[Itinerary Page]The daily diary of a wandering restaurateur
November 3 - Last Day in Peru
After some last-minute shopping in Cuzco, we caught a Lan Peru flight for Lima. My original plan was to spend the night in Lima and catch our flight back to the US on Thursday at 1:00 in the afternoon, I thought. When I discovered that the plane left at 1:00 in the morning ... and on Friday, not Thursday ... I thought we might want more time in the capital city, so didn't worry about it. But by the time we headed back toward Lima, we were really ready just to head for home. Fortunately, Delta agreed to switch our tickets to leave a day earlier, so we took a cab to our hotel (the same one we stayed at when we first arrived) and just used the room as a base for six hours or so.
We headed off for the final shopping run in Miraflores, then had nice dinner at a Swiss restaurant by the main park. (Pizza Street will have to wait for a return trip.) We had enough time to return to the hotel, take a shower, repack, check e-mail and watch a movie before heading to the airport. Very civilized ... and we get home a day early!
So what impressions and insights do we bring back from the trip?
The constant barrage of street vendors reminded me that I always like to BUY but I do not like to be SOLD. The more these peddlars tried to force their products on me, the less attention I paid. When I visited a shop or stall because something attracted my attention, I was open to discussion and a sales pitch. So while I have no problem with someone making sure the world knows what they have to offer, better success will come if that word goes out in a way that piques someone's interest rather than assaults them with a sales message. If you cannot differentiate what you offer in a world where people are bombarded with more and more messages, you are lost ... or at best relegated to only your share of the pie.
I was surprised by the number of pizzerias, especially in tourist areas. The next most prevalent business seemed to be Internet cafes. Even small towns had more than one place to get online. Finding a place where you could connect via your own computer was more difficult, though. On one hand, it was great to be able to stay in touch. On the other hand, it was unnerving to feel the urge to stay in touch. I am all for being responsive, but the idea that we have to be accessible 24/7 ... or that we expect someone else to be ... is taking the concept of service a little too far.
I was impressed with how happy the people in the remote areas are, at least at the moment. It seems that those with "the least" might, in fact, have the most. Now perhaps this just means that ignorance is bliss ... but does that make ignorance wrong? They could benefit from water treatment that keeps the kids from picking up parasites. They could probably benefit from improved sanitation. Electricity will give them some options they don't have now ... but when television comes to a village like Patacancha, what real good can it do? Will MTV really make their lives better?
I was reminded again that life goes on in many languages, and it goes on quite nicely, thank you. We often think that our view of the world is the only one that is right. (Not a political statement there unless you are looking for one) But there are a lot of ways to live and while they are not all particularly pretty or neat, they seem to do the job. I think that if people traveled more, we would have less struggle in the world. The trick is not to impose your standards on others, but to accept their ways with respect and healthy curiousity. In life, there are lots of right answers.
© 2004 Restaurant Doctor