktails, so Lima it is. No need to stay the night at the Gran Hotel Bolivar however, as only the bar and the building's architecture remember the golden days; the rooms leave something to be desired.
Tags: Food Travel / Travel Trends / Restaurants / → All Tags
Trendsetters Agree: Peru Is For Foodies
It's official: The 2009 foodie trend-before-it-even-happens is Peruvian. Last week we brought you Epicurious' prediction that Peruvian cuisine would be all the rage in 2009, and we found a few stateside restos where you can chow down on the new hotness.
But now tricky Bon Appetit has gone and one-upped the 'curious. From the '09 predictions list in BA's January issue:
Tags: World's-Best-Vegetarian-Restaurants / Food Travel / Restaurants / → All Tags
World's Best Vegetarian Restaurants: The Fruits of Lima
Are you ready to expand your palate? Put down that steak and look beyond the salad plate at the world's best vegetarian restaurants.
The stereotype alone of South Americans as ardent meat eaters may put off vegetarian and vegan travelers altogether--or worse, leave them scrambling for the local equivalent of the granola bar. (Avoid!) But Lima's El Paraiso Bio Leben is not only a great source of cheap veggie food, it presents an alternative to all that churrascaria madness.
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They're Brainy in Lima
Head down to Lima, Peru, and you might not be expecting to find the biggest public display of brains in the world. But you will, tucked into an unspectacular museum in the country's capital, part of the National Neurological Science Institute hospital. At last count, 2998 brains were on display here (just a couple of donations needed to get over 3000!).
Researchers collect the brains to study disease and the effects of alcohol and drugs, and the specimens date back to 1942. If you want to see them for yourself, it's just a 30 cent entry charge, making it surely one of the bargain sightseeing spots around: just one one-hundredth of a cent per brain. Unfortunately, the museum is tucked into a dark alleyway where taxis fear to drive, so find a local brainiac to guide you there.
[Photo: heavylift]
Related Stories:
· Diseased Brains on Display in Peru [Yahoo News]
