Here are the three most dangerous things I have done in Peru, in reverse order of dangerousness:
#3: Crossing the Street
I have discussed the traffic in another post. Crossing a street is dangerous because traffic is heavy and vehicles have the right of way. You have to be really careful to look all ways before crossing a street!
But there are a couple of factors that work in favor of pedestrians:
Crosswalks at traffic lights. Cars DO stop for red lights. The traffic lights for pedestrians display a countdown of seconds until the light will change, reducing the temptation to scurry across the intersection if there is a break in the traffic. It is best to wait patiently for the light to turn green, then carefully look in all directions and proceed. At busy intersections a small herd of other pedestrians has been waiting with you for the light to change and, like wildebeests waiting to cross a crocodile infested river in Africa, if you cross with the herd, you will most likely arrive safely at the other side.
Speed Bumps. Traffic engineers in Salt Lake claim that speed bumps calm traffic. In Peru, they really do! They are often placed a few yards in front of crosswalks. They slow down traffic enough to give pedestrians a chance to cross safely.
#2: Driving on the Panamericano Norte at Night
This is even more dangerous than crossing a busy street!
Many stretches of this highway are chaotic. Traffic is heavy: lots of big trucks and buses and some very slow-moving traffic like farm vehicles and even moto taxis. Even the parts of the highway that are divided with two lanes in each direction are not limited access. There is cross traffic, even pedestrian crossings with speed bumps. Of course all this is even more dangerous at night.
But don’t just take my word for it. A quick Google search for automobile accidents on the Panamericana Norte in Peru will bring up plenty of stories similar to this one about the unsuccessful attempt of a Cúster (passenger van) to pass a lumber truck. Five people died in that accident.
And Daniel drove on this highway for 16 hours straight to Chiclayo! And back! In a small Suzuki! We passed two serious accidents – an overturned truck near Chancay on the way north and another overturned truck on the outskirts of Trujillo on the way back.
We decided we were very lucky and vowed never to do THAT again! We promised ourselves that future road trips would be done in segments of no more than 4 or 5 hours per day. We can take our time and stay overnight in one of the plentiful two-star hotels that are comfortable, clean and inexpensive (less than $20 per night). On our second trip to Chiclayo, we took an overnight bus with wide seats that reclined flat for decent sleeping. And, having neglected to make reservations on the bus for the return trip, we had to catch a last-minute, and therefore expensive, flight back to Lima.
A few weeks later, we took a road trip to Paracas, a four-hour trip south on the Panamericana. The Panamericana Sur is MUCH nicer than the Panamericana Norte. Much of it approaches the level of the interstate highways in the United States.
#1: Taking a Shower
But the most dangerous thing that I do in Peru is taking a shower every morning!
The Old Hot Water Heater
The plumbing in our apartment only provides cold water. But the shower is equipped with an ingenious device that heats the water at the shower head. Unfortunately, the one installed in our shower looks none too safe!
To take a shower, first we turn on the water. Then we turn on the circuit breaker to supply power to the heater in the shower head. The water runs warm within five seconds.
When we are through with our shower, we reverse the process, carefully shutting off the circuit breaker and then turning off the water. We haven’t seen any TV news stories of people being electrocuted in the shower, so we hope it’s safe enough.
The Shower Stall
The shower stall itself is none too safe either! Note the complete lack of grab bars and the 6 inch tall ceramic tile sill. If you were to slip and fall, it is quite likely that you would be injured.
The New Hot Water Heater
A few days after I wrote the first draft of this post, I was getting ready to take a shower after a day at the beach. When I turned on the circuit breaker, there was a loud bang, and a flame briefly appeared from the top of the showerhead! The heater had short circuited and there was no hot water. I took a cold shower, grateful that I had not been electrocuted!
The next day, Daniel, Netita, Renetta, James and I piled into the blue Suzuki and drove a couple of miles to the elegant Plaza Angamos Mall where we bought a new shower heater at the Sodimac store (similar to Lowes or Home Depot). They arranged for a plumber to come and install it.
This is the new hot water heater. The design is much safer. The water is heated in the sealed white box rather than in the shower head. You can also adjust the water temperature.
A plumber came to install it. He carried all his tools in a large cloth bag. We think he took the bus to get here – he didn’t arrive in a van like plumbers in Salt Lake – and when he left, we saw him walking down the street toward the bus stop on Avenida Surco. It took him about an hour to install everything.
To take a hot shower, first you turn on the circuit breaker (not pictured), then the water, and then you press the red button on the heater.
The whole thing, including parts, labor and a tip for the plumber, cost about $110.