Lima Warning or Danger Tips by MovingMere

Once we escaped the mass of taxi drivers accosting us at the airport, we got into a cab in a quiet area nearby. I noticed that the driver kept running all the red lights. It was about 0100, so I thought it might be like some intersections in the states in the early morning hours. The stoplights blink, so you can stop at a red light and pass through if no one is going. I thought it was a bit odd that he wasn't stopping at all, so I asked Luis about it. He just grinned and said that the lights were "just a suggestion."

Traffic is nuts here. The red lights are just a suggestion in the middle of the day as well. Cars inch out into the intersection and announce their arrival by blowing their horn. And they have all kinds of horns - Luis said they spend extra money on getting cool or loud horns. Switching lanes is done whether there's room or not. I was amazed that I didn't see any major wrecks, but I guess it's a lucky combination of driving slow enough and being used to the mess that keeps them safe. By the end, I was used to not wearing a seat belt and even jumped out of a moving bus. There are no predetermined stops, so when Luis jumped out, I got nervous and jumped out too. He made fun of me for that one, because the bus stopped a few feet down and I could have stepped out. It was kind of funny, and as the only white girl in the area, it was hard to blend in and pretend no one noticed. Oh well.

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If you are walking in the ocean and you feel a biting or stabbing on your foot, you might have gotten stabbed by a ray. Have someone try to suck the venom out immediately so the pain will subside. If you can't do this, then try to get your hands on either hot water or something that you can burn and let smolder (dried poop works well). Get your puncture as close to the source of heat as possible and the pain should lesson - this may take 45-60 minutes.

Be sure to eat something and rest for several hours afterwards. I didn't do this and paid the price shortly after.

The fisherman said that if I had been stung on the top or back of my foot, then I would have passed out with pain. My pain only went up to my ankle, but it could travel up your entire leg. He also said that I was pretty strong for not crying because he knew grown fishermen who cried after being stabbed. The wound doesn't look very impressive, but the venom sure did cause pain.

(for the whole story, see travelogue)

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