Backpacking Through South America 8 Thieves

 These thefts are most common in big cities. We’d heard that sometimes travelers have their backpacks slashed on the street, and the thieves follow behind picking up whatever falls out. 

So when we arrived in Lima, we made sure to always walk side by side on the street and watch each other, which made the job of any potential thieves much more difficult.

Janin Klemenčič (to be continued)

Backpacking Through South America 7 Sendero Luminoso

 
In the 1990s, far fewer foreigners have been visiting Peru than before. The Maoist insurgent group Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) was still active and brutal, even though their leader Guzmán was imprisoned long ago. Cholera, which raged a few years before, reportedly still hasn’t been eradicated. And another issue: nowhere in the world are locals as inventive and skilled at theft as in Peru.

Janin Klemenčič (to be continued)

Backpacking Through South America 6 Colectivo

 A colectivo is the South American version of a cross between a taxi and a bus. Most often, it's a private car or van, packed to the brim with passengers, but it doesn't have many intermediate stops.

Ours was a good 30-year-old Cadillac without bumpers and missing two windows, with corrosion having taken a firm hold all over it.

Txt & Photos: Janin Klemenčič (to be continued)

Backpacking Through South America 5

 
Peruvian Troubles

We landed after five and a half hours. It was cloudy, humid, and hot. We wanted to get into the city by bus, but a local we’d met on the plane advised us to take a colectivo instead. The bus is cheaper, but probably none would show up for a long time, and they are extremely slow. . Janin Klemenčič (to be continued)