Being late in Lima

Sorry for the time I took to update the blog. The internet, very slow in Peru and Bolivia, didn't allow me to open the page to post updates.

***

The first day in Peru went very fast. After my flight being delayed in the airport and a short night, I only had a little time to explore Lima. In the evening, I had to catch the bus I booked to Arequipa.

Having decided to meet with my friend Diego, a Peruvian I met in Cambodia last year, I only had two hours to explore by myself.

So I took the Metropolitano, the most efficient public transportation in the capital, to get in the old downtown.

The Metropolitano is a bus system that works exactly like a metro. It has its own lanes on the highway or on regular streets. Stations have been built for each stop with automated gates. And one uses an electronic card they can recharge to pay like in many other public transportation.

Then I made it in the old part of town, where I went from a park to another until I got, around noon, to the change of the guard in front of the national palace. On popular songs, the guards start a long walk that impresses tourists. Security guards make sure the street vendors are not annoying the tourists during the ceremony. That is the place where one can see fully dressed dogs.

A few minutes later, I tried to make my way back to the hostel. I didn't notice the Metropolitano stations could be confusing because some of them allow you to go only in one direction. I made the mistake of choosing the wrong direction after having paid. Problem was I didn't have change to recharge my card.

After going around in a circle, I decided to buy a bottle of juice with a bill of 50 soles so I could get a little bit of change. A ticket for the bus costs 2 soles.

With all of these adventures, I came late to my meeting with Diego. By at least 30 minutes. It must be Lima.

From there, we explored Miraflores, hate a ceviche and some raviolis with peruvian sauce in a good restaurant. Still, some women hearing us speak english couldn't keep from begging for some money. We then reached the coast, under the very grey clouds, before going back to the hostel so I made sure to catch my bus to Arequipa.

That means I visited Lima very fast. It seems like a city that has nothing too impressive. My few hours in the capital went well, the opposite of what my friends experienced. In an alley in Barranco, they got mugged with a gun and a knife for their camera. At the police station, to fill a report, they had to pay some "fees". Not sure it is totally legal to ask for those fees. Anyway, one has to be careful in Lima's streets.

In the end, the driver that was bringing me to the bus station had to work very hard to get to my destination since most of the streets were in construction. Each time he was putting the flasher on, he had to change his mind because the streets were blocked. Something to work on our patience.