I am in Lima with the ISA (International Studies Abroad) program, and our second and third days have been filled with basically getting to know Lima and orientation for our program and university. However, in only a matter of a couple days in Lima, I have learned more about the culture and language than i could have imagined.
One large difference in Lima than in the US is the traffic. To me, it seems like pure insanity in the streets, but the Peruvian drivers seem to make it work. Taxis, Convis, Busses and cars are everywhere and mixed in with pedestrians and bicyclists. There are 10 million people in Lima, so as you can imagine, the city is busy. We usually hop on convis and busses to get around Lima (literally "hop on" because they barely comme to a stop while entering or exiting). It costs me about 1 sol to get from my house to almost any other part of the city (with the exchange rate at 2.75 soles=$1; it is cheap!). The traffic and the convis can be somewhat initimidating at first, but by the second day here, I was already getting them figured out.
I first noticed that taxis will honk at pedestrians walking next to the street often. I have now figured out that this is how taxis get their customers. The taxi honks to let you know that they are available, and then you flag them down with a wave if you would like a ride. Taxis here are very inexpensive. My roommates and I went from one side of Lima to another yesterday and altogether it only cost us 8 soles!
All in all, I am starting to really enjoy the convis as a mode of transportation!
I find it funny how foreign people seem to come to actually like riding in combis... when for most of us they're one of the biggest nightmares and pests of the city! Well at least they didn't make you run away :)
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