I get up
early and walk to Salaverry Avenue in Jesus Maria neighborhood of Lima and
catch a bus all the way to Chorrillos. Chorrillos is the last section of Lima
Proper before you move south out of Lima. I want to visit Chorrillos for two
purposes: I want to climb up to the hill/plateau Morro Solar rising between the town and the ocean to be able to see
everything one can that the Lima proper holds.
Morro Solar, or El Morro, the Plateau that ends Lima proper in Chorrillos, un-impressive from down below, but not so from up above
Watching Peruvians celebrating their independence day on TV
From the main street El Morro appears pretty close and unimpressive, not quite so.
Christ looking down on the poor of el Morro, apparently not able to look after them...
The higher I climb on my trail, the more make-shift housing becomes in the El Morro neighborhood
Bikers on el Morro, they are everywhere and very friendly
Christ looking over and toward Lima from El Morro heights
These two bikers are soon going be airborne and I won't be able to catch them in the air, but I hope you can sense the energy they have already generated!
The two guards of the Bikers Association documenting every single person and vehicle that frequents El Morro: They both took good care of me
Families from Lima also come up here to enjoy the vistas
Two guards of the Bikers Association and Cynthia, the girlfriend of one on a collective selfie
Secondly, I
also want to end up at Sonia, one of the legendary ceviche places in Lima.
Morro Solar, I will learn later to be a site of the Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos
between Peruvian and Chilean
forces in 1881 as well as hosting the astronomical observatory. The 7-8 mile ride to Chorrillos is only 3 COP (barely 1 USD). When I get off, I ask a woman
walking on the side walk where I can get “typico Peruviano desayunar” that is
how they describe traditional breakfast.
Town square where Chorrilleonos hang out and where I will find my breakfast
She guides me to a square where a full
city block is covered with small “haciendas” lined side by side, a little
bigger than a hole in the wall, but not much. Some stores sell deli items,
drinks, fruits, etc. others are restaurants. Again I pick
one in which there are families and the workers are women. My breakfast is simple
chorizo sandwich with papaya juice. Today is “El Dia de Independencia” and TV is
broadcasting the talent show that is part
of today’s celebrations that is taking place along Brazil Avenue. What colorful
culture this country has thanks to Incas and pre-Inca cultural heritage.
Time to head
to Morro Solar, which, I will learn soon is called El Morro, in short, by the
locals. As I walk down the street toward the hill, I ask a female corner breakfast
vendor, who is serving only one customer “Voy a ir al montain”, which is I will
go to the mountain, she tells me “Oh, he can take you!” referring to her
customer. I suspect he is a taxi driver, she misunderstood me. “Pero, quiero
caminar”, but I’d like to walk follows, naturally. Then the gentleman, who
clearly is disappointed about a lost business, points to the hill, which I can
see, already. I don’t understand what he says, but from his gestures, I figure
“You will have to do switchbacks”.
The only word
I catch is “Pelligro”, it is dangerous. Hmmm, it looks like I need to be
careful unless he is just trying to scare me to get back his business. With not
much help from them, I start walking down the main road toward El Morro. At the
end of the block the road that is curving upward, I assume must be the
meandering vehicle road. Let’s see how it goes. In about a quarter of a mile, I
see a dirt trail veering to the right, on which, high up are two bikers. I take
it.
As I climb
up, the neighborhood up against the hill to the left starts unfolding below me,
with its pretty dilapidated shacks, where everything looks like make-shift. No
need for rocket science to recognize that this can’t be a well-to-do
neighborhood. The apartments closer to the coastal line are in much better
shape, though. I wonder if it ever gets flooded since the hillside these shacks
are nestled against is so steep. I will earn later from bikers that it never
rains in these parts. All the moisture they have is from the fog. When they
have a light rain, they consider it as heavy rain. As a result this
neighborhood is never flooded, good to hear.
