public transportation in lima
We’ve all taken pictures for stories that don’t get published. Oscar and I recently shot a short video about new public transit offerings in Lima for a video we edited for the Bienal de Fotografía de Lima. A week or two before we inaugurated the exhibit the story got cut. Thanks to Vimeo and our blogs we can still give this video life.
Lima is a giant city, about 8.5 million people. Only in the past few years has the city started to develop a system of mass transit. Most in the city rely on an informal system of transportation that consists of micro-buses and vans known as combis. They follow the same routes every day and pack Lima’s main avenues. They are affordable and come frequently. They are crowded and lack formal security. For a new arrival to Lima they are a bit tricky to understand, even worse if you aren’t a native Spanish speaker. The best way to know whether you are getting on the right combi is to ask the cobrador, who usually hangs from the side of the bus, shouting out the route and trying to get more passengers.
Metropolitano – a bus system with a dedicated lane – came to Lima about two years ago. You swipe a re-chargable card and pass through a turnstile to enter the stations. They have video surveillance. Your commute time is almost certainly shorter than braving traffic in a combi. But riders aren’t all happy. They complain that the buses are too crowded and don’t have air conditioning in the hot summer months.
Another recent addition to public transportation options in Lima is Línea 1 – Metro de Lima, known more commonly as the Tren Eléctrico. Construction started decades ago on the line but was later halted. It was finally inaugurated last July. A north-south line, it reduces commute time considerably and has 16 stations with escalators and modern infrastructure. Work on a second line has already begun.
Both projects are a step in the right direction but are only a start to responding to the needs of public transportation in a city the size of Lima. Until a larger and more inclusive system is complete, the combis will fill the streets of Peru’s capital.
holy week in ayacucho, peru
Oscar and I traveled to Ayacucho, Peru, last week to cover Holy Week in the Andean city known for its traditional celebrations. While there we produced this video for Catholic News Service and dozens of images. The celebration lasts 10 days. Almost every night there is a procession of hundreds of people, and visitors come from all over the country. Now that we are back in Lima I hope to look through my images again and share a few that didn’t make the cut.
prayer and panettone
Decades ago Italian immigrants to Peru brought with them the panettone. Now it’s not Christmas in Peru without the spongy fruit cake. A group of sisters in historic Lima keep the tradition alive by selling 60,000 of the cakes each year. Oscar and I shot this video for Catholic News Service.
Oscar just loves panettone. The first time I tried it, I wasn’t so pleased with its licorice odor.
Last Christmas we compromised and bought a chocolate panettone. We won’t make that same mistake again. It left us both unsatisfied…me wanting a “real” chocolatey dessert and Oscar wanting the classic panettone. We’ll go with two desserts this year!
(But I must admit while editing this video I had a massive craving for panettone…the dough spinning in the mixer, the little dried fruits…! Perhaps there is still time for a conversion!)
instituto de cocina pachacútec
Last week Oscar and I shot this video about a culinary school in the outskirts of Lima for Catholic News Service. Monacle magazine recently named it the education initiative with the greatest global impact. Renowned Peruvian chef Gastón Acurio directs the institute that started in 2007.
The best part of being a culinary student? The taste testing!
is there anybody out there?
Back in July I attended the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Buenos Aires where I had the opportunity to work with Henrik Kastenskov of the Bombay Flying Club. Enjoyed his teaching immensley and produced this video about radio aficionado Martín Tobdjian.
From the workshop of his Buenos Aires home Martín talks on the radio every night from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Most of his “amigos del aire” (radio friends) are from Argentina, but he also regularly chats with a buddy in New York and has talked with people as far away as Japan and Finland. As Martín and his buddies age, their circle of aficionados is shrinking.
chinese peruvian food = chifa
World renowned Peruvian chef Gastón Acurio opened Madam Tusan in April. It offers a variety of food known in Peru as “chifa” – Chinese Peruvian food. The word Tusan referes to the children of Chinese immigrants in Perú. I shot this video for Living in Peru. Check out the full story written by Jorge Riveros-Cayo (it’s in English!).
janeth
I met Janeth back in January. She’s one of many women whose life has been changed by an NGO named Pro Mujer. An initial loan of $150 got Janeth started in the chocolate business. She makes truffles and chocolate lollipops as well as handmade gift boxes. Best part? She doesn’t like chocolate. I guess there’s a bright side to that. If I tried to make it as a chocolatier there wouldn’t be much product left to sell…!
Click here if you’d like to make a donation to Pro Mujer.