Lima

Flying over the Andes was not at all what I expected it to be. When the pilot asked everyone to take their seats and fasten their safety belts as we were going to ‘fly over the Andes’, I looked out of the window, expecting to see towering mountain peaks (more than what I had seen up to that point). The cloud cover we had been flying over the previous 30min had disappeared, and I had been seeing some mountains before the announcement.

The scenery slowly changed to flat areas covered in salt pans, with very little snow on a few faraway peaks. There was hardly any turbulence, so the seatbelt instruction didn’t really make sense to me.

We flew for an hour and suddenly the sea was there, with a cloud cover, and only then did I realise how high the mountains had been. Thrilling!! It must have been somewhere in the northern part of Chile, because we still had another 2 hours of flying before we reached Lima.

Airports have a way of bullying one into rapid decision making. Or at least, that is how I experience it. I am usually unprepared – I don’t have the local money on me, I don’t know what kind of transport I’m going to use, I don’t know where my Airbnb location is and I don’t have WiFi. I need time to sit and think and plan these things, but the only time I’m given is when I go to the toilet before collecting Louise. You are rushed through the line at customs, you are rushed at the counter where you want to draw money, only to be told they only accept debit cards. You are hailed by at least 3 booths selling taxi tickets on your way out of customs clearance (where they’ve confiscated your apple you accidentally forgot in your rucksack). Once you’ve paid for the taxi, using your credit card, you are escorted to a taxi driver who swiftly walks you to the exit. By now you realise you’re holding your breath, you are sweating profusely and your head is spinning. ‘Stop!’, I feel like shouting, but the guy won’t understand me anyway. So I just stop at an ATM and quickly draw money, not having time to consider the amount and not having had time to do the conversion to rands, only having just found out what the currency and exchange rate is. (It is sol (plural soles), and S1 = R4,40 more or less.) One good thing is the taxi driver is very kind and polite, knows exactly where he is going, is not cheating me as I’ve already paid, and delivers me right to my doorstep. Phew, in one piece! (if not peace…)

Along the way I noticed differences – the buildings are more square and stark, no curves, balconies or overhangs. The people are different, darker and square-faced, a lot of them. And I realised I was missing Argentina… Gosh, can one become só attached to a country in 3 months!

That was all 6 days ago. Lima has impressed me as a vibrant city – modern, yet aware of its history and preservation of historical buildings and cultural centers. There are lush green parks everywhere, good public transport and very busy streets (both vehicles and pedestrians). The most important square in Lima Centro, or Downtown as it is called, is the Plaza de Major de Lima, where the presidential palace, townhall, cathedral and bishop’s home are.

The area to the north of the square is the old Spanish quarter where the streets are narrow, houses and shops are colourful and many tourists wander in and out of artisan shops and restaurants.

I went on a city bus tour and we visited the Museo y Catacumbas del Convento de San Francisco de Asis, an 16th century old monastry and cathedral with catacombs under both of them. Creepy, all the skulls and bones, but the interior of the buildings are serene and beautiful. Taking pictures is prohibited in the monastry and catacombs, but I sneaked one of the library, an impressive room.

Lima is divided into several districts, each with their own local municipality. Two of the popular districts are Miraflores and Barranco, next to each other, both with a seafront, both with a lively nightlife in the parks and on the streets. I haven’t been out much at night, but the vibe in these two areas is such that one feels completely safe, and buses home are accessible and easy to catch.

Last night the church on Kennedy square in Miraflores was open and a soloist was singing while communion was being served, hauntingly beautiful. I sat listening for a while, carried away.

When I went outside, there was a demonstration against the way chickens are being slaughtered, with people holding computers showing the gruesome atrocities of the process. Funny, nobody would come close to the demonstrators, as if one could only watch these things from a distance.

Fifty meters further, in the park, locals were dancing their own version if the salsa or samba, with onlookers seated in a little amphitheater. There was an older man dancing so well and having such fun, that when he was left stranded without a partner, I went down the steps and asked him to dance, people cheering. I can’t do samba/salsa/whatever to save my life, but caught up in the rhythm and gaiety of the moment, I just danced away, doing my own thing. He thanked me genuinely and with so much enthusiasm that I almost believed him… But it was fun!

