Lima Warning or Danger Tips by AKtravelers

My cousin who lives in Lima used his connections to get us a special, private tour of Peru's Presidential Palace. Unfortunately, one thing my cousin neglected to tell us was that short pants were not allowed. In fact, I had worried about that, but my slacks were very wrinkled from sitting in my luggage and Andrea suggested my shorts were more presentable.

Well, not according to Palace Security, who feared that visiting dignitaries might see my legs and relations with Peru might deteriorate. They told me "No short Pants" and were ready to deny me the tour. I desperately asked if I could go out and buy some. I couldn't disappoint my cousin who had pulled a lot of strings.
They said okay, but I needed to hurry.
Frantically, I raced through the side alleys and streets around the Plaza de Armas. Unfortunately, it was still only 9:30 and that is too early for stores to be open in a country like Peru. The few places that were open were pharmacies, which didn't sell pants. I was about ready to give up when I noticed a fabric mall just opening its doors, so I wandered in to see three young girls opening one of the stores for the day. "I need pants" I said in my most desperate sounding Spanish"
" We don’t have pants for men." they replied.
"Me necessito. Ahora. No problema. (I need them. Now. No problem)"
With that, they allowed me to look through their selection and directed me to an area of woman{s beach attire where some parachute-type pants were on sale. They were meant to be loose and breezy, and with a tie waist, they could fit me. They were tie-dyed orange, pink and pastel blue. I chose the most masculine -- the blue -- and sprinted back to the palace. As you can see from the photo, they let me take the tour wearing them, though not without the attractive female tour guide rolling over in laughter at my fashion crime.
If you don't want to be laughed at, wear long pants for your Palace tour!

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Of course, no crime is petty when it happens to you, so take precautions against pickpockets and outright theft. Use your hotel room safe and carry your valuables in a money belt, with a decoy wallet containig a few soles for small transactions and to satisfy the armed robber. Don't go out in the city center at night and, in general, don't go out alone at night.
Even in the nicest neighborhoods, like Miraflores in Lima, people live behind bars, barbed wire and electric fence. Glass recycling in Peru means turning bottles into shards that can be implanted on the tops of cement walls. With a vast gulf between the rich and poor, Lima will always be plagued by crime.
All that said, we never had any problems. Check the embassy web sites for guidance on the latest scams.

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This should be obvious, but the slums are dangerous places for people who are clearly tourists and look like they have money. DO NOT GO THERE!!

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