First Night Down, Many More to Come

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06 Abril - Lima, Ata Vitarte
I was able to make a friend on the airplane, and she ended up walking me through customs, taking me in a taxi, and giving me a sofa to sleep on. My plane got in around 11:30 at night. So there I was, in a foreign country for the first time, with little of the native language to help me. My friend, Delia, tells me she is afraid for me, that there are taxi drivers here that will take you around the corner and mug you and that all of them will rip you off seeing that you are a gringo and presumably rich and gullible. She was right, they were even trying to scam her.
Delia lives in Phoenix with her 10-month-old son and her husband lives here in Lima. She speaks English like a first language. He sister and nephew though, speak no English. I can hardly communicate with them. My Spanish is pathetic and I am happy to have found an amiga nueva (new friend) who has been so generous.
I was supposed to stay with a couchsurfer (www.couchsurfing.com) last night, but I missed my plane due to a brain hiccup. To make a long story short, I thought I left my passport at home but realized too late that I had it in my moneybelt the whole time. I’m sure that doesn’t come as a surprise to any of you who know me even remotely, and I can already hear you giggling. I guess I'll have to get used to wearing this thing.
I will be able to take a plane to Cusco from here for $79. It is an hour flight, compared to the expected 24-hour bus trip, which could be delayed because the presidential election is this Sunday, and some of the roads might be barricaded due to protests.
Delia's house is in Ata Vitarta, one of the poorest parts of Lima. This seems to be the most "third world" place I have been to yet. Poverty is commonplace, pickpockets are everywhere, and people will lie to you to get money out of you. There are numerous building remnants, lots of concrete, dirt, and trash. Few gringos visit here, I can tell by the way people look at me. I am looked at like an oddity, children follow me, and children and adults alike stare at and study me.
But I feel oddly comfortable. Maybe it is the hospitality that I have been greeted with or just seeing the place with no clue as to what to expect.
Tomorrow will be another day, but for now, I have a safe place to sleep, a cool breeze, and a comfortable sofa. Hasta Manana

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Comments

[Ivy]

A "couchsurfer"? That sounds a little more involved than what it is!!!! Just kidding, I will check it out on the web. Yes, I did get a giggle out of this one!!!