When I decided to leave everything familiar to me and travel to a foreign country I never dreamed what awaited me. In fact one hour before I landed at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima, Peru I had a moment of “oh, shit what am I doing” because I am entering a country I know very little about and cannot speak the local language. I was literally about to enter a world I knew nothing about and was not fully prepared for. There was no turning back at this point and certainly no changing my mind as the wheels made contact with the tarmac and the orange lights of the airport glowed through the night sky. Prior to landing each passenger was required to fill out two forms, The Andean Migration Card and a Baggage Declaration Form.
Upon exiting the plane I was relieved to see that almost
every sign had dual languages (English & Spanish) but alas I followed the
masses to the Immigration check point. Here I had to present my Passport and
The Andean Migration Card to the officer who asked questions about my stay,
duration, and then he returned my Passport. The TAM form was ripped in two and
the lower portion was returned to me. This lower portion is very important as I
would need it to exit the country in a month. Failure to present it would result in excess
fees to gain passage and leave the country. Luckily for me I was able to keep
track of this form and present it when I was ready to leave. I collected my
luggage and presented the second form given to me on the plane, the Baggage
Declaration Form and a luggage tag given to me in Pittsburgh. The final hurtle
in the airport was to pass by a machine and push the button to gain passage, if
green you were free to go and red meant your baggage was subject to further
searches. I of course got a red light, which meant I had to leave the line and
take my baggage to a secondary scanning area and show all identification again.
This sounds worse than it really is and I was through it quickly and on my way
out of the airport.
Thankfully, the organization I traveled with (Cross Cultural
Solutions) provided all in-country transportation including pick up from the
airport and transport to the home base. This courtesy also extended to our
daily placement in the surrounding communities. The ride to the home base was
very disorienting as everything was in Spanish and I could not read any of the
local signage. What I was able to do was find familiar brands and logos from
the United States and find familiarities from home.
Each day that I was in Peru I learned more and more about
the local culture and my Spanish slowly began to improve. Simply, this was a
result of full cultural immersion into a foreign society. It was no longer a
matter of I will learn this in time as it was now a matter of survival. I had
to be able to ask basic things such as where is the bathroom, can you help me
and negotiate a cab ride. In essence I went from being able to verbally express
my needs and wants to that of a child who had to point to express himself. In
the beginning I had to identify who was fluent in Spanish and try to stick
close to them without being a bother. I never wanted to rely upon anyone else
to state what I needed but there were times when this was absolutely necessary.
As I mentioned my Spanish slowly improved from basic words, to simple phrases
and commands to being able to order in Spanish and hail a cab on my own. I was
by no means an expert but I was becoming more independent each day I was in
Peru. I am confident that if my trip duration was longer my communication
abilities would have continued to improve. No matter how long I was in Peru I
don’t think I could have ever successfully learned Quechua, which is an indigenous language spoken in many areas including
Villa el Salvador. Perhaps that will be something for a future trip to Peru.
Being able to
communicate was vital to my stay in Peru and I learned many quick survival
strategies that I implemented each day. I created note cards with common
phrases that I would likely encounter or need. I also used my phone to
communicate locations and items via different Peru travel apps (Peru City Walk
Lite/ iTranslate) that I downloaded prior to my departure. Another problem that
I encountered was shopping at the local grocery store when I was unable to
locate items I couldn’t ask for help. So the next time I went I had a visual
shopping list to aid me, I took pictures of things I needed and would show them
to clerks who could point me in the right direction. This little trick served
me well at the grocery store and any time I needed something. It is important
to note that my survival tricks and my Spanish skills are not perfect and at
times led to humorous outcomes especially when ordering items at restaurants.
Perhaps the most important thing I learned was to remain calm, and be patient since
not being able to communicate was immensely frustrating for those around me.
Traveling in-country
is another matter altogether. I will say there is definitely no shortage of
cabs and cab drivers willing to drive you anywhere at any time of the day or
night. Prior to leaving I read reviews that said use this color cab as opposed
to this one. I did not follow this rule and managed to get by just fine, with
one exception it is important to pay attention to details. One afternoon we
took a cab and paid the driver only to realize there were no markings on the
cab and no numbers on the windshield. It was somebody who just picked us up and
made a few soles for his troubles. No one is perfect and this was our moment of
oops and to pay closer attention. When dealing with cab drivers there are a few
things I did follow, first if the cab was severely beat up and run down it
wasn’t worth riding in, second, I avoided any vehicle that was small such as a
Daewoo (a Daewoo is a rolling coffin on Peruvian roadways), always check for
seatbelts and finally negotiate a price prior to accepting a cab ride then stick
to that price no matter what. All too often cab drivers would bait and switch
by offering a low price to start and demand more upon arrival. This happened to
me personally and I made sure to confirm the price twice before accepting and
he raised it considerably once at the house. I paid what I agreed to and exited
the vehicle all while being screamed at for more soles. Do not use this as a
way to handle a situation because some drivers can be desperate and will do
anything, my driver simply left. Also be
prepared for some of the craziest driving conditions you will likely ever
encounter. It can be the ultimate thrill ride of craziness or cause you to an
anxiety attack. I don’t recommend sitting in the front seat if you’re easily
upset or faint of heart in certain situations. In the beginning I had a lot of “oh
shit” moments while riding in vehicles and then by the end it was no shock
unless contact was made.
