Sitting in the departures lounge of Jorge Chávez International Airport, sipping at a cappuccino as my 15 minutes free wifi runs out it is hard to believe that I have come to the end of my journey in Lima. I remember having a conversation with a fellow Spanish student in my first week of university about whether we would be choosing Spain or Latin America for our year abroad. I told her “I think Latin America would be amazing but I’ll probably end up being too scared and will do Spain instead!” Safe to say I am very glad that 18 year old Sarah is not still making my decisions for me.
The idea of Latin America being scary is one that has been created through a mixture of accurate history lessons and less accurate Hollywood blockbusters. One of the things that struck me when I first moved to Lima was how surprisingly ordinary everything about the city was. True, there are some elements that even now seem alien to me (the bus system truly is a revelation) but for the most part, there is nothing about this city that is anymore ‘scary’ than it would be to live in London. However, what makes Lima such a magical place is how the ordinary is mixed with the utterly extraordinary.
It seems that the reason that Lima has this reputation of being somewhat dangerous is due to its past. It is true that were I to have made this same trip to Lima twenty years ago, I would likely have had a very different experience. Fujimori was in his second term as President and the Shining Path terrorist group were at their height. This was a time of great urbanisation in Lima and great uncertainty across Peru. Considering that this is a relatively recent past, it is impressive to see that Lima is now among the most developed cities in South America. This dramatic change from unstable, terror driven capital to up and coming cultural centre has led to Lima having a unique feel to it that may at any moment be taken away by an influx of tourism.
During my time here I have been to a porn star’s art exhibition, been gifted a human skull and chanced across Peru’s equivalent of the Backstreet Boys on a night out. Each of these circumstances, whilst in England would come across as somewhat insane, here in Lima have just slotted into the ebb and flow of everyday life. One of the wonderful things about this city is the people. Before moving from the UK, I was warned countless times not to trust anyone as “you never know who might be a thief or worse…” but, from the comfort of the airport lounge waiting for a flight back to the UK, I can now safely say I have not met a single untrustworthy or even unfriendly Peruvian. In fact, I think it will be a shock for me returning to the UK and the frigid culture of converstionless taxi rides and unhelpful locals.
Many of the wonderful (if slightly bizarre) experiences that have happened here have come from just chatting to someone in the street or at an event and finding out you have many common interests. It is for this reason that I would say Lima is, as yet, not a tourist city. Despite being the capital of Peru, it feels that it is the type of place you have to live in to really experience. From nights out in bars set up in crumbling mansions to visits to small, obscure museums, so much of Lima is inaccessible for tourists staying for just a few short days. However, even in my time here, I have seen lots of money from the government going into developing Lima’s more touristy side. The light park in Lince, whilst relatively low key when I first went in June, has been becoming increasingly popular and, on my last visit at the beginning of October, had people queuing outside to get in! Not to mention the food which is becoming an ever more global attraction. Having never tasted Peruvian cuisine before, I am now going to be hard pressed to live without my weekly dose of Ceviche and Lomo Saltado. Furthermore, with Cusco just an hours flight away and British Airways recently opening up a direct flight London to Lima, it is making ever more sense to stop by the capital for a prolonged period of time if you’re making a trip to Peru.
It seems likely that in another twenty years or so, Lima is going to be a hub of tourism and modern Peruvian culture which is great for gap year students and travellers but for someone who has lived in this amazing city seems almost disappointing. There is nothing quite like the thrill you get if you’ve, as a friend of mine puts it, ‘legitimately scouted’ something. I feel ridiculously proud to be able to say I have spent time living in Lima and, paradoxical as it will come across, would advise everyone to head out to this city as soon as they can and LIVE like a Limeñan. Drink Callao’s Pilsen, eat at a different Menú everyday and meet the wonderful people of Lima because before too long, the opportunity will be gone and this will become just another hub of global tourism.
Views From A Bridge 