Half-Day Local Communities Tour in Lima, Peru

I took my 10 year old daughter and her 13 year old friend on this tour. My initial purpose for arranging this tour was to meet people in Lima who were not connected with the tourist industry. I also wanted to show the children what real poverty is so that they might not complain every time they don't get something they want. I wanted them to see that there are people in the world who get by with a lot less than they have. And, I also didn't want them to leave Lima thinking that it is all fancy restaurants and expensive hotels. Our guide and the driver picked us up at our hotel in San Isidro. The drive to the neighborhood took about 45 minutes. The traffic in Lima is intense. On our way there the kids and I counted the number of free roaming dogs on the streets. Our guide laughed at this, but we explained that we don't see dogs like this in our small Floridian town. By the time we arrived at our destination we had counted more than 350. We stopped after 350. The area is spread out on the side of a large hill. We walked up the hill to our first stop. On the way, my 13 year old was throwing stones for fun. I pointed out to him that he was throwing stones on someone's roof. The roof consisted of a sheet of plywood. Our feet were level with the roof. He looked at that roof and I could see it took him a few moments to understand that that could be a house. Our first stop was at a woman's house. Actually, it had a dirt floor and roof and walls made of rock. So I guess it was more like a cave. She stood behind a long table covered with handmade items. She delivered a rehearsed speech about the items and a little bit about her life. I asked more questions about her life, and one of the children bought a pretty necklace made of purple seeds from the Amazon. We got back in the vehicle and drove to another woman's house who had made us a lunch of chicken and rice. We drank a sweet red beverage made out of corn. I liked it. She also had a prepared speech. I didn't mind the rehearsed narrative because it was informative and she was happy to answer any question I had. Her house was made of boards put together so that they did not fully come together. I could see daylight through the cracks and there were a lot of flies in the house. I asked her if it ever snowed there and she said no. I asked her if she had a backyard or any yard at all. She said no. They have no running water. They are given two jugs about 4 feet tall and 1 foot wide full of water once a week per family. But, you can only get the water if you can prove that you own the house. Lima is in a desert with a coating of dust on everything. Living with little water is a hardship right there. We then went to a sort of after-school meeting place for the kids in the area. They play games there and there are adults who they can talk to if they are having problems. Unfortunately, there were no kids there when we got there. I would've liked to have met them and have my kids meet them. After our tour of this area, we drove to the second largest cemetery in the world. The largest is in Iraq. It was not far at all from where we just were. There are approximately one million people buried there. A fascinating aspect of this cemetery is the combination of Catholicism and witchcraft. For example, there are crosses over every grave with various objects and herbs hung on the crosses that are associated with witchcraft. Witchcraft is apparently common in South America. I didn't know that. There is even an underground store in Lima that sells everything you need to practice witchcraft. Our guide told us that on November 1st, the Day of the Dead, families visit there loved ones and bring food and drink and generally have a party. I think it's a wonderful custom. I would recommend this tour to everyone. The guide was well informed, I felt perfectly safe and both of the children said it was the highlight of our trip to Lima. Well, the boy said sandboarding and offroading in the desert was number one, but he loves sports so I'm not surprised.

I did leave a long review on Trip Advisor that simply stated that this half day is educational, important and that the tour leader and driver are invested, caring, authentically concerned and proud of their work. We met two young women who started a small day care/preschool who were so obviously innately smart and capable. Clearly they were wanting to better their's and others living situations and both were college bound. This is definitely not your typical tour and poor and need communities not on your list during a vacation. But, if you are interested in the state of the world, needing a reminder that we life an extraordinary life in the U. S. you will not regret spending a half day doing this trip. You also get to eat lunch in a resident's home and if you care, you'll ask questions. They are so willing to share their stories and hardships with concern for education and their children. Hard to believe!

This tour was just fantastic! To see the 'other side' of Lima is a must and Elina and Alternative Peru made the experience just perfect. First, with a visit to the amazing Cementerio Virgen de Lourdes, then a visit to senor Balvina, who belongs the Bridge of Hope, a Fair Trade organisation that helps her develop her handicraft work and sales. Last, it was to Nueva Rinconada, where we were given lunch by senora Ninfa and met Elizabeth, a vibrant girl so motivated to progress her education, but also a tutor with Jugando Aprendo, an NGO that helps child domestic workers but has funding problems. It is not voyeuristic and the tour does support the work of the local non-profit organization Asociación Grupo de Trabajo Redes AGTR / La Casa de Panchita. If you want to see the 'other side' of Lima and support those who need help, take this tour and you wont be disappointed.