THE TAXI EXPERIENCE

To catch a taxi in Lima you must first obtain a Zac of your own. Then the iron gate is unlocked by the security guard and you are let out into the street. Your Zac makes the slightest movement of his fingers and a taxi appears. Only taxis with the registration number on the side are accepted. A price is negotiated through the window and if deemed acceptable, the security guard writes the registration number down on his pad (just in case.......) and you jump in very quickly and lock the doors. As five are too many for one taxi, he first deposits the brave men (with the money and instructions) into one taxi and then finds another one for a similar price.

As you drive through the streets, to the sound of horns, it is best not to watch as ten lanes converge into three. The horn is used in many ways - sometimes meaning "Would you like a taxi?" "Get out of my way!" "Excuse me, I'm coming through" "Come on, we've been here long enough" "Can't you see that the lights have changed" They actually drive with one hand on the horn and they have all these religious symbols hanging from the rear-view mirror to keep them safe. While waiting at lights or traffic jams, in the middle of all these lanes, people walk - hawking their wares. They sell pens, lollies, soft drinks, rulers and today we saw toilet paper! (Which we thought we may have needed ourselves)