This trip I decided to do on my own. I did however book a group tour through GAP Adventures (a Canadian company) which turned out to be very fun. We were five in total and consisted of two Americans (Eric, me), two Aussies (Steph, Matt), and one Brit (Rosie). I shared a room (or a tent) with Rosie, and she became my “mate” and fabulous companion over the next two weeks.
After meeting the first day, Rosie and I set off to explore Lima. We headed to the center of the city where we saw the changing of the guards at the president’s palace and enjoyed people watching in the main square. We particularly got a kick out of the young boy selling "helados" (ice cream) from his Lamborghini!
Later, we made our way to our first ruins (Pre-Inca ruins from 3rd century AD), and climbed the pyramid of Huaca Huallamarca for a nice view of the city. We also saw our first mummy – she was only 1 meter tall but had hair extensions 1.5 meters long! She must have been quite a sight in her day. 
The highlight of Lima had to be our visit to the beach. We jumped in a taxi and told the driver where we wanted to go. He seemed apprehensive and encouraged us to go to a tourist beach that was 30 km away. We refused. So he finally broke down and took us to Chorrillo’s Beach – the local beach he felt was safest for us "gringas". Come on! Really? How bad could this be? We weren't going to let some taxi driver stop us. We had one small opportunity and we wanted to see the ocean before we left Lima. 
We arrived to Chorrillo’s and were impressed with the magnitude (what seemed like millions) of cars, people, and umbrellas crammed in the park. We decided to head into the masses and check out what beach life is like in Lima. It was truly a madhouse! Thousands of locals enjoying their Sunday afternoon floating in the waves, building sand castles, picnicking on the beach, rolling in the dark sand, and partying like it was 1999. 
We were approached by several locals who warned that we were in danger. Apparently we stuck out in the crowd!? 
They felt we would be robbed on this crowded beach and specifically told us to stay off the sidewalk. So after drinking an Inka Cola we gratiously decided to heed the warnings and go back to “gringoland” where the locals clearly felt we safely belonged. The beach was a true adventure and one we are glad we didn't miss.
Just in case you were worried - here I am back safe and sound in a Miraflores park. 
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