Balcón del Cielo

In the very tiny town of Azpitia, Peru there is a restaurant called the Balcón del Cielo, which translates to Sky Balcony or Balcony of the Sky. As you can see below it looks like a balcony that hangs out in the sky.

When you walk in you are actually on the third level. There is a small terrace to one side and a dining area to the other. Above the dining area is another dining area while below it there are two more.

Almost anywhere you sit you have a good view of the valley below where the Mala river passes. I took the following photo from my seat at the table.

The food there is decent, especially considering that it is on the side of a mountain almost out in the middle of nowhere. The last few kilometers of the drive there are on an unpaved road.

What is really good there are the camarónes. But they not shrimp as many Spanish-speakers might think -- they are what Louisiana locals call crawdads (i.e. crayfish) and they come right out of the river below.

If you happen to be in Lima and have a few hours to spare, I humbly recommend a visit to the Balcón del Cielo. It´s about a two hour drive south of Lima and is worth it just for the view.