I catch up
with the bikers, when they take a break at the crest of the first hill on the
way to the top of El Morro. They are local bikers, one of them speaks a bit of
English. I ask them whether it is safe for me to hike on this hill. His words
are music to my ears: The bikers in the region established an association and
hired private security guards. As a result, it is safe for everybody to hike,
bike, or run all around the hills of El Morro. I am grateful for this gift of
peace. We part with friendly wishes.
A huge Christ
statue is awaiting me at the end of the second phase of my hike. It is as big
as the one in Cusco. The lit cross that I saw 2 days ago when I was at
Melacone, must be Christ and
his open arms. I am positive it can be seen from
anywhere in the Lima region. What is most impressive before one starts the
third phase of a climb up El Morro, though, is the “artistic” mountain biking “talent
show” young bikers of Lima are putting on for all visitors. They have even created
satellite trails and barriers solely for this purpose that hikers are not
allowed on, rather they’d better not be on for their own safety:
A biker
starts at an elevation 100-200 m up from the barriers, speeds up down the hill
and becomes airborne once he leaves the barrier and lands on the path, which
takes him halfway up the mini slope toward the Christ’s statue. One must see
these guys to comprehend what risks they take. Luckily, their helmets are
almost like an astronaut’s. I watch them for a while trying to take a proper
picture, alas, it is impossible to catch them right on the task without a
professional camera.
I see 50 plus
such sportsmen on EL Morro, only five being female. Men or women, these bikers
are so strong, they just continue pedaling even when they reach the 15-20
degree inclination. I bow to all of them. I make sure I take enough breaks to
not only catch my breath but more so to take in the vistas all the way to the
City Center despite the fog, which to a certain accentuates the beauty behind a
mystic veil.
The fog never lifts up in Lima
Just before
the last switchback is a tiny shack surrounded with a chalet. A young man, who
turns out to be one of the guides the bikers association has hired greets me
warmly. Since he doesn’t seem to be busy with anything significant, I ask him
if I could come up, he is all too willing, and invites me to the chalet to take
a seat. He also verifies that the association has hired him among few other
guards to make sure all vehicles and people up on the hill are documented. He
does take pictures of vehicles approaching the hilltop. All bikers coming up
greet him in a friendly and grateful manner. I can tell I am safe here.
Just as I am
leaving his company for the last phase of my hike, his colleague Alfonso
arrives and they pose for me with delight on the chalet. The variety of people El
Morro offers me is heart warming. First of all, the bikers, Ernesto Rivera Pisami
and Alan Pinto that I chat with give me much more information than the guards
have been able to:
Four of the Bikers Association members
250 bikers, 50 runners, and 20 surfers that enjoy what El
Morro with its peak, its trails and coastal line has to offer have established
this association, website: www.Todosxelmorro.org. I learn from them
that it has been 6 months since the association has been up and running and all
the robbery of the past has now stopped. In the past, especially in the
afternoon the thieves of the poor neighborhoods would attack bikers and steal
their bikes. No more... The hilltop
is breathtaking providing 360 degree panoramic vistas to the north and south of
the hill:
From the top of El Morro, one can see both to the north and south of Chorrillos
I can see three separate coves in which Pacific is playing wild games
on the coastline. Lima prefecture is lying with all its expanse before my eyes.
Malecone from Chorillos all the way to San Isidro is so inviting with the very
fresh memories… A traditional appearing family consisting of a middle age woman,
her daughter and their family members are visiting from northern part of Lima,
their first time here, too. They must have rented a van, their driver is
waiting by the van.
Despite my
limited Spanish and their non-existing English, we connect very warmly. The
woman, who might be my age is very hospitable, both women are very
uncomfortable that they are sitting on the bench and I am standing, reminds me
of Turkish hospitality. On my way back,
I stop by the guard’s post to take a picture of the entire post with the
guards. I discover that the first guard’s partner Cynthia, is in fact in the
room, when he asks her to come out and take a picture of us. I ask Cynthia to
join us, hold my cell phone in my hand, she hits the shoot button and we have a
collective selfie.
