Greetings! I realize it has been more than a week since my
last post (a slight deviation from my original plan). But in the absence of fun
trips and an abundance of schoolwork, my days have been rather unremarkable.
However I believe I have accumulated enough events to create an adequately
exciting blog post!
Las Combi
I think I’ll start with an aspect of my everyday life that
differs quite dramatically from my life in the US: the public transportation
system. Riding the “Combis” here has seasoned me, because if you can maneuver a
city like Lima on the chaotic buses, you are likely to be able to get around
anywhere. To start, there is no “public transportation system per se, rather
each individual bus is privately owned and operated and there are no fixed routes
like the 80 in Madison. Instead, there are the names of five or six streets
painted on the side and a “cobrador” who collects your money gets off the bus
at each stop with a little sign indicating the route and yelling where they are
headed. They try to beckon you on even if you make no indication of trying to
take their bus. If the cobrador is unclear or if you are taking a Combi you
haven’t before you may have to ask the cobrador if they are heading in the
direction you want. Once you are on you find a seat (most of which are usually
decrepit and falling apart) or stand in the aisle and hope the driver is taking
it slow over the speed bumps today. That’s another thing! Instead of just
monitoring driver’s speeds, there are just massive speed bumps all over Peru
(outside of Lima as well) that drivers usually speed up to and slam on the
brakes just before going over. After a while the cobrador walks around the bus
jangling his change at everyone so that they pay, then he gives you a little
ticket (purpose: unknown but I have saved about a hundred of them) and you sit
until you reach your destination. Crazy all in all, and apparently theft is of
considerable concern so we were advised not to sit in the back seats and wear
our backpacks on our front, however; I have found that a stern “resting bitch
face” and astute observation of my surroundings has been adequate to deter
petty thieves.
The upkeep
of the Combis is also worth questioning. The other day I was on one that kept
stalling out whenever traffic came to a standstill, leaned precariously towards
the left and the front wheel made a sinister noise upon coming to a stop. One
of my housemates said that the combi she was on one night last week had to pull
off to the side of the road and everyone had to get off and catch another
because the wheel was coming off! And the decrepit seats I mentioned before? On
top of being saturated in mold and potentially bodily fluids also only allow
about 6-8 inches of leg room. This isn’t a problem for most limenans who
average about 5”-5”2’, but there are times where I have no choice but to stick
my legs out into the aisle. I make it sound bad, but I am sure this is
something I am going to look back on fondly upon my return to the US.
These pics kinda stink because I didn't want my iPhone to get plucked out of my hands while taking a picture, but you get the idea
Parque de las
Leyendas
Last week we took a brief trip to one of Lima’s zoos “Parque
de las Leyendas.” I enjoyed it, but as a self-proclaimed zoophile I couldn’t
get too excited because of the less than favorable conditions the animals were
in. Latin American zoos are notorious for having inadequate enclosures and
conditions for animals, and it wasn’t that Parque de las Leyendas was that bad
compared to other zoos, but it certainly left much to be desired (especially in
the condor cages). But it was cool to see a zoo that had some different animals
than those in US zoos. Parque de las Leyendas is divided according to the
different geographical regions of Peru: la costa, la selva, and la sierra.
There was also a part with international animals like giraffes and penguins,
but we didn’t get to see this. I wish I could have taken more pictures but most
of the enclosures were glass and it was a sunny day so the glare was too bad to
get many good shots. We saw alpaca, vicuña, condors, a plethora of birds,
panthers and other big cats, lots of little primates, turtles, bears, tapirs
and much more. 
Jungle cat, meow
Barranco
Yesterday Patty and I went to Barranco to walk around and do
some sightseeing. Barranco is one of the more historical districts of Lima.
There is lots of colonial arquitecture and cobblestone roads that take you to
the coast. It is the most beautiful district of Lima I have visited so far and
it was really nice to just wander through the streets on such a beautiful day
as yesterday was. We ate lunch at this little café, and it was the best meal I have
had in Lima so far (the fresh mango juice couldn’t be beat). There was a lot of mural art on the brick
walls that lined the streets and I couldn’t help but take a lot of pictures of
those: 
This one is my favorite
Just walking down the street
Just a taste of some of the beautiful churches and buildings I saw
We came home and turned in early because today was race day! Which leads me to…
La Carrera de los
Emprendadores
I ran a 10K this morning in Chorrillos, another sea-side district of Lima. It was super cool to meet the running community in Peru,
which is largely composed of older men of mostly indigenous descent who train
in the high altitudes of the Peruvian Andes. Sorry to say Steve but you would
probably not win your age group by just showing up here.
Why might you ask did I post a photo of the port-a-potty? 2
reasons: Steve and I have been taking a pictures of the port-a-potties at races
since my high school cross country days, and second because of my philosophical
moment I had while standing in line this morning for my PRP (runners will
understand this...). I thought fondly that no matter the country--no
matter the continent--runners are pretty much all the same: we rub deodorant on
our inner thighs, wear gratuitously short shorts, and we all shit in the same
plastic tank before races. But then I got inside and remembered I am in Lima:
the door didn’t shut, the toilet seat was free floating so you slid of the
hole, and there was no toilet paper (creativity ensued).
The race itself was great. I had a lot of fun running along
the sea-side cliffs and seeing another historical district. But it was also the
hardest course I have ever raced. I knew I was in for trouble when the first
three quarters of a mile was a steep descent to the sea-side highway, the whole
time my running mantra playing on repeat in my brain-- “for every downhill
there is an equal but opposite uphill.
And hills there were. The course
was a 5K loop so I knew that whatever I would endure in the first 3.1 miles I would
get another go at in the second half, so you can imagine my dismay after
completing the first loop which contained TWO half mile long hills, and knowing
that I would have to do it again. It was B-R-U-T-A-L but Patty said that she
saw few (if any) females finish the 10K before me so I will get to see tomorrow
(when the results are posted) how I shape up to these Peruvian runners!
Race swag
Kind of hard to see, but this is the 3/4 mile down hill at the start of the race
The finish line, after I took this picture I saw that couple in the background finish the 10K hand in hand (aww)
I had such an excellent weekend, afforded to me in the lull that followed partial exams. And now, lunch! Farewell until next time!
One of my feline friends at Parque Kennedy throwing me a contemptuous glare for not sharing my popcorn
