Travel Peru, Peru Blog

Chinatown or the Barrio Chino in downtown Lima is the most recommended place to experience chinese culture which has mingled with the peruvian’s. The first Chinese arrived in 1849, and they came to work as coolies at the rich guano islands and the coastal farms. The number of Chinese immigrants, who came especially from the city of Canton and the province of Sichuan, increased steadily and much more after 1854 when afroperuvian slaves got freedom. Their legacy is still alive and you can catch a glimpse of it at the Barrio Chino which is nearby Lima main square.
As I cross the Abancay avenue along the Ucayali jirón or street, I see four tall red pillars supporting a green roof.  It is the Chinese Arch that welcome the visitor to this neighborhood of the dragon and tiger.

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My memories are still vivid as if it were just a few days ago:
“Let us go, Sergio, come with Roberto too. Cesar and Kike are already there, and I am going with Lalo el gringo and Kunta Kinte”, said my cousin Martin as I saw him running away. My brother and I joined the gang just as quickly. We all enjoyed our day-off playing with the seesaw, slide, climbing frame, swing, and merry-go-round.
My recollections bring me back to the playground just in front of the bakery “El Chino” in my childhood neighborhood, Pueblo Libre, near two of the most renowned museums of Lima: the Antropología, Arqueología e Historia del Perú and the Larco Museums (I shall pay them a visit if I happen to be in Lima again).
Time changes and none of us live in Pueblo Libre anymore. Nonetheless, there are still reasons to feel as a kid again.

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Deisy and I had to run in order to catch the double decker bus.
“Double decker bus in Lima, like in London?”, I asked her when she told me about it.
“Oh, yeah! Open-top double decker buses, indeed”.
“Then, we should go for it as soon as possible”.
“Chévere!”, she called out joyfully.

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