She is as
happy as all of us. Alfonso walks down with me up to the Christ’s statue. I
learn during our conversation that he is separated from his wife and has a 9
year old son, Sebastian. Kind man, makes sure I am safe for the stretch of the
path that is not very crowded. He stays with the bikers and I move on. On my
left way down below is a colonial structure right by the ocean, I have a
feeling, it is a restaurant and I check my city maps app, sure it is. I debate
whether I should stick with my Sonia cevicherria plan, which is an inland
restaurant, or head to what I already see is on the water. The ocean wins, I am
heading down to what will turn out to be El Salto Del Fraeil Restaurant.
 | ||
El Salto Del Fraeil Restaurant that is where I am heading to for lunch
Secondly, I also want to end up at Sonia, one of the legendary ceviche places in Lima. Morro Solar, I will learn later to be a site of the Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos between Peruvian and Chilean forces in 1881 as well as hosting the astronomical observatory. The 7-8 mile ride to Chorrillos is only 3 COP (barely 1 USD). When I get off, I ask a woman walking on the side walk where I can get “typico Peruviano desayunar” that is how they describe traditional breakfast.
Town square where Chorrilleonos hang out and where I will find my breakfast
She guides me to a square where a full city block is covered with small “haciendas” lined side by side, a little bigger than a hole in the wall, but not much. Some stores sell deli items, drinks, fruits, etc. others are restaurants. Again I pick one in which there are families and the workers are women. My breakfast is simple chorizo sandwich with papaya juice. Today is “El Dia de Independencia” and TV is broadcasting the talent show that is part of today’s celebrations that is taking place along Brazil Avenue. What colorful culture this country has thanks to Incas and pre-Inca cultural heritage.
Time to head to Morro Solar, which, I will learn soon is called El Morro, in short, by the locals. As I walk down the street toward the hill, I ask a female corner breakfast vendor, who is serving only one customer “Voy a ir al montain”, which is I will go to the mountain, she tells me “Oh, he can take you!” referring to her customer. I suspect he is a taxi driver, she misunderstood me. “Pero, quiero caminar”, but I’d like to walk follows, naturally. Then the gentleman, who clearly is disappointed about a lost business, points to the hill, which I can see, already. I don’t understand what he says, but from his gestures, I figure “You will have to do switchbacks”.
The only word I catch is “Pelligro”, it is dangerous. Hmmm, it looks like I need to be careful unless he is just trying to scare me to get back his business. With not much help from them, I start walking down the main road toward El Morro. At the end of the block the road that is curving upward, I assume must be the meandering vehicle road. Let’s see how it goes. In about a quarter of a mile, I see a dirt trail veering to the right, on which, high up are two bikers. I take it.
As I climb up, the neighborhood up against the hill to the left starts unfolding below me, with its pretty dilapidated shacks, where everything looks like make-shift. No need for rocket science to recognize that this can’t be a well-to-do neighborhood. The apartments closer to the coastal line are in much better shape, though. I wonder if it ever gets flooded since the hillside these shacks are nestled against is so steep. I will earn later from bikers that it never rains in these parts. All the moisture they have is from the fog. When they have a light rain, they consider it as heavy rain. As a result this neighborhood is never flooded, good to hear.
I catch up with the bikers, when they take a break at the crest of the first hill on the way to the top of El Morro. They are local bikers, one of them speaks a bit of English. I ask them whether it is safe for me to hike on this hill. His words are music to my ears: The bikers in the region established an association and hired private security guards. As a result, it is safe for everybody to hike, bike, or run all around the hills of El Morro. I am grateful for this gift of peace. We part with friendly wishes.