A great attraction in Lima is the Parque de la Reserva, the waterpark. There are 12 fountains, and in the evening they have a spectacular music and light show. Everybody seemed to be there the evening I went, creating a festive atmosphere. The next day was Halloween, a public holiday here, as they celebrate both Halloween and Criollo (Creole) music, so everybody probably wás there. Children and young people are allowed to play in certain fountains, and they were really making a game of it. I was shivering for their sakes, but they were clearly enjoying themselves.

I haven’t really indulged in local cuisine, but I discovered a Criollo restaurant just accross the street from where I stay that serves the most delicious fish soup. It is called sopa pesce (fish soup) but is more like a chowder, filled with chunks of fish, prawns herbs and other goodies, excellent, and very cheap!

Incidentally, I had a discussion with my hosts, a young and hard-working couple, about the meaning of Criollo, and they tried to explain to me that it is a way of doing things rather than a ‘something’. I investigated, and discovered the the word is used for people who are born of European parents, but not on the European continent. In Latin America, that would apply to Spain and Spanish. The people born in Spain are considered to be peninsulares, and during Spanish rule they were given preference in government and official positions. The Criollos, born here, were however the ones who led the countries to independence, and subsequently held official positions.

In Peru, specifically, criollo is often used as an adjective and describes a certain spirited way of life. Someone is muy criollo (very Creole) if they express these ways. The ways are the following:

• speak wittingly and persuasively on a wide range of topics
• turn a situation to one’s advantage
• be masculine (macho)
• exhibit national pride
• participate in fiestas and other sociable activities with certain gusto

I can vouch for that, much of this is what I have been experiencing here.

There is a wonderful undercover local market close to me, with mostly food stalls, but also flowers and general items. It is very colourful and crowded, I love it.

I was meant to fly back to South Africa today – I cannot believe the three months have passed so quickly. I had to change my ticket yesterday, which turned out to be a gruelling and intense experience. Originally I was told that I would have to pay $200 (USA) penalty if I changed the ticket, but because LATAM airways had delayed flights (twice) on my inbound flight, I could twice change my ticket without penalty. I used one before I left SA, but to try and persuade the man on the other end of the line that I had one change left, was a marathon task beyond my capabilities. (I had kept contact with Julian, the on-line guy who originally changed my ticket in SA, and had consulted him about the current change. He was the one who told me I had an extra change available, that was why I was so adamant about the penalty. He also told me there was a cheap flight available on the 6th April 2020 for only $39 extra.)

After an hour and a half of talking, waiting, explaining, waiting, giving information, waiting, trying again, waiting, ad infinitum, the guy at the call center eventually said he was going to a ‘specialised section’ and then he found what I had been saying all along. By that stage we were going to be cut off, and he insisted that I give him a phone number on which he could call me, which of course I didn’t have. I was using the call center phone at a LATAM office, and begged one of the assistants to allow me to use her cellphone, which she reluctantly did, telling me it was very much against the rules. Anyway, eventually a call came through, but it was a woman’s voice, and I nearly died – I thought I had to start the process all over again. Luckily not – she was just going to do the changed booking. After half an hour of more waiting, forcing myself to breathe, drinking water and wiping sweat off my brow, she proceeded to offer me a ticket for an extra $212! I almost died again – I had just saved a $200 penalty fee, I was not about to give it out on a new ticket. I gave her a firm ‘no’ and told her that Julian had said there was one available for $39. Another 15 minutes, with the owner of the phone constantly hovering close to me, and I got the $39 upgrade. I was completely light-headed and só relieved that I started crying once I got out of the office. The patience of the operators, the kindness of the cellphone lady and just the sheer tenacity of my own negotiations overwhelmed me. And of course the presence of an ever guiding and protective Hand.

I sommer treated myself to a coffee americano and a slice of lemon meringue pie. And promptly went to book a $200 ticket on the Peru Hop, an organisation that provides tours in Peru and Bolivia. I leave tomorrow at the crack of dawn, working my way to Cusco and eventually Quillabamba, where I’ll be doing the next Workaway volunteer job.

I’ll be back in Lima by middle December, hopefully more at ease, knowing now how things work, and not having to do ticket changes again.