Sanitation. No
matter which district of Lima or outlying community you visit there are similar
issues to be aware of. Due to the fragile nature of the developing sanitation
system you cannot under any circumstance place paper products in the toilets as
it will damage the plumbing. So the alternative is to place all paper based
products in the waste basket. It sounds gross but it what I had to do while
visiting a developing country. In fact, often times I had a roll of toilet
paper stashed on me somewhere as well as purell sanitizer. All too often would go
to a place and use the restroom only to find out there was no toilet paper
available or any soap product to wash my hands. This was especially true during
placement in Villa el Salvador, so I always made sure to carry a few necessary
items with me.
Understanding the
local currency was perhaps the easiest adaptation I endured while being in
Peru. The local currency is called the Peruvian Nuevo Sol or soles for
short. Prior to my departure I did a currency exchange at my local bank branch,
which offered a decent rate but by no means competitive. I did enough to get by
for a week and to cover any immediate in-country expenditures. The best
exchange rate was received at a Western Union not far from the home-base. The
second best exchange rate was from the local bank (Inter-Bank), which allowed
me to use my debit card and withdraw local currency. Keep in mind I notified my
bank prior to my travels so that I wouldn’t encounter any problems, this was
done nearly two months before my departure. For every $1.00 U.S. dollar I received
just under s./ 3, this simple conversion served me well. I also utilized a
great currency exchange app (eCurrency) that allowed me to check the latest
exchange rates.
The food of Peru is an experience all its own, while you can find
familiar favorites just about everywhere you go it’s the local variety that you
truly want. Most Peruvian dishes are characterized by strong
flavors, including sauces whose base comes from spicy peppers and garlic. There
are also a variety of chicken, beef and pork dishes that are usually
accompanied with rice and potatoes. I strongly urge those traveling to try as many local dishes as
possible, such as Ceviche. Ceviche is a seafood dish popular in the coastal
regions of the Americas, especially Central and South America. The dish is
typically made from fresh raw fish marinated in citrus juices, such as lemon or
lime, and spiced with ají or chili peppers. Ceviche is usually accompanied by
side dishes that complement its flavors, such as sweet potato, lettuce, corn,
avocado or plantain. Another dish I tried is Anticucho which can be
found on street-carts and street food stalls. The meat may be marinated in vinegar
and spices
(such as cumin,
ají pepper
and garlic),
and while anticuchos can be made of any type of meat, the most popular are made
of beef heart (anticuchos de corazón). Anticuchos often come with a
boiled potato or bread on the end of the skewer. From experience the skewered
cow heart is quite delicious and is best if cooked on the raw side as it has
more flavor. I also tried Chicharrón. Chicharróns
can be eaten as an appetizer or snack, and the chicken variant can taste like
fried chicken found in the United States. Sides include a kind of red onion
relish,
fried yuca,
and other regional variants. Chicharróns
can also be prepared with fish rather than pork. I was able to try this dish at
different locale throughout San Borja and Ica and each time it was prepared
well and offered great flavors with local flair. Some restaurants even offered
this dish as sandwich that included all the typical sides on one sandwich. Peru
offers many dishes, in fact the number is very close to 500, and I was only
able to try three well-known varieties. Even familiar favorites take on
Peruvian influence, sushi is one example. Before Peru I had never heard of nor
had I tried a Ceviche inspired sushi roll and now I wish I could have more.
The cultural experience of Peru. Due to advances in
archaeology, it is clear that people began settling in Peru thousands of years
ago. Some of the earliest settlers (1250 BC) were the Chavín, Chimú, Nazca and
Tiahuanaco indigenous groups. The more popularly known Inca Empire first surfaced
in the early 12th Century. The Incas thrived through the 16th Century until the
Spanish Conquistadors arrived and set their sights on the regions vast gold and
silver deposits. Consequently, the Spanish took control in the mid 1500s. Peru
lived under Spanish rule until independence was proclaimed on July 28, 1821.
While Peru experienced many political and social struggles in the early stages
of independence, Peru has undoubtedly prospered as an emerging society in
today's modern world.
One thing is certain and that is Peru has many historical points
of interest, museums and a variety of districts each offering a unique take on
local culture. While visiting Peru I had the opportunity to visit a variety of
different locations, including Caral, which is the second oldest civilization in
the Americas. Other destinations included the Nasca Valley and Nasca Lines,
Paracas National Reserve, Ballestas Islands, Huacachina, the National Museum,
The National Museum of the Archaeology, Anthropology, and History of Peru, The
Museum of Inquisition and Congress, the local zoo (Parque de las Leyendas), Miraflores, Ica, Plaza
Mayor, art museums and so many more. The reason I am listing these places is to
demonstrate the variety of destinations that Peru has to offer and there are
far more I never made it to. Each of these destinations with worthy of its own
blog post but in reality it is difficult to capture the true essence of these
locales through an abbreviated blog entry.
While there are many aspects of this trip to consider and
discuss I wanted to touch on the above as a basic overview. I am certain that
even after I post this there will be more things I think of and want to share
but this is a merely a glimpse into my personal experience while traveling
abroad.
