Lima
The second largest desert-city in the world, Cairo being the first.
Lima is a massive city of over 9 million people that sits on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. During the time of the Inca, Cusco was the capital of the empire. After conquering the Inca, the Spaniards made Lima the capital of the region during their time of control. This was due to the fact that they needed a sea-port for their shipping and trading. After the war of Peruvian independence, Lima was officially made the capital of the country of Peru.
Popular Attractions
Food!
George Auguste Escoffier, the world-famous chef who wrote the rules of contemporary French cooking was once asked the following question, "Can you rank the top world cuisines?" His reply was, "First French, second Chinese, and third Peruvian."
There is no question that Lima has solidified its position as one of the few food capitals of the world. Of the '50 Best Restaurants in the World 2018', 3 are home to Lima (plus they are less expensive than those in NYC, London, Paris, Tokyo, etc.):
Central (#6)
Maido (#7)
Astrid y Gaston (#39)
Tour the Catacombs
Just a block away from the Plaza de Armas (main square) of Lima stands the The San Francisco Cathedral. The catacombs beneath contain the remains of some 75,000 people. The tour takes you through the cathedral as well as beneath it. An absolutely fascinating adventure for those who enjoy history.
Visit the Waterpark
Not a traditional waterpark with slides and pools. This is a park dedicated to the beauty of water.
The Magical Water Circuit has an amazing display of fountains, some of them being choreographed to music, and some are interactive. It takes a couple hours just to go through and look at them all, but it's a lot of fun.
Walk around Miraflores
Miraflores is a very nice area of Lima that sits near the ocean. There is a modern outdoor mall (Larcomar) along with a food court that has a decent amount of American restaurants (in case you get start to miss those) and many delicious Peruvian places.