The infamous combis

My first combi (mini-bus) ride on my first day in Lima was to the Book Festival at the National Museum and I went all by myself. Combis are private mini-buses that have various routes and they compete with each other for passengers so they drive like maniacs on the roads. They are the main form of public transportation and during rush hour they are packed like sardines. So on my first, completely overwhelmed day in Lima, I decided to take a combi. I watched a few people get on and off the combis and I decided to jump on the next combi that stopped at my bus stop. The driver was yelling in Spanish so fast that I'm not sure any of you who took college-level Spanish could even understand. Needless to say I couldn't understand but my Peruvian friend told me to ask, "Todo Arequipa?" which is the main street I needed to go down. He nodded so I jumped on.

I paid him one sole (Peruvian money) and he put out his hand and wanted more money but my Peruvian friend said it only costs uno sole and I couldn't understand a word he was saying and eventually he gave up. I opened my phrasebook and practiced the phrase, "Puede decirme donde tengo que bajarme?" (Can you tell me when I need to get off?) but as soon as I closed the book I forgot the phrase so I looked it up again, and again, and finally got the courage to ask. He said "Donde?" (Where?) and I knew that phrase so I told him the street.

Fifteen minutes later after a whirlwind ride through roundabouts and nearly crashing a dozen times he said, "Seniorita" and I got off. So it wasn't as scary as I thought but still an adrenaline rush. Rather than taking another combis, I decided to walk to the museum. Forty five minutes later and after inhaling more auto exhaust than I have living in Minneapolis for 25 years, I finally found the museum.

Getting back to Miraflores was a different story but I'll save that for later.

Photos of Local Peruvian Artists at the Ferria del Libro at the Museo de la Nacion in Lima. Note that most people in Lima dress like we do (nice pants and a shirt) but there were a few artists from smaller villages in their beautiful dresses.