Understand

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Metropolitan Lima is an extended city of almost 8 million people. Most of the people have migrated from the Andes mountains to find work in Lima, without success. For that reason there is widespread poverty in the city center and in the peripheral areas. If you fly into Lima, the first thing you see is this type of poor neighbourhoods between the airport and Lima's historic centre.

Lima's pre-hispanic and colonial architecture are interesting and the city has several museums that tell the story of a country with a long history that produced a large number of coastal and Andean civilizations (such as the Moche, Chavin, and the Incas) and many local cultures. There are several archeological sites both within and around the city (locally known as "huaca"). The largest archeological complex is located in Pachacamac, about 10 km south of Lima.

Eat

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Gastronomy has always been, since the days of the Spanish viceroyalty, an essential aspect of life in Lima. During the last few years, however, the city's dining scene has experimented a huge leap in the eyes of the world up to the fact that today Lima is considered the Gastronomical Capital of Latin America, as formally declared by experts gathered in the Fourth International Summit of Gastronomy Madrid Fusión 2006. The offer in Lima is nowadays most varied and covers a wide range of types and cuisines, both regional and international.

Notwithstanding the wide range of choice in Lima's many restaurants, ceviche is surely number one on the list of dishes you must get to know, not only because it happens to be the peruvians' national dish, but because of its unparalelled delicious taste. With the increasing interest in the peruvian cuisine, the ceviche is quickly making its way into tables all over the world, but if you want to enjoy the real thing you don't miss your stay here in the ceviche's Meca. There is at least one cevichería in every neighbourhood, so it won't be hard to find one. Moreover, most criollo restaurants include ceviche on their menus; indeed, many restaurants do, even the more upscale nouveau-cuisine.

A second must goes to Asian cuisine, both Chinese and Japanese, which, predictably, has a strong Peruvian influence. Chifas -that is, Chinese restaurants-, which can be counted by the hundreds if not thousands, are usually down-to-earth neighbourhood eateries, offering a fare rich in seafood and chicken. Japanese restaurants, on the contrary, are less widespread, and more upscale and expensive. Their forte is, of course, a year-round supply of the freshest and most variegated seafood.

Be careful: Peruvian food is spicy and heavy. Try it with method and ask if any dish is "picante" (spicy), and if you are not fond of that, avoid it since it may be really picante. A full meal may be really heavy and cause problems even if it's perfectly nice and well prepared with fresh ingredients.

Israeli and Arab tourists longing for a delicious falafel or shwarma sandwich will be pleased to learn there is...