Peruvian Transportation

So I think it’s about time I start telling all of you some of the harsh realities of living in Peru. Number one, Public Transportation. It’s horrible. Even Peruvians will tell you that.

If any of you have ever traveled in Europe, we know how public transportation is. Runs smoothly, like clockwork, and of course you can find a schedule somewhere.

Yeah, well, here in Peru they don’t have that. Basically, what happens is someone decides they want to get into the business of being a bus driver, so they go ahead and buy their own bus. The buses look like normal buses, but then they have these things called Microbuses. It is basically a little bit larger than a volkswagon bus.

There’s no maps and no schedule. The way you know which bus to take is the names of the major streets are written on the side of the bus. This helps you know what route it will go. So if you don’t know your way around Lima, or what any of the major street names are, you are out of luck.

I tell my family this as a joke, but reality is I’ve done it several times. Public Transportation is not hard. You simply go to a bus stop, tell a Peruvian where you want to go, and they tell you which bus to get on. I’m at a point now where places that I go to often I can easily figure out how to get there, but unknown spots I still consult the natives on.

Hence, if you want to get anywhere in this city, when I look it up on a map, I look for the major street that’s nearby that will get me the closest to my destination.

And since there is not schedule you have to just wait at a stop till a bus shows up. Waiting 20-30 min for the right one to come is not abnormal for me at all. Which is why you need to have LOTS of travel time. Erin went to a gathering for women in the English ward who live in La Molina. When they asked what it was like in Miraflores, Erin replied, “You spend a lot of your day getting from one spot to another.”

She’s right. Let’s not forget the horrible traffic here. To go a mere 4 kilometers could take me an hour. Yes, I’m sure some of you are thinking, “Why not just walk?” You’re right, it would be faster. But something I learned when I first came to Lima is I really had to watch how often I walked long distances. If I didn’t, by the end of the day, my body was just exhausted. Four kilometers here, which could take an hour, 2 kilometers here, plus another three, that’s just too much. So I’ve learned public transportation is a better option.

You can always take a cab. They can cost a grand total of $3-5 dollars. But if you take one everyday or several times a day, it can add up. So I try to stick to the bus that’s 60 cents. That doesn’t mean I’ve taken cabs at times when I just don’t feel like handling the public transportation mess, I’m in a hurry, or I know there’s no direct route to where I want to go.

Course that’s in Miraflores where I live. That part of town, and the surrounding areas, are not the true Lima. Miraflores, San Isidro, and Surco, these are hyped up areas for tourists and foreigners to reside in. The rent there is very expensive, which is why many normal Peruvians can’t live there. For me to go to the grocery store and see other foreigners around is not abnormal at all. Kind of like living in Carmel, Westfield, and Zionsville versus downtown Indianapolis.

Once you get outside of the wealth bubble, it’s a different story. I went to visit my sister-in-laws mission companion in a part of Peru called Independencia, the northern part of the city. That is a part of town I do NOT want to be walking around by myself. As long as I’m with a native, I feel fine. Her companion, Tania, has been sweet enough everytime I go they meet me right at the metro bus stop so I don’t have to make it to their house by myself.

Over there they have these things called Mototaxis. The only way to describe them are glorified golf carts. There’s a TON everywhere. Course I was apprehensive about stepping into one, but I was with Tania and figured if she was still alive, I suppose I would be also. They seem so dangerous, like they could tip over in a heartbeat. And seatbelts are non-existent. I remember Karen Chipman sending me pictures of them when John and her were here in Peru.

Oh well. One thing I learned when I was in Hungary, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. It’s not the best set up, but for right now, it’s all I’ve got.

And hopefully some day I’ll get my act together enough to take some pictures so you know what I’m talking about.