My Report on Street Freelancer Scenes
Based on my visits, here is my ranking of the freelance street scene in Lima, from best to worst.
1. Lince (Best).
This area is roughly one or two square blocks bounded by by Jr. Bernardo Alcedo, Av. Risso, Av. Petit Thouars, and Av. Arequipa. In my opinion, this is the best location overall with solid 7-8. Most of the women appeared to be Venezuelan, with some Peruvians as well. Many seem to work with organized gangs that provide security and coordinate their activities. I picked a Peruvian for 150 soles for 30 minutes (which was the standard quote, not more, not less), and she was excellent including a true GFE / DFK (most of them here flatly refused DFK). She was 24 yr old cutie, short, looked like a French model, a recent mom of 18 month old, was lactating, got to taste her leche. One thing I noticed was the heavy constant police presence in each corner. There were frequent police task force operations throughout the area with police randomly stopping pedestrians and vehicles to check identification and issuing fines. One officer approached me as well, but after I explained that I was a tourist staying at a nearby hotel in my limited spanish, he politely let me go.
2. Plaza Norte.
This is my second best after Lince. Most of the freelancers can be found along the side entrance to the mall near the hotels, restaurants, and shops. I counted at least ten during my visit in the afternoon. The typical quote was around 70–80 soles for 20 minutes. Overall the selection was good, though not quite at the same level as Lince. Again most of them are Venezuelans.
3. MegaPlaza.
I spotted a handful of freelancers on the narrow side street next to the mall. The number of available women and the overall quality were somewhat lower than at Plaza Norte but it is still worth checking if you are already in the area. It is very close to Plaza Norte on the north side of Lima.
4. Jr. Zepita / Av. Alfonso Ugarte.
This area covers the triangular section and surrounding side streets near Jr. Zepita and Av. Alfonso Ugarte. The quality here is very mixed. Some were good looking, some were average, and others were not appealing. Most quoted around 50 soles for 20 minutes making this one of the less expensive areas.
5. Mercado Ceres Medio (Worst).
This stop was not part of my original plan. Due to Independence Day parade road closures affecting traffic between central and northern Lima, I decided to head east after watching a YouTube video by GoloGolo that mentioned the area. Overall I found the quality disappointing with only one exception. Rather than hiring anyone, I ended up getting a massage at a shop across from Parque de la Juventud. The massage itself was professional, good one for 50 soles an hour plus 10 soles tip. The area itself is a large open-air market where middle-class locals shop for fruits, vegetables, clothing, and household goods. It didn't seem like a destination worth visiting specifically for the freelance scene.
Lima Chongos Experience over Five Days and Twenty Sessions
I visited at least three chongos (La Estacion, P La Colmena, Las Sirenitas, La Clínica del Corazon) each day and averaged four sessions per day during my five day trip. Whenever I see a girl I was interested in standing by the open door, I would ask if she is open to DFK (In spanish, Besando con boca y lengua?), if she agreed, I would go in and pay the standard 50 soles which covered the initial 15 minutes. If the girl is good and did what she agreed to, then I would ask to extend the session to another 30 minutes for 100 soles. Otherwise, I would simply end the session after the initial time, thank and leave to find another girl. Since it is impossible for me to finish the act in first 15 minutes, so I felt it was a reasonable way to fail fast to determine whether I wanted to have a longer session or not. At roughly US $15, 50 soles for the initial 15 minute is less than the cost of a drink in a bar or a four-minute lap dance at many strip clubs in the US. This way, I ended up with one or two good longer sessions with a girl or two per day in Chongos for about 400 soles. One thing that surprised me was that many of the better girls I met in Chongos were from Ecuador, followed by Peru, but there were also a few from Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia.
ATM Debit Card. Capital One didn't work, Schwab saved the day
First of all, none of the ATMs took my Capital One debit card. That was not much of a surprise, as I found it no longer works in many Latin American countries since Capital One switched to the Discover network. So I ended up using my Schwab debit card instead. Among the banks I tried, BCP was the best allowing withdrawals of up to 700 soles per transaction with a lowest fee of about 25 soles. However, Scotiabank, Interbank, and BBVA limited withdrawals to 400 soles per transaction while charging a whopping 35–40 soles in ATM fees, nearly $11 just to get $125 out, which I felt excessive, but fortunately Schwab reimbursed all of my ATM fees, so it wasn't an issue for me.
Enjoyed staying in Lince neighborhood
I stayed at Hotel Quadrum in Lince for six days and five nights, honestly, I had a great experience. The hotel was modern, clean, well maintained, and the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. They were accommodating with my early check-in after arriving on an early morning 5 am flight which was a huge plus. I booked directly with the hotel for 160 soles per night for a suite including breakfast which I thought was a great value.
Thanks to those here with the best intentions recommended staying in Miraflores since it was my first time in Lima, and I understand why, it is the more traditional tourist area. But I was actually very happy with my stay Lince, a more authentic local feel and the convenience of having everything nearby, restaurants, bars, money exchange places, salons, spa, convenience, laundry services.
On my third day while I was having breakfast, the owner of the hotel stopped by, asked how my stay was going, and told me to let him know if I needed anything. He even offered to move me to their sister property Hotel Martinika in the San Isidro / Miraflores area if I wanted a quieter neighborhood or just wanted a change of scenery. I thought that was a very nice gesture, but I was perfectly happy where I was. For the purpose of my trip, Lince worked out really well. If I were visiting Lima mainly for sightseeing with family or friends, I would probably choose a hotel in San Isidro or Miraflores for a traditional tourist experience for foreigners. But for this trip, Lince just worked out great for me, no regrets.
