An evening out, and a quick look at the informal economy of Lima

The pictures here at the beginning of this post are from a park in Lima. As I'm told, the park, called Parque de la Reserva, is actually quite old. However, within the past year, the government gave the park quite a facelift, by adding some incredible art in the form of water fountains. In fact these incredible fountains