Wild Bus Rides

Lima seems more friendly to walk around than Santiago, partly because of the narrower tree lined streets. Unfortunately, this also makes for very congested traffic. Also, without a big metro system here, it´s very difficult to get across town in anything but a cab. Our guide yesterday said it is not uncommon to take 4 hours to get across the city. But there is an endless supply of these beat up, sometimes ridiculously painted buses. I think that they are privately operated, as opposed to municipal buses. On each bus is a guy riding shotgun who hops out and recruits passengers. Good idea not to accept advice from these dudes. They have a strong incentive to tell you anything you want to hear to get a fare from you. Fortunately, we don´t have a lot of reason to leave Miraflores for now. By comparison, Santiago´s metro system is fast and easy to use.