Reflexiones de Perú

Well, we've been in Perú for two weeks now and we leave early tomorrow morning for La Paz, Bolivia.  Two weeks is longer than either of us expected to spend here, but I think we've had a good time overall and it's nice not to be hopping from place to place every other day and spending all our time in transit.  We've spent the majority of our time in Lima (six days) and Cusco (nine days) including a day trip to Machu Picchu.  Although it's Saturday night and I'd much rather spend my last night here drinking, I think I've had enough late nights and really need to get some sleep tonight, so I figured I'd spend a little time reflecting on my time here in the first country of our tour of South America. 

 

Altitude

Cusco, Perú is located about 10,800 feet (3,300 meters) above sea level.  I'm sure you've heard about altitude sickness, which is typically experienced above 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) and is caused by low air pressure and low CO2 levels, which causes a rise in blooh pH.  Symptoms of altitude sickness can include headache, fatigue, stomach illness, dizziness, and sleep disturbance.  I definitely experienced some nausea and dizziness the first 24 hours, but nothing serious and those symptoms disappeared quickly.  Apparently, a related problem is dehydration, which I learned online is caused by a higher rate of water vapor lost from the lungs at higher altitudes.  My skin has been so dry and my lips so chapped despite the amount of water I've been drinking.  But even after being here over a week, the most significant problem for me has been shortness of breath.  Even after waking over five miles a day in Toronto and a significant amount in Lima, just walking a few blocks here in Cusco has me completely winded and struggling for breath.  I even find myself having to stop to catch my breath after running up a flight of stairs here in the hostel.  I don't think the altitude is something I would ever adjust to having lived at sea level my entire life.  Biologically, my lungs and body just aren't used to it.  La Paz is at an even higher altitude at 13,000 feet (4000 meters), so we'll see how I fare there. Luckily, we'll only be there for five days and I imagine being here in Cusco first will make the adjustment a lot easier than going directly from sea level to 13,000 feet.

 

Traffic and Smog

Traffic in Perú can be ridiculous, like any other country, especially in major cities.  But the exhaust from the cars and the smog that it creates is absolutely horrendous.  I haven't experienced such problems since I was in Mexico city, although Rome would be a close equivalent.  The difference with Rome is that it's not at as high an altitude, so you're not adding the smog onto other issues.  The smog here in Cusco makes it really difficult to breath just walking down major streets.  Sean and I were talking about it today and we're not sure if it's the type of cars/engines or the type of gasoline, but it's pretty common for cars and buses to have black smoke pumping out of their exhaust pipes and you either breath it in or you don't breath.  You also have to be very careful and always on guard as a pedestrian.  Lima was pretty bad in the sense that many intersections didn't have signals or signs, so as a pedestrian, you put your life at risk just crossing the street.  Cusco is the much the same in the sense that if you are planning to step off the sidewalk, you better looks three or four times and make a run for it when you do cross because cars speed and turn corners and come out of nowhere and if you're not paying attention, you're dead.

 

The Locals

Like any other second- or third-world country, Perú has more than it's fair share of scammers, theifs and opportunists.  It's one of the things I expect as a western traveler, but it will never be something that I accept.  I realize everyone here is just trying to make a living and get by and the tourists serve as their sole source of income, but despite the poor living conditions, life opportinities, etc, I refuse to accept abhorant practices and devious behaviors as an excuse.  If you and your country are so dependent on tourism, don't create or contribute to an environment that limits tourism.  There are good, honest peole here, like the wonderful woman who made us lunch in the local mercado, but there seems to be many more of the dishonest, disgusting people taking any opportunity to take advantage and/or flat out rob you.  If every tourist who comes to your country gets robbed, sooner or later, you're not going to have so many tourists.  Look at the violence going on in Tijuana, Mexico right now and how it's hurt their main economic stimulus.  I don't even like bartering for things.  Set a price and if I think it's reasonable, I will pay it.  When I'm a visitor in your country, I don't like to treat everyone as a potential thief out to pick my pocket, especially children.  But after all the stories I've heard and the things I've experienced, I realize it's in my best interest to be on guard at all times and not even give people the benefit of the doubt.  I don't like being cold to people who approach me, or ignoring people trying to sell me things, but Ive learned that I'm a target and if you let your guard down for one minute, you're screwed.  The thing that baffles me the most if that this country, as with most Latin American countries, is so heavily Catholic.  I see it as yet another failure of the Catholic Church.  I see locals doing the whole Catholic cross sign across their forehead and chest when they walk past churches and such, yet they turn around and steal from people almost impulsively.  Stealing is probably the worst sin there is in my mind and I cannot fathom someone calling themselves Christian and stealing from people, regardless of their life situation.  Stealing is immoral and if you are truly Catholic, or Protestant, or any other major religion, then you should know your rewards await you in heaven and you will only get to heaven by leading a life like Christ and abiding by the Ten Commandments, one of which includes the imperative not to steal!  The Catholics do such a good job of teaching their adherants to be fruitful and multiply, yet they seem to forget about the moral imperative not to steal.  Go figure.

 

Express Mail

If you need to send something to Perú via express mail, don't expect it to get there within the quoted time period.  I had my sister send me some documents via DHL at a cost of $75 bucks and never got the documents.  When I talked to DHL on the phone, they actually quoted me a different price and transit time than what the DHL office in San Diego quoted my sister in San Diego when she went to send the documents.  It should have taken three business days at most to receive the package, but after three days, it was still in transit according to online tracking so I called to find out more information on the likely arrival date. Unfortunately, the package was not due to arrive until Monday, four business days (six days total) after being sent.  Since I won't be here Monday, I had to reverse the shipment and have them return it to San Diego and I'm still not sure if I'll get any kind of refund since the delay seemed to be DHL's failure and not a customs issue.  Lesson: Good luck with international shipments to second-world countries, and if you must send something internationally, don't use DHL. 

 

Perú's COE (Cost of Essentials):

Large Coffee from a Coffee Shop: $1.00

Pack of Cigarettes: $2.00

McDonalds Value Meal: $4.50

Domestic Draft at the bar: $2.50

Six-Pack at the Grocery: $2.00