Observations

Lunch is the main meal: For Peruvians, lunch is the most important meal of the day. Lunch can consist of chicken with rice and a freshly squeezed juice, while they will have something light like a small sandwich for dinner. They eat lunch late in the afternoon (around 2 p.m.) and have dinner no earlier than 7 p.m. I have found it difficult to adjust to their eating habits and find myself starving just before midday. Every now and again I make myself a sandwich for lunch because it's already so hot here that hot food can be uncomfortable to eat. 

Waiters tend to be male: I have noticed that in most restaurants and cafes, the waiters are mostly male. I have to say that customer service in Lima is of a high standard. They are very professional in their demeanor and extremely polite. The women are usually the ones cooking or operating the cash register. Actually, in supermarkets it is women who are the cashiers. The men can be found stocking the fresh produce and other products onto the shelves. Both men and women are always well-groomed and often look immaculate. 

Traffic is terrible: There is no other way to describe the traffic here in Lima. I thought Military Road in Sydney was pretty horrible but now I have learnt to appreciate our transport system. Road rage here is of the extreme and it seems that everyone is in a hurry and therefore doesn't have time to give way or let you in. Even when it is safe for pedestrians to cross, cars will beep their horn at you. I'm certain that most taxi drivers don't have a licence. They will pull into any space they see, even if it is two or three lanes across from them. I'm surprised that I haven't seen any accidents yet. So if you have to get to work 15 min from home, you'd better leave two hours in advance!

Shopping is an exciting experience: Before coming to Lima I had the impression that there wouldn't be too much choice when it came to shopping but I was wrong. The shopping centres here are absolutely huge and very modern. They have three versions of our Myer and David Jones: Ripley, Oeschle and Saga Falabella. I have been told that Ripley and Saga are the better of the three when it comes to clothing. I have never seen so many pairs of jeans in one place. There are so many options to choose from and they are very reasonably priced (between US$30-50). I bought a pair of shoes from Nine West within a couple of days of my arrival. My advice: be careful if you are a shopaholic like me!