Lima, Peru

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First impressions were all about traffic. The traffic lights count down both green and red lights, like we often see for pedestrian crossings. This means that the taxi driver knew exactly how fast he had to accelerate (80+) in order to make the lights. A lot of cars have reflective stickers down the sides to reduce night time crashes. Judging by the number of dented cars they don't work that well.

Lima had a population of 661,000 in 1940, 8.5 million by 2007 and 11 million today. Flying in, the impression is of endless small apartment blocks made of concrete and terra cotta coloured brick. On the ground the it is more positive, we'll kept, if simple homes. I stayed in the upmarket seaside suburb of Barranco, lots of grand, Art Deco houses, nice bars and restaurants. While Lima claims to be the second driest capital city in the world, after Cairo, rivers flowing from the Andes allow for irrigation and the city looks green.
I took the bus into the city, double length busses that hinge in the middle, a dedicated bus only road with next to no traffic lights. Other than the stations, we only stopped a couple of times on the 20 minute journey. Like the Northern Busway but taken much further. It works much like the London Underground and could be a model for Auckland. The city has lots of grand old colonial buildings and an interesting history. I saw the court where the inquisition tortured and executed non Catholics. Incredible how many people would take torture and death over renouncing their faith. Over 200 were executed.

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