Unemployed & Unimpeded: Lima with a local

We started with a night bus from Cuenca, Ecuador to Chiclayo, Peru. The bus played their usual 1-star Hollywood movie with air conditioning and sound set to full blast. After a quick 2am border crossing, we continued traveling through the night and arrived in Chiclayo in the early morning. We spent the day walking around their famous witch-market and trying the national drink, pisco sour. Six piscos later, we boarded the second bus from Chiclayo to Lima and it was absolute luxury. First-class leather seats, a full meal, and personal TVs made the night bus the easiest journey we've had so far. In total, 650 miles of high-altitude Andes zig-zagging and unending desert roads finally gave way to Lima. Draped in fog almost the entire year and inhabited by nearly 8.5 million residents, the city has a deservedly cramped and slightly dark look to it. The people, traffic, and commotion engulfs the city. However, if you can peel away this layer, you will quickly find why Lima is known as the gastronomic capital of South America. For five days, we took our appetites across the city and ate ceviches, lomo saltados, churros, chifas, and countless other dishes while washing them down with piscos. During our stay, we were lucky enough to be guided by our local friend, Jhony, who knew all the best spots in town. In between our food comas, we still managed to do a little sightseeing around the city.