Callao and Lima

Today we went into Callao where Olga was born and grew up. It is hard to describe how distressed the whole area around the main market seemed. Dogs no thicker than mats lying in the street; stress on every face we saw. We walked pasted Olga's home (down a long passage which we didn't enter) I didn't bring my camera but I don't think I'd have had the heart to take it out.

There are 4 or more types of public transport in Lima. The biggest vehicles are buses like those we are familiar with. Next come the microbuses - bigger ones called coasters that hold 20+ people and smaller ones called combis that hold up to 10 people. These buses follow regular routes just like normal buses but are much faster than regular buses. Both cost about the same, between 20 and 40 cents depending on the distance you travel.

Next come the collectives (collectivos). These are 1960s Chevrolets and Fords (ours was a 1964 Fairlane). They make longer runs between Callao and Lima. They follow a fixed route and have no mufflers. Olga reached to put on seat belt and the driver called out not to touch it ("esta sucio", It's dirty). Of course, it hadn't been touched in years. A collectivo from Lima to Callao (20 km) is 65 cents. Gasoline costs $4.00/gallon. How do they make any money?

Then come the taxis. Some are new and shiny, others have been through hell. Lots are Chinese. This should be good advertising for Chinese cars; if they can survive as taxis in Lima they can survive anywhere. Most taxi rides cost less than $2.00; a long ride is $3.00 and to come to Callao from Lima is about $6.00.

Lima, at least its center, is a real show of son et lumiere. We watched the changing of the guard at the Presidential Palace, the beautiful facades of the old buildings lit with spots from the ground and behind the various columns. The guard wears helmets similar to those of the Germans in the first world war. We also saw others wearing what look like Spanish home guard hats from the time of Franco except that they were green. What is remarkable however is just how many police there are on the street. They are literally everywhere. It seemed to me as though all 8 million Limenians were also in the street.

Seen in the rear window of a taxi "In memory of my father and sister, Dante and Anna".