Lima by train

The traffic in Lima is congested, frightening, and fast!  Our friends, the Records, suggested that we take a tour of the city, and we were skeptical to say the least until they told us it would be by train!

Escalator down

Big spacious ticket area

It was a Saturday, so we missed the work crowd.  The card to ride cost 5 soles, a dollar and a half.  The fare on the card was another 5 soles.

Here is the train.  It was clean and comfortable and by the end of the trip, very crowded.

They were very polite and gave seats to the old people.

We got to see Lima from the far south limits of the city to the far north limits.  We stayed on the train until we got to the end of the line both ways.

Skyscrapers and modern buildings down town.

Concrete construction, hmm...

There were lots of contrasts on the trip.  The rich and well-to-do and the poor.

This is Gamarra.  A part of the city you don't want to know.  There is much crime and evil. But everyone says you can buy anything you want real cheap at the outdoor stands!

This is a water-less villa, dirty and obviously very poor.

It was air-conditioned inside the train, but these poor people have no doors or windows or water.

We walked around after the train ride and this street, Javier Prado, is one of the longest busiest in Lima.Today doesn't show the amount of usual traffic.  It is extremely light here.  There are usually 5 or 6 lanes bumper to bumper on weekdays! 

This is the modern, National Theater, which is near the train station.  We enjoyed a concert one night with other senior couples.

This was a good way to see much of Lima.