When we booked our trip to Perú, the tour package we got included a voucher for an optional excursion during our free time. The first free time slot on the itinerary happened to be on the first day. On very short notice — we decided that afternoon to use the voucher for a cultural tour — our outstanding guide, Angel, was able to make it happen.
A couple of hours later, as night was falling, a van showed up at our hotel to pick us up. That’s when we learned our cultural tour would involve a visit to the district of Barranco, and a folklore show at La Dama Juana Restaurante. The driver and the guide gave us a short narration as we drove out to our first stop. When we arrived in the district of Barranco, our hosts told us we would have a few minutes to explore the area on foot; they would return later to pick us up at a designated spot down the street.
Barranco: Lima’s Laid Back, Romantic, Artistic, and Bohemian District
Barranco is a district of Lima, one of 43 that make up the city. It was founded in 1874 and was originally called San Jose de Surco.
Barranco is also called The Bohemian District. It is known for being a romantic, laid back, and artistic city. Even though we only saw a tiny portion, we caught the bohemian vibe soon after arriving.
While we stood outside La Ermita, being entertained by the street performers on the square, we were completely oblivious to how very close to the Bridge of Sighs (Puente de los Suspiros) we were. According to tradition, if you hold your breath, make a wish, and cross the bridge without breathing (it’s a short bridge), your wish will come true. We did not know about this beforehand, otherwise we would have made our respective wishes and crossed the bridge.
The bridge spans a walkway called Bajada de los Baños. Bajada de los Banos is lined on both sides by restaurants, theaters, and storefronts. Some street art here and there livens up the area. It makes its way from the municipal park, on down to Circuito de Playas de la Costa Verde, or Costa Verde for short. Costa Verde is a highway that runs through eight of Lima’s districts, including Milaflores and San Isidro.
Some of the other things to see in Barranco include beaches, museums, cathedrals, colonial-style houses, street art and murals, and craft markets. If you visit around the month of April, you’ll see the cherry trees blossoming.
The coastline of Barranco features several beaches like Las Cascades, Barranquito, and Las Sombrillas. I understand the sunsets at the beaches are “dream-like”. I wish we could have seen all of this to understand why this area is so popular, so revered among Limeños.
Nightlife in Barranco is vibrant. Lots of restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and live music can be found all within a short walking distance. Even though it was a Sunday night, there were still quite a few people walking around. I’m sure the bars and restaurants were doing a good bit of business.
Beyond the things you can see are legends of Barranco that you may not hear about. Legends such as why La Ermita was constructed on the site where it sits, why the Bridge of Sighs was built, and the story behind how the Bridge of Sighs got its name. If you ask around, you’ll find that the area has many more stories to tell.
La Dama Juana Restaurante and Folklore Show
Our next stop was La Dama Juana Restaurante and Folklore Show. It appeared to be a slow night at La Dama Juana, possibly because it was a Sunday. The audience was quite small; maybe two dozen or so people including my wife and me.
Tables with white tablecloths and wooden chairs wrapped around the low, wooden stage on three sides. Off to stage right, beyond the tables, was the buffet area. Straight back from the stage and behind the tables was the bar. La Dama Juana is much larger inside than it appears to be from the outside.
The program started off with a buffet-style dinner featuring samples of Peruvian cuisine. Several items were available: fish, beef, chicken, and the ubiquitous quinoa, potatoes, and corn. In addition to trying a few new Peruvian items, I also had a green salad. (I learned later, the hard way, that that was something I probably should not have eaten if it wasn’t washed in bottled water.)
The show got under way as we finished our meals. It featured performers dressed in various costumes. They shared with us dances from the coastal and mountain regions of Perú, and jungles along the Peruvian Amazon. I was expecting mainly Andean music and dances featuring mostly pan flutes, so I was very pleased to find my horizons being broadened by this show. We were treated to traditional as well as ceremonial dances. The announcer told us there are more than 3,000 traditional dances in Perú.
As each of the dances were being performed for us, the announcer would explain the origin and meaning of each dance. And as the audience was taken on a journey through Perú via the show, the dancers went through numerous costume changes, including some with masks. A couple of the dances involved fire. One group played cajons during a part of the show. I always enjoy not only seeing a different culture in this way, but learning the background as well.
Some of the dances involved audience participation, so a couple of members of the audience were ‘recruited’ by the dancers. I got pulled on stage to dance, twice, with two different groups; one Andean, the other Afro-Peruvian. Of course, I had no idea what I was doing, but tried my best to not embarrass myself too badly.
It was hard to believe the show covered that much of Perú’s culture in only about 90 minutes. I could have stayed another hour at least. (And I probably would’ve gotten pulled up on stage again.) La Dama Juana provided an excellent insight into the folklore and music of Perú during this program. I was very glad we chose this as our excursion.
Sometime before we left La Dama Juana, an almost imperceptible feeling came over me that there was something more Perú had to offer. Something that was a part of me, and I a part of it. I just needed to come a little bit further to discover what it was. But I had no idea what it was or how to go about finding it. Our itinerary was already set — pretty full and planned out in advance — so there was no time to go in search of whatever it was this feeling was trying to lead me to. Reality slowly set in during the rest of our stay in Perú and I resigned myself to the fact that I may never find out.
Note: Sadly, La Dama Juana closed down during the pandemic.
Photo credit: La Ermita and Andean dancers – my wife
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