Avant-Cheap. Forward Thinking On A Budget : Lima for a moment

After almost a month an a half of living in Peru, we have moved on to explore new territory in Ecuador. We started to feel very at home in Lima and were almost sad to leave. We convinced ourselves that we would be back soon and somewhat hesitantly packed up our suitcases and boarded our bus.

During our time in Peru , we made it a point to assimilate and live like locals. We experienced living in a cosmopolitan city on the ocean in a progressive and developing country,yet with 3rd world standards. There are neighborhoods in Lima where you will find five star restaurants, hotels , upscale westernized malls and sidewalks so clean they shimmer. Beautiful parks with ocean views with families picnicking on the lush grass. Nicely dressed workers eating lunch at street side cafes, upscale boutiques and bookstores filled with art books and literature. Drive 10 miles to another neighborhood and you find little mom and pop restaurants where meals are just $2.00, they just rinse the plates clean with water, bathrooms with no toilet paper and soap, let alone a light to see what your doing.

We fell upon a flea market which started out to be fairly normal with sock vendors and food vendors. We traveled a few blocks inward and came upon a street with people selling used furniture,clothing and other junk out of little trailers. Two more blocks in we came upon streets literally filled with garbage. People hustling around with trailers full of plastic bottles, metal scraps, and glass bottles. People throwing garbage into trucks, garbage stacked in homes to the brim. I was pushing the baby in a stroller and was struggling to get through without running over garbage. I felt like we had stumbled on a top secret area and we were not welcome. People were looking at us like why are these "gringos " here? It took a few minutes to navigate safely out of this "garbage corridor".
There is definitely a high contrast between the haves and the have nots, and unless you venture out of tourist designated areas , you may not ever see the other side of Lima.

The government is making a very concerted effort to improve the city to make it appealing to tourists. They truly understand the importance of a "Tourist " driven infrastructure. There is a separate division of police called the "Tourist Police". They are found on every corner in tourist areas and you will find officers who speak English. As a tourist if you have an incident or a question , you call on the "Tourist Police". With them being on every corner , this creates a sense of safety.The designated "tourist neighborhoods " have higher sanitation standards then the un- typical tourist areas. Clean sidewalks and clean bathrooms . The parks and attractions have the same standards inside the fenced in boundaries. Step outside the fence and it's a different story. We went to this park called Parque Reserva. It had beautifully manicured grounds with over a dozen water fountains with lights and music. We had never seen anything like it! The main attraction was a huge dancing fountain with a holographic laser light show with music. It cost a dollar per person to get in. You would only expect something like this at Disney World!

Interesting discoveries :

Driving in Lima is a skill which takes patience, assertiveness and a gentle spirit. No one follows the traffic signs or stays within the lines. There is a certain understanding between the drivers in Lima as far as right of way goes. People drive really aggressively and crazy and yet we saw no accidents the whole time we were in Peru. I still don't get it and if I lived in Lima, I would abandon my license to drive in a heart beat.

Shopping in Lima is compartmentalized by area. Most people don't shop at the mall or big box stores here. You go to the mercados which are scattered around the city in different neighborhoods. So if you want to shop for hardware, you go to the hardware area of the city. You will find blocks , maybe 4 square blocks of small independently owned shops of hardware supplies. For our son's second birthday we went hunting for a pinata.We happen to come across the party supply area of maybe 6 blocks. Store after store filled with pinatas,balloons, party favors and decorations. If you want computers or anything related , you go to the computer area and find 10 square blocks of computer vendors. I'm just throwing numbers out there for example, but you get the idea. Do you want copies or posters made of photos you took on your honeymoon? Believe or not there is a "Gigantic fotocopias" area of the city! If you go to a shopping area for let's say, a new pair of shoes, you go to the shoe area and find the 10 square blocks of shoe vendors. The weird thing I found is that every single vendor will have almost exactly the same inventory of shoes. You have to scavenge through hundreds of the same looking shoes to find something different. This could take all day long !Why would you set up shop next door to someone who is selling the exact same thing?And on top of that, they may decide to use the same business name and logo too and get away with it! Some how these shop owners manage to stay in business in this direct competition market.

There is a system to buying things. When you go to a drugstore for example,you ask the clerk for the item you need, they give you a piece of paper with the item number written on it, you go to the cashier and pay, you then bring the receipt back to the clerk you originally spoke to and she then gives you the package and staples the receipt to your bag. This process occurs in bakeries, clothing stores, cafes, ice cream parlors, etc..

Making a phone call in Peru is not easy. We had a cell phone to use within Peru and a land line for local calls. I have attempted to make phone calls on several occasions for business purposes and was successful maybe 1 or 2 times. Sometimes the phone works , sometimes it doesn't.

As much as Peruvians love babies, it's really hard to find baby friendly amenities . What I mean by this is, diaper changing stations, stroller friendly buildings equipped with ramps and high chairs at restaurants are pretty much non-existent. I've developed a real skill of changing the baby while he's standing . The older boys know the protocol of lifting the stroller up stairs.

Traditions remain intact despite a modernizing world. Such traditions in cooking, dance, celebrations, music,handicrafts and clothing derived from Spanish and indigenous roots are passed on from generation to generation. If you look around you see it, hear it, taste it, it's incorporated into every day life.

We fell in love with Peru because of it's beautiful geography, the ocean and the mountains. We love the diversity of the cuisine and the richness of traditions and culture. We love the quirky systems that really work. We especially love the way Peruvians make visitors feel welcomed and appreciated . Peru was starting feel like home and we will definitely be back someday soon!