We spent our first day in Peru exploring Miraflores and Barranco, both sort of upscale suburbs of Lima. Luis lived in Miraflores for years before coming to California. The beach areas are so similar to Southern California--the air, the smells. I felt right at home. We drove around downtown Miraflores, walked around the Plaza, checked out the artwork and went to the beach. We ate lunch at a fantastic beachfront restaurant.
On to Barranco and a coastal drive. Luis was telling us of the story of El Salto del Fraile( the leap of the friar) about the cliffs where a friar used to walk along and fish every day. He had to jump where there was a gap and one day he fell in the water. In order to prevent others from falling, a bridg was built to fill the gap, so now there is a continuous walkway. Luis' uncle once jumped with his sister Flaca when she was a girl. Just as we come to the site, we see that the story gets reenacted continuously. The fake friar, dressed in a cassock, poses for attention.
When he thinks he has enough people watching, he jumps into the water below, climbs back up the cliff like Spiderman and collects his tips. By the time he got to our car, dripping wet, we were so impressed that we had to tip him. The another "friar" takes his place and the reenactment begins again. Great story. We continued on to the Plaza in Barranco and found a gastronomic festival. We bought pisco sours and arroz con leche and explored the area. Very fun and interesting.
