Peruvian Roundup

We didn't mention this at the time but, whilst sitting in a restaurant in Casma, there was suddenly an enormous bang that we felt as much as heard. At first, there was speculation that a gas bottle had burst, but it turned out to be a bomb just up the road. Customers in the restaurant would only say that it was "bad people" and were more keen to ensure that we were having a good time in Peru and refused to be drawn into more details. We had read in the local papers that the Sendero Luminoso are making a comeback, but it was not clear whether they were behind this particular bomb; it could have been one of any number of disaffected groups.

The Peruvians are pretty small. This generally seems to be the indigenous people rather than those of Spanish descent. Even Megan feels tall here. It is good to be able to see over people (rather like in China), but it does have its downsides too. For example, the beds are often quite short. Overnight buses are pretty cramped too.

We have mentioned in passing about the noise, particularly in the hotels and we have spoken to locals who agree the country is very noisy. Peruvians are incapable of closing a door without slamming it. They also believe that, once they are awake, everyone should be and talk at the tops of their voices outside your room. A major noise culprit is the car alarm. They have a particularly offensive alarm with multiple tones that goes on for about 5 mins. There is seldom a moment in any city where you can not hear this going off somewhere. Of course, the constant horn blowing does not help.

Whilst Peruvian can be very pleasant to talk to and helpful, they are inherently inconsiderate and self-centred. This manifests itself in any number of ways including barging directly to the front of any queue (a trait shared by most non-British it has to be said). Barging along the pavement and never giving way is another example, as is the refusal of drivers to ever stop at a pedestrian crossing. Taxi drivers are the first to blow their horn when someone does not set off quickly enough, but will then take all the time in the world when it suits them. A side-effect of this is that travelling by road seems pretty dangerous. We have read of fatal bus crashes whilst we have been here and saw a minibus full of people up-ended in a ditch. The Peruvians pray a lot which makes them think they can overtake on blind corners. The Peruvian macho does not help in this respect. Taxi drivers brag about how quickly they can get you to your destination as if that increases the likelihood that you will pick them.

Regarding pollution, the entire country reeks of urine which is less than pleasant. Many times we saw people relieving themselves in the street (and not always just urinating). Throwing rubbish out of vehicle windows seems to be a national pastime. Put all this together with the incessant noise and you have quite a tiring country to be in for any length of time and one that is not doing itself any favours. Add in a frisson of Sendero Luminoso and the relentless exploitation of Machu Picchu and it is not hard to see Peru dropping way down the gringo list of must see destinations.

There seems to be a certain lacking in analytical skills amongst the general population. We have watched people struggle to open bus windows and then hold them open the entire journey rather than use the locking mechanism. In a specialist photocopying shop, the assistant was unable to copy both our passports on to a single piece of paper since they were too wide. It never occurred to her to rotate them through 90° to use the long side of the A4 sheet. Everyone here has a cellphone and they all hold the phone in front of their mouth to speak and then up to their ear to listen. No one has realised that this is not necessary. Not only that, but they seem to place their mouth next to the speaker as though speaking to the person inside the little box! We have even seen people speaking to the back of the phone.

The government seems particularly sensitive to the risk of earthquakes which is inderstandable as there have been some pretty catastrophic ones here. All public buildings have areas labelled that are strengthened to provide protection in the case of a "seismo". Additionally, on the coast we saw signs informing the populace which way to run if there was a tsunami. They did not say how fast or far you would have to run though.

Peruvians are a pretty friendly bunch and, in the cities, they think nothing of starting a conversation. This does not always go well of course as they do not seem to be able to adapt the way they speak, even after we have explained that we only have limited Spanish. However, one question that always comes up is whether we like the food. Now this country has an amazing selection of fresh produce, all of it seemingly in very good condition. The markets are awash with fresh fruit and veg some of which we have enjoyed discovering for the first time. It took us a while to figure out that Chirimoya is custard apple (which we had never had anyway) and that tuna is the fruit of a cactus. All that said, unfortunately, the Peruvians are terrible cooks so much of the potential with all these ingredients is lost. They tend to fry veg until it is burned or boil it and then serve it cold. They can not make chips (fries) to save their lives, they are always raw. Often, a nice piece of Llama steak will be smothered in some cloying sauce. Then there is the general hygiene problem so we have to be pretty careful what we eat. So, sorry, no, we are not impressed with the food here. Of course, we always respond that it is excellent!

People here are very puzzled by climate change which is affecting them as much as anyone else. They are getting rain in the dry season which is unheard of. Whenever we asked a guide what the weather would be, they always qualified their answer with the statement that the climate was changing and anything could happen. They are also witnessing the effects of the global recession; principally in the areas of product export and tourism, both of which are suffering. Of course, the papers are full of statements by the government that things are starting to look up. Weird eh!

Of course, the scenery here is spectacular - especially the Andes. We are reminded a bit of New Zealand, but mainly of parts of Argentina. More and more roads are being paved and hence journey times are decreasing. Unfortunately, the local opinion seems to be that paved roads make for more dangerous roads since the drivers simply go much faster.

Amusingly (and inevitably), much is made of the Inca heritage even though these people were not around for very long. Every second shop is an Inca Pharmacy, Inca hairdressers, etc. The Inca Cola is everywhere. What's odd is that, when you think about it, the Incas as a people were a monumental failure, mainly because they were so primitive. They did have a lot of gold, but it didn't do them much good. They ended up giving it all away and then being killed for their trouble.

So, we very much enjoyed the entire trip and have seen an awful lot. However it is now time to return to the UK and we are quite looking forward to it. Many thanks to everyone who kept in touch, hopefully we will see you soon.

As with the Bolivian round up, here is an assortment of images from Peru that did not make it into the previous postings.