Travelling allows us enjoy many wonderful things on a daily basis. Whether it is seeing new things, experiencing new places, or meeting new people, we have the opportunity to live in a different way that both challenges us and rewards us constantly. This way of living however does mean that some of the usual home-comforts, or regular activities we previously had, are not as readily available as they would be for a family not on the move. To facilitate some needs that arise due to this, we often try to find some of these places while traveling in larger cities.
We have spent the last couple of weeks in the Peruvian capital Lima. A mega city of over 10 million people, it is a colossus. Home of the Spanish empire during Latin American colonisation, it is now home to a third of the Peruvian population. It also has a unique winter climate, whereby the skies rarely open up and the colour grey lingers relentlessly overhead.
Before arriving, the organisational left-hand sides of our brains were in overdrive as we contacted various kids clubs and teams across the city. We found a gymnastics club in the south of the city for our daughter Olivia. She is gymnastics crazy, and loves everything about it. We spent many a Saturday morning in Ireland watching her learn the art of this most challenging of sports. We also managed to find a football class for Diego to join in Lima. He is equally mad about his favorite sport, enjoying a formal training session as much as a one-on-one match in the park. His classes would also take place in the south of the city, relatively close to the gymnastics classes. I say relatively, as everything in a sprawling mega city with huge traffic problems is just that. Other things the kids had been missing on our travels would also be enjoyed during our time in Lima.
We started out with a few days on the beach, something we had not been able to do since travelling in Uruguay over 3 months previously. It’s amazing the pleasure that can be found in the simple act of making sandcastles. I think I counted a sandcastle city of over 70 sandcastles by the end of our last day there. Our beach days were also nicely garnished by the passing dolphin pods that swam right in front of our parked campervan. We were amazed as they surfed the not insignificantly sized waves almost into the shore.
Other activities such as 10-pin bowling and going to the cinema had not been done since we began our trip. The bowling was a great evening out, although unfortunately a gutter ball in Peru has the exact same score as a gutter ball in Europe. The kids were in their element watching the big screen, delighted with themselves watching Inside Out 2 while gorging on a vat of salted popcorn.
Riding bicycles was also something we have missed as a family on our travels. Lima presented the opportunity for us to do this as we rented them on our last day (we had two unsuccessful attempts on previous days as Google Maps flaws and out-of-stock rentals shops had scuppered our best-laid plans). We enjoyed a brilliant afternoon cycling the promenade bike-lane and even racing around the local BMX track together.
It’s not only the kids that pine for things while on the road. Adults, while often better placed to manage such emotions, also need to avail of similar opportunities when they present themselves.
For Laura, the allure of a cosmopolitan “barrio” or neighborhood, with restaurants, cafes, museums and galleries, is something she hugely enjoys. She strolled the streets of Barranco and Miraflores, enjoying all that had not been on offer in many months before.
For me, stopping for an extended length of time afforded me the opportunity to meet one of my own needs – the need to exercise consistently. Both during our stay on the beach on the city outskirts, and during our time in the city centre, I had the chance to workout when and where I wanted. Not having the uncertainty of where to do it, nor the challenge of how to fit it in during a busy travel day, allowed me to do something I really love.
We stayed in total nearly two weeks in Lima. Despite the gloomy weather, we had a ball. The kids got to immerse themselves in their various classes, even managing to make wonderful friends and create memories that will last them a very long time. We got to enjoy things like riding bikes and watching the big screen, as if they were for the very first time. Even adults were catered for, reminding us that there are four peoples needs to be met under this tiny roof.
While we are fully aware that our chosen way of living has it challenges, especially when it comes to raising children, we work hard to ensure that we all get what we need as individuals, and as a family. This time in Lima helped us all greatly, and has given us renewed enthusiasm and vigour to continue our adventure northwards.
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