A huge Christ statue is awaiting me at the end of the second phase of my hike. It is as big as the one in Cusco. The lit cross that I saw 2 days ago when I was at Melacone, must be Christ and his open arms. I am positive it can be seen from anywhere in the Lima region. What is most impressive before one starts the third phase of a climb up El Morro, though, is the “artistic” mountain biking “talent show” young bikers of Lima are putting on for all visitors. They have even created satellite trails and barriers solely for this purpose that hikers are not allowed on, rather they’d better not be on for their own safety:
A biker starts at an elevation 100-200 m up from the barriers, speeds up down the hill and becomes airborne once he leaves the barrier and lands on the path, which takes him halfway up the mini slope toward the Christ’s statue. One must see these guys to comprehend what risks they take. Luckily, their helmets are almost like an astronaut’s. I watch them for a while trying to take a proper picture, alas, it is impossible to catch them right on the task without a professional camera.
I see 50 plus such sportsmen on EL Morro, only five being female. Men or women, these bikers are so strong, they just continue pedaling even when they reach the 15-20 degree inclination. I bow to all of them. I make sure I take enough breaks to not only catch my breath but more so to take in the vistas all the way to the City Center despite the fog, which to a certain accentuates the beauty behind a mystic veil.
The fog never lifts up in Lima
Just before the last switchback is a tiny shack surrounded with a chalet. A young man, who turns out to be one of the guides the bikers association has hired greets me warmly. Since he doesn’t seem to be busy with anything significant, I ask him if I could come up, he is all too willing, and invites me to the chalet to take a seat. He also verifies that the association has hired him among few other guards to make sure all vehicles and people up on the hill are documented. He does take pictures of vehicles approaching the hilltop. All bikers coming up greet him in a friendly and grateful manner. I can tell I am safe here.
Just as I am leaving his company for the last phase of my hike, his colleague Alfonso arrives and they pose for me with delight on the chalet. The variety of people El Morro offers me is heart warming. First of all, the bikers, Ernesto Rivera Pisami and Alan Pinto that I chat with give me much more information than the guards have been able to:
Four of the Bikers Association members
250 bikers, 50 runners, and 20 surfers that enjoy what El Morro with its peak, its trails and coastal line has to offer have established this association, website: www.Todosxelmorro.org. I learn from them that it has been 6 months since the association has been up and running and all the robbery of the past has now stopped. In the past, especially in the afternoon the thieves of the poor neighborhoods would attack bikers and steal their bikes. No more... The hilltop is breathtaking providing 360 degree panoramic vistas to the north and south of the hill:
From the top of El Morro, one can see both to the north and south of Chorrillos
I can see three separate coves in which Pacific is playing wild games on the coastline. Lima prefecture is lying with all its expanse before my eyes. Malecone from Chorillos all the way to San Isidro is so inviting with the very fresh memories… A traditional appearing family consisting of a middle age woman, her daughter and their family members are visiting from northern part of Lima, their first time here, too. They must have rented a van, their driver is waiting by the van.
Despite my limited Spanish and their non-existing English, we connect very warmly. The woman, who might be my age is very hospitable, both women are very uncomfortable that they are sitting on the bench and I am standing, reminds me of Turkish hospitality. On my way back, I stop by the guard’s post to take a picture of the entire post with the guards. I discover that the first guard’s partner Cynthia, is in fact in the room, when he asks her to come out and take a picture of us. I ask Cynthia to join us, hold my cell phone in my hand, she hits the shoot button and we have a collective selfie.
She is as happy as all of us. Alfonso walks down with me up to the Christ’s statue. I learn during our conversation that he is separated from his wife and has a 9 year old son, Sebastian. Kind man, makes sure I am safe for the stretch of the path that is not very crowded. He stays with the bikers and I move on. On my left way down below is a colonial structure right by the ocean, I have a feeling, it is a restaurant and I check my city maps app, sure it is. I debate whether I should stick with my Sonia cevicherria plan, which is an inland restaurant, or head to what I already see is on the water. The ocean wins, I am heading down to what will turn out to be El Salto Del Fraeil Restaurant.
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