(click to enlarge...it's a high resolution shot and gets real big)This is my fave shot of Lima because it's the best representation possible. It really is like this in 95% of the city (you won't be surprised to find out that dignitaries will only get to see 5% of the city). Drab town, drab weather, drab people*.
So anyway, there are 21 countries turning up to this APEC summit thingy, Peru is all very proud, there are 60,000 police and soldiers on the streets of Lima, the capital city has been given three days' official public holiday to make sure there isn't a whole bunch of proles around to ruin the whole thing. Hmmm...what else? Oh yeah, journalists are already bored with the whole thing, the "Aren't I So Radical To Be A Gringo And Live In Lima?" blogs are writing up on their fave restaurants, maybe trying to snag a diplo celeb on camera this weekend or get an autograph or something. These people rarely leave the comfort of Miraflores, San Isidro or Surco...beats me why they think themselves experts on the city. Whatevs.....
Nicest story so far is the guy who was arrested trying to get to the city centre carrying 36 hand grenades (I kid you not, dear reader). Also, this might be the time to remember how Sendero recently got its hands on a whole stack of dynamite when they robbed a mining outpost.
APEC is one of those meetings where much is expected but nothing ever seems to happen. In fact, it's the perfect conference for a place like Lima.
*"drab people" is the only thing that may be harsh, here. Good OttoFriends live in Lima. But the city gets anyone down after a while.
So anyway, there are 21 countries turning up to this APEC summit thingy, Peru is all very proud, there are 60,000 police and soldiers on the streets of Lima, the capital city has been given three days' official public holiday to make sure there isn't a whole bunch of proles around to ruin the whole thing. Hmmm...what else? Oh yeah, journalists are already bored with the whole thing, the "Aren't I So Radical To Be A Gringo And Live In Lima?" blogs are writing up on their fave restaurants, maybe trying to snag a diplo celeb on camera this weekend or get an autograph or something. These people rarely leave the comfort of Miraflores, San Isidro or Surco...beats me why they think themselves experts on the city. Whatevs.....
Nicest story so far is the guy who was arrested trying to get to the city centre carrying 36 hand grenades (I kid you not, dear reader). Also, this might be the time to remember how Sendero recently got its hands on a whole stack of dynamite when they robbed a mining outpost.
APEC is one of those meetings where much is expected but nothing ever seems to happen. In fact, it's the perfect conference for a place like Lima.
*"drab people" is the only thing that may be harsh, here. Good OttoFriends live in Lima. But the city gets anyone down after a while.