Ramblings about Peru

Ok, so now we're home.  This will be a post without photos.  It's sort of a what-I-love about Peru post and a not-so-much post.

I love that when you get to baggage claim in Lima, the luggage carts are free and there are plenty of them; but toilet paper (and, sometimes, toilets!!) aren't.  We went to a clinic because Gillian wasn't feeling well...we had to pay to use the toilets, and then when we went in, there was no toilet paper.  We asked for our money back.  Smart travelers always have toilet paper.

I love that taxis are super cheap.  We always had to take two because we were too many and they are very strict now about piling too many people into a cab(never mind that the collectivos-cheap buses- are crammed like phone booths in college in the old days).  8 soles( less than $3) to go anywhere.  I hate that the roads are full of potholes and that a two lane road can become a 5-10 lane road.  If you can fit your car in, you deserve a lane.  if you want to turn left, you can use any lane to do that and if you're desperate, 10 cars are all trying to turn left at once. They can actually stop traffic that's going straight ahead.  I think there really is no right of way in Peru.   If you can fit your car into the mix, you can go for it.  The story goes that new cars and cars that don't belong to you are the ones most likely to be in the middle of a mass of cars because no one wants to hit a new car; it's too expensive and if you don't own the car, you don't really care who hits it.

I love that people honk rather good naturedly and don't take anything personally.  If someone cuts you off, it's actually admired that someone could get their car into the small space that's there.  It takes a really long time to go anywhere and no one cares that much.  Road rage seems pretty non-existent. I have made a promise to myself not to complain about commuting on 80 any more.  It's really not that bad here. And, when I drive around, there is actually some space between my car and others.  And I sort of know what other drivers are going to do.

I hate that there really isn't any good mass transit.  There was a BART-like rail being built 25 years ago.  The story goes that Alan Garcia, then president of Peru, stole the money to complete it so it was never finished.  You can see where it was started.  Just in this last election, they re-elected Alan Garcia so he could finish it.  They say this with a straight face.  No one is holding their breath on that one.  I hate that no one seems to walk anywhere.  There is nothing to look at because all the houses are closed off.  You see a huge garage door and a metal gate and a wooden door, all locked up tightly.  When you go inside, everything is in there, including front patios and and all living spaces...no neighbors to talk to...

I love it that food is cheap.  When you eat out, you can feed 5-7 people including bottles of wine for $75.00.  Portions are huge and we learned to order 2 meals for 3 people (the girls and I) and still we couldn't eat it all.  Aji (salsa in Peru) is amazing and you ask for it at every meal.  There are so many varieties and they are all hot, but very tasty.  Drinks are cheap too:  $ 4.00 for the expensive kind.  Wong (the huge food store) has everything.  You can buy whatever you need.  Each check out lane has several employees:  one person to put your stuff from the cart onto the counter, one person to check you out and one person to bag your stuff.  That's per lane!!  No one bagger for 4-5 checkout lanes.  Prices are comparable to what we see here.  There are also these markets that you can walk through from one block to the next that have everything.  You can get tailoring done or hems put in...there's a shop for everything.

Boticas (pharmacies, but smaller) are everywhere and open late.  You can find anything you need at all hours.  The only problem is that everything is behind a counter.  So, to look at shampoo, you have to ask them to show it to you.  You can't touch or read labels unless you ask.  But, since there are so many employees everywhere, it doesn't take too long.  However, there are several steps.  One person shows you the items, one person writes them up and hands you the paper which you take to the cashier, and one person takes the items to the cashier,  and one person checks you out and takes your money.  It's weird because when you need something, you say what your symptoms are and they give you medicine but you don't know if you are asking a pharmacist or a teenage "expert".  Antibiotics are given out for everything and all of our prescription medicines for altitude sickness (soroche) that we forgot were readily available.  Gillian is in heaven because she was recommended to take Panadol Fuerte for Migranes for her headaches and one pill wipes them out.  She has those monthly migraines.  We bought boxes of the stuff to bring home.