Lima - City of Three Contrasts

On my first taxi ride through Lima, what struck me most was the contrasts.

For example, near my office, the walls of the freeway are beautifully landscaped. Instead of bill boards, companies plant flowers in the shape of the corporate icon. Yet on the way from the airport, we passed an abandoned toll plaza on the road. My Bay Area and East Coast turnpike friends: Can you image a toll plaza being abandoned and left to rot?











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Another contrast is the bright glitz of gambling parlors sied-by-side with high brick walls, electric fences, and razor wire adorning small businesses and private residences.




And the third contrast that struck me was the very large number of buildings that looked like burned out hulks right next to modern office and apartment buildings. It gave the city overtones of random destuction and made me think of 1940's photos of Dresden.