It is 10:10 our time on Thursday night here in Lima. We are tired after our third day in the city. We arrived in Lima at 7:00am on Tuesday, en route from Trujillo. Our first stop in Lima: Starbucks. Our first cup of brewed coffee in a month. Resassuringly, starbucks here is exactly the same as at home. Same tables, chairs, signage, napkin holders, etc... Only the food is better. It was nice to see something so familiar. Interestingly though, we found that Starbucks has priced its coffee and food here on par with its prices elsewhere in the world. For example, a medium coffee is 6 soles - 2 dollars. A muffin is 5 soles - $1.75. After we left Starbucks, and began to tour around Miraflores, a municipality on the outskirts of Lima (on the beach), we quickly realized that many stores here are priced at American rates. Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Dunkin´ Donuts, Burger King, KFC, TGI Fridays, numerous clothing stores, Radio Shack, the grocery store, etc... are but some examples.

We arrived in Lima expecting little. We had heard reports numerous times of pollution, crime, overpopulation, corruption, etc... Therefore, we only expected to stay a day or two. However, we immediately fell in love with Miraflores - likely having to do with its numerous similarities to home. Tree lined streets, parks and greenspace, functional traffic lights, toilet paper and toilet seats in the washrooms, a supermarket remarkably similar to IGA in Vancouver and the new Safeway in Duncan, we feel much more safe, all buildings well constructed and maintained, and clean, level, and continuous sidewalks are the norm here. We can honestly say that we feel like we are in a city in California (its still much hotter than Canada). On the flipside (as mentioned above) this area is more costly if we are not careful.

We are staying near the heart of Miraflores, in a small hostel located next to a roundabout (traffic circle). Great idea here, these roundabouts not only negate the need for traffic lights, but also function as small parks, as they are made of grass, benches, gardens and trees. Four blocks away is the most amazing grocery store (recall the comparision to IGA and Safeway). We have been living off their salad bar and sweets. This morning, we went to their cafeteria to have real pancakes with maple syrup. We are going back tomorrow and the next day as well. Five or six blocks away is the ocean. While slightly polluted, it still provides an excellent walk and view. Ten or fifteen minutes from our hostel, there is the LarcoMar Shopping center, which is a three story outdoor mall built into the side of the cliff. Maya found a dress there, and we are going back tomorrow so she can try it on and hopefully buy it. (It is priced at American rates though).

After finding our hostel on Tuesday morning, we explored Miraflores. Saw numerous handicraft markets (Braden bought a wool day bag), the municipal hall, and the main streets. Looked long and hard for cheap food. Exhausted and dirty from the overnight bus ride and exploring all day, we were asleep by nine.

Up early the next morning (Wednesday) to Braden complaining about sharp abdominal pains. This was added to his inability to swallow properly (a condition which he had been suffering since the bus ride on Monday night). As we are on Malaria pills, we looked on the interent and in our medication pamphlets for potential side effects. What we found was that both of Braden´s side effects were under the ¨consult your doctor immediately¨ list. Looking in the Lonely Planet for nearby clinics or hospitals, we headed for the walk in clinic at the Clinica Anglo Americano (The British American Hospital). Here, Braden was given a room in emergency immediately as all of the GP´s in the clinic were busy. A nurse took Bradens vitals within five minutes, and a doctor was seeing Braden within ten. The doctor ordered two blood tests and two swabs, which were done on the spot. The doctor said that it would take the lab 2 hours to process the blood tests and 24 hours to process the swab. Before leaving the hospital we had to pay for the services. (After speaking with our Spanish teacher in Ecuador, we were under the understanding that doctors visits in South America typically cost 5 to 10 dollars). However, Braden´s doctors bill came to a total of 588 soles, almost 200 dollars. Shocked, we asked why was such as small thing was so costly. It turned out that the Clinica Anglo Americano is a private hospital, and that we had just had our first experience in a two tier/public private health care system.

We killed a bit of time by exploring nearby ruins, and then returned to the hospital for the blood test results. Everything came back clean. We were told that the lab was running ahead of schedule, and that we could return after dinner for the swab results. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring downtown Lima. Caught a taxi to the downtown square, and went to the Monestario de San Francisco to see the building and catacombs. The woodwork and designs in the buildings were amazing. The monestary houses one of the most important libraries in Latin America. The catacombs were creepy. With over 25,000 buried there, we saw a heck of a lot of bones.

Back to the hospital for the results again. The diagnosis: (dont laugh) Influenza B. We had just paid 200 dollars for something our moms could of told us. Afterwards, Braden went over his bill with one of the doctors who spoke English. Here´s what we found out. The doctor consultation cost 215 soles, each blood test 30 soles, a doctor surcharge of 40 soles, a room fee of 40 soles, a couple other small fees, and a 215 soles fee!!! to find out that Braden had the flu. Braden asked the doctor why they charged people approximately 70 dollars to find out something that a little rest and tylenol might cure, and he said that because it is a private hospital, they have to because of insurance reasons and because they had to ensure that Braden was not bringing in a new disease to Peru. We also found out that the hospital was the best in Peru, that it has the best doctors and provides the best treatment, that it is the most expensive, and that only 2% of the population has access to it. We asked the doctor what would happen if a homeless person came in needing treatment. We were told that everyone has the right to treatment (free of charge) in a life or death situation, but if someone is in stable condition, all the hospital will provide is antiseptic and bandages, and then ship that person off to a national hospital. Unfortunately, the doctor and another nurse both advised us not to go to one of the national hospitals as the treatment and facilities are sub par. We spent the rest of the evening discussing the advantages and disadvantages of public private health care, and decided to visit a national hospital the next day (today).

Today, as we walked along a street in Miraflores after our pancake breakfast, Maya exclaimed that we still hadn´t gotten in touch with the Canadian embassy to inform them of our travels. Coincidentally, we glanced to our right, and there in front of us was the Canadian Embassy. It was nice to see the Canadian Flag. After registering, we found Starbucks, (noted that it is wierd how Starbucks can buy coffee beans from Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Columbia at a low price, but then sell the coffee back to them at a price only few can afford), and went in seach of bus tickets to Pisco (a town four hours south). Lonely Planet recommended Ormeno, but at the bus station, the ticket agent tried to charge us 40 soles each. Over double what should be the actual cost, we left in search of another company. Only half a block away, we found another at a cost of 17 soles. After making friends with a driver of that company, we now have a coupon for two tickets for 12 soles each.

We will leave our discussion of Lima for our next blog. We are leaving Lima on Saturday, as we really like it here and there is more we want to see. We will finish this blog with a quick note about the national hospital which we visited today. On our way into Lima we drove past one national hospital which is in a dirty old building in an unsafe neighbourhood. Later on, we found another hospital to visit in a safer part of town. The hospital was clean. There were many people in the waiting room. Here, we met a Peruvian who is now a dental assistant in New Jersey. He told us a bit about both the Peruvian and American systems. He said that in Peru at a national hospital, doctors visits cost between 4 and 10 soles, wait times are approximately a half hour, the most a surgery will cost is 900 soles, and that you have to pay for everything, but that it is cheap. We are not sure if this refers to all of Peru or just Lima, as the hospitals here (while called national), are actually municipally run. He then told us that in America, he can´t afford health care, because even though he is a dental assistant, it would cost him 550 dollars a month.

We have decided that we are against a public private health care system, as it seems unfair that the upper class get the best doctors and care. However, we are in a moral delimma as to if we would use a private health care facility in Canada if one existed. For example, if one of us, or a family member, was in desperate need of health care, and it was only possible through a private hospital, then we would logically want to use that service. At the same time, we realize that this is unfair to those without. Therefore, the only solution it seems is not to allow private healthcare in Canada, or to restrict what treatments a private instution could provide (ie. cosmetic surgery).

Must go as others want this computer. We may update and reword this blog in the future. Will write again in a couple days from Pisco.

Love to you all. Hope all is well and we are thinking of you.

Maya and Braden

xoxo