Peruvian Crime & Traffic

New reevaluation on my 15-second rule!  After a near collision with a bus the time rule for stepping off the curb has been moved back another 20 seconds. Everything will stop and then a late comer will use the gutter to squeeze past and zip through the intersection.

The traffic is definitely the most interesting thing in Peru. Thought the busses were interesting.  However, we were in a cab yesterday when the driver made a right turn and high-centered her cab on the curb. It was stuck on the frame and we had to get out of the vehicle to get some weight off.  We were blocking two lanes of traffic.  The inside lane on the street we were about to enter and the side street we were turning from.  People were not happy, and I think I am lucky my Spanish has not advanced to capture what was being said.  I made a quick analyses of what needed to be done, gave a few commands in my best Spanish, and watched the driver put the taxi in reverse, backed off the curb and into the vehicle behind her.  I had been watching the right front wheel and the collision was not my fault.  I looked up just in time to see a po’ed driver giving me the Peruvian high sign.  I said “lo siento” which I think means So Sorry, rubbed his bumper with my shirtsleeve and jumped back into the cab. Think I made right. 

Crime in Peru

While walking down the street today some homeless Peruvian grabbed a young girl on the posterior. The girl turned and caught the guy with a good left hook.  The blow caught the guy by surprise and he did failed to see the second one coming.  This second blow was with her hand bag and the bag came round the guy’s head and caught him right across the face. The guy staggered, fell against a near by wall and looked as if he was sorry he ever thought about grabbing a girl.

Was in camera Kiosk looking at cameras this PM. Things were very busy and I was surprised when the salesman took the Nikon 3100 from the glass case to let me put my hands on the thing.  The camera Kiosk salesman three feet behind me was doing the same with his customer. All of a sudden the salesman to my rear is over the counter and running after a guy with a camera.  Kris, standing at my side witnessed the whole thing.  I never saw the guy or the stolen camera.  I left the building and thought I might see a camera being sold cheep on a near by street corner.  No luck, guess I need to pay full price. 

On the other side of the coin:

Here we are in some little corner of the world working in a National Archives that is about 50 yards square, with books stacked 20 feet high in rows three feet apart. The goal of the church is to copy one-million names per year in this archive. We have been told that there is 20 years of work waiting.  I look at the books with about 500 names each, and think about all the people these volumes represent. I know there are seven other Peruvian projects in progress similar to the one we are working on.  How many archives there are around the world I have no idea, but there must be many. I am sure many names are waiting for the Payson Temple.


Bob