"A City of Contrasts" a Lima Travel Page by cruisingbug

Lima is a city of the richest rich in Peru, as well as the poorest poor.

For the wealthy, it means life in Miraflores and San Isidro, dinners at the most exclusive country clubs and seaside restaurants, and the services of maids, nannies and drivers.

For those less fortunate, Lima is a dim and depressing place. Many of the poor are Indians from the Andes, who came in search of a better life but instead live in abject poverty on the outskirts of town. Their children beg in the streets and they themselves try to find ways to cash in on the tourists passing through on their way to Machu Picchu, by selling artifacts at streetcorners.

It's the age-old story of the conquerors (those of Spanish descent) ruling the conquered (those of Incan descent). Spanish Limenos are suspicious of Andean Indians going about their daily lives in Lima. But up in Cusco, these Incan descendents are rightly proud of their heritage, as they compare Incan architecture with shoddy Spanish work.

Lima is a seaside town, by location, but by no means by economics, with little to offer tourists. The city's beaches teem with locals - the wealthy, though, retreat to beach houses outside the city to escape the smog and noise. An endless cacophony of horns and car alarms (used as horns) define the city's drivers, and in some areas of town, the air is practically unbreathable.