South American ways of life

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Peru day went off with a bang……pity it was the night before we thought it was to be although the fireworks exploding in the twilight sky should have been a giveaway any way while Arequipa was an explosion of red and white flags we missed the celebrations but considering the amount of festivals we have actually wandered into accidentally we will probably live to see another day.

We are now in Lima, staying with a friend in a nearby seaside town called San Bartolo, he is doing up his newly purchased hostel and we are helping him out to get things up and running.

I have noticed over the years the little nuances that are uniquely latin, some of these observations may not be too flattering to some places but if you read back on my blogs I generally see the good side of traveling so these little annoyances are just that. A lot of it comes from the fact that I am quite used to western luxuries and here those luxuries are not as freely available, unless of course you want to travel the 5* experience which in my case is not an option.

All over this continent houses are being erected and some towns appear to be a building site, now the house may be a single story or possible 2, new windows and paved driveways but out of the roof top of EVERY hose re-bar points to the heavens, now it has occurred to me this may be because the owner has gone over budget but having spoken to some people about this it would seem that to leave that re-bar poking ungracefully from the ceiling tells the town officials that your not finished, "sure I'm building another story" this way taxes are only paid on.completed abodes some of which look like they could be there a long time and need to be completely rebuilt.

Driving in South America is a "do so at your own risk" endeavor, although there are road signs and I am told road rules, these are pie in the sky, I Ecuador for example, the use of a roundabout is an enigma for most motorists, get out when you can, buses and heavy lorries have the right of way purely because if they hit you well lets face it your the one thats messes up.Traffic lights are mere decoration in some places.o Seatbelts are an adornment that rest unasummonly against the the interior of the car, people don't use then. Childseats are rare and it is normal to have your infant on your lap in the front seat, I cringe when I see it, Children in the backseat don't bother either even when they are available, I think its a lack of government intervention as to the horrors of Road Traffic Accidents, they should know, the headlines on the front pages of all the papers are always the same thing buses driving off ravines killing all occupants, this is so common and the main cause seems to be drivers so tired they fall alsleep and the results are appalling. Many of these buses are un road worthy in the first place, now I understand these are relatively poor nations with developing infrastructure and road safety is probably low on the list, the shame for me is when I travel I can afford to choose a comfortable bus with rotating drivers, making my journey less likely to run into problems but the poor buggers that have to use these tin cans buses risk their lives everyday, thy are often so overcrowded, weighed down with goods, bald tyres, squealing brakes and in one case with us, a driver stinking of booze. Emission controls are a thing unheard of as buses spew out clouds of noxious fumes.

Once on the bus, if it fills up and a pregnant/elderly/mother with child/disabled person enters the bus your good will tells you to get up and at least offer your seat, not so here, I paid for the seat and I'm damn sure staying in it.

Watch your bags on the floor under your feet, I had the unpleasant experience of watching an indigenous lady (after many hours on the road) hitch up her many pretty colored skirts and relieve herself right there on the floor, needless to say my pack sat on my knee for the rest of the journey. One last bus woe, LITTER, your finished with that cola can or ice-cream wrapper you open the window and toss it out, A girl told me recently she saw a sign on a bus say :please keep the bus clean and throw your rubbish out the window" These places are so beautiful but the concept seems to be that its not my job and who's to blame them, rubbish bins in many towns are as rare as hens teeth so where the hell to you but your rubbish, It is sad to see deserts and mountains covered in plastic bags, I talked to a gent the other day who told me there is zero education about keeping your community clean, its just how it is and is noticeable everywhere as children disregard their sweetie wrappers while Mums and Dads do the same, If it goes too far these gorgeous places are going to be tips, What a shame, I hope their greedy corrupt governments address this or at least provide bins and teach kids early on in life the importance of clean environment. as a pedestrian you have no rights, cross roads at your own peril.

In the larger cities there are quite a few street kids, some are cleaning car windscreens for a few pennies, other performing for passing motorists but what I find so disturbing is the unfortunate folks with no limbs and there are a few, their only way to make a living is begging, wheelchairs are virtually unheard of and many people have improvised making little carts with wheels to get around, each intersection has a motley crew of firebreathers, kids selling sweets, other folks selling all manner of things, phone covers, seat covers, DVDs, ariels, dog leases, sugar cane, the list is endless.

Cars that do stop at lights, are a target of any other car behind, when the light turns green the driver starts to move off and the horn honking starts and these are from the other cars ten cars back, as a friend told me, "so many people in a terrible hurry to get no where to do nothing.

Queuing is no existent here, the way to get what you want is to push and shove and shout louder than anyone else, people don't get upset, its just the way it is.

Fireworks are used in abundance here, the rather odd thing is they set them off during the day so the event is essentially a little puff of smoke, seems like a waste to me, but hey……..

Prams or strollers are not common here, babies are strapped to Mothers back where they lay comfortably cocooned in the warmth of mums body, funny thing is it is rare to see indigenous children cry, they seem a content little lot. Breast feeding is a normal way of life, mothers feed there children when the are hungry, this could be on the street in the church, the market wherever, I think its the way it should be, We have an odd embarrassment about this ritual in our western countries and of course its the most natural thing in the world, baby hungry……….feed it, they are only boobs used for the nourishment of an infant, perhaps some gentlemen readers might have other ideas but when you see this 10 times a day it makes you realize that maybe its one of the reasons that these little tykes seem to be well behaved.

I have mentioned before about the importance of parties in SA, well the dress is the centre piece and the gaudier the better, fushia pink with pastel green, a snowstorm of lace and so much silk that the fingers must be worn off the poor folks who spun it, Plain and classy is not in style here.

Often the water in the rural areas have not yet reached there, so trucks arrive every few days and fill your water tank for a fee of course, naturally its not drinkable but it works.

Where billboards and glossy signs and huge LCD big screen monitors scream out the product represented in our western world, the ads are hand painted on the walls here, perfectly, coca cola, doritos, marlboros you name it, the funny thing is they are exactly the same as the airbrushed posters we see.

Little cafes line the streets of all the villages, they normally consist of a waiter and an over exhausted cook handing out $1.50 plates of rice beans and whatever meat is on that day.

Pavements are deathtraps there is no other way to describe this, potholes and uneven surfaces are one thing but 4 feet holes are another, you never see a person here looking up whilst walking, all eyes done if you want to avoid a trip to the A&E.

Well that was a bit of a rant on the less savory side of these lovely places I am lucky enough to see but with all the happy times one cannot help observe the other side to life here, I love SA, I have done for years and these little things bother me less and less as time goes on, who knows a year from now I will be gahaffing and spitting in the gutter myself, Later,,,,,,,,,,,

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Comments

[jeff hirsch]

Lima
We will be in Lima in about 3 week. I am inyhe US now. Leaving saturday. Maybe we will see you. Like the blogs jeff Sounds like you and little john are having fun

[zuzuzu72]

Yeah getting to see Miss Kika, looking forward to it, I will chill the wine x