We live in a second-floor apartment in a little 5 apartment building in Lima, and unfortunately we do not have our own outdoor space. We would love to have a outdoor yard, or at least a balcony, but houses and larger apartments in Lima can be quite expensive to rent.

We really lamented not having our own outdoor space from March to August 2020 when we were in a fairly strict quarantine and our son wasn’t allowed to leave the apartment complex. Thankfully we have very understanding neighbors who didn’t mind him scooting in the front entryway or allowed us to go up on the roof to get some fresh air and blow bubbles! Will learned how to ride his bike on the roof of our building.

This is our view from the roof where we go to watch fireworks at Christmas and New Year but also occasionally sneak up in the summer months to watch the sky as the sun sets. The roof is part of our neighbor’s property, and they let us go up there every once in a while.

Now that we are allowed outside again and have an active 4 year old, we are spending more time in different parks and playgrounds around the city during the week. The city of Lima is in a desert, and green spaces are not natural to the environment so some parks are nicer than others. A few of the parks in our district have animal topiaries, which end up becoming the descriptors we use when talking about the various parks with our son.

Playgrounds have recently opened again after being closed for more than a year. It was sad to go to the park and see the play structures wrapped with orange snow fence and not be able to use them. We are so thankful they have reopened and now spend a lot of time at various playgrounds. Schools are still only virtual, so the playgrounds allow our son to spend time playing and socializing with kids his age.

On Sundays, a few main streets around Lima are closed to cars to allow bikers to get out and enjoy the outside. Every once in a while my husband and I will rent bikes and take Will on a long scooter ride through the city. He loves riding in the street!

Growing up in Michigan, I never envisioned living so close to an ocean, but we enjoy going down to the beach to watch the waves and throw rocks or spend time at the long park on the cliffs. Before going into another month-long, nationwide quarantine we had an impromptu picnic at the beach in the back of our car to watch the sunset. 

Various districts around Lima are encouraging people to get outside, especially after spending so much time inside with the pandemic. We’re always keeping an eye out for these kinds of activities, and a few weeks ago we went to an outdoor movie in the park.

On the weekends we try to leave Lima to go on hikes and get fresh air. We’re grateful to have a car, and within just a 1-2 hour trip we can explore the foothills of the Andes mountains. At the beginning of the year we started the #1000HoursOutside challenge to encourage spending more time outside. While I don’t think we will reach the full 1000 hours in 2021, it has encouraged us to walk the long way home or do a few extra slides before leaving the park!