Surfing Lima
Time flies when you're having fun. I can hardly believe I've been in Lima for over two weeks now!
Life here in Lima is very different from what I've experienced on my trip so far. Obviously, the weather is much warmer as the summer has just started here but the first thing you'll notice when you get to Lima is the noise. As soon as you enter the country you're met by packs of taxi drivers trying to give you a ride into the city: "taxi? taxi? taxiiiii?!". Gladly, a friend picked me up at the airport so I didn't have to deal with that. People have warned me of the craziness of traffic in Lima but nothing quite prepared me for it: hundreds of taxis, micros (small busses), busses and private cars driving at an insane speed without the slightest regard for any traffic rules or signage. They do stop at red lights but that's probably about it. :) Surprisingly, it works. Compared to the size of the city and the amount of vehicles on the streets there are very few accidents.
Public transportation is another issue. There are thousands of taxis (not all of them officially registered) and you can easily hail one on the street. With the necessary precautions it is a fast and fairly cheap way to navigate the city. Busses are different. There is no organized public transport system but a ton of smaller private companies that drive their own routes through the city. They are very cheap (as little as 1 Sol for a ride) However, knowing which bus to take and where to take it and how to get to a place fastest takes the knowledge and experience of a local. Thankfully, people are friendly and always willing to help a foreigner.
For the last two weeks I've learned to make my way around from Cercado de Lima (a district in central Lima where I live) to Miraflores and Barranco (two better districts near the ocean) where I started with surfing lessons. I met quite a few interesting people (locals and travelers), got hit on or whistled after by hot blooded Peruvians (haha) and ate all kinds of great Peruvian food (Ceviche, Anticuche, Lomo Saltado, Pisco Sour, Quinua, etc.). Food is so gooooooood here!
Life here in Lima is very different from what I've experienced on my trip so far. Obviously, the weather is much warmer as the summer has just started here but the first thing you'll notice when you get to Lima is the noise. As soon as you enter the country you're met by packs of taxi drivers trying to give you a ride into the city: "taxi? taxi? taxiiiii?!". Gladly, a friend picked me up at the airport so I didn't have to deal with that. People have warned me of the craziness of traffic in Lima but nothing quite prepared me for it: hundreds of taxis, micros (small busses), busses and private cars driving at an insane speed without the slightest regard for any traffic rules or signage. They do stop at red lights but that's probably about it. :) Surprisingly, it works. Compared to the size of the city and the amount of vehicles on the streets there are very few accidents.
Public transportation is another issue. There are thousands of taxis (not all of them officially registered) and you can easily hail one on the street. With the necessary precautions it is a fast and fairly cheap way to navigate the city. Busses are different. There is no organized public transport system but a ton of smaller private companies that drive their own routes through the city. They are very cheap (as little as 1 Sol for a ride) However, knowing which bus to take and where to take it and how to get to a place fastest takes the knowledge and experience of a local. Thankfully, people are friendly and always willing to help a foreigner.
For the last two weeks I've learned to make my way around from Cercado de Lima (a district in central Lima where I live) to Miraflores and Barranco (two better districts near the ocean) where I started with surfing lessons. I met quite a few interesting people (locals and travelers), got hit on or whistled after by hot blooded Peruvians (haha) and ate all kinds of great Peruvian food (Ceviche, Anticuche, Lomo Saltado, Pisco Sour, Quinua, etc.). Food is so gooooooood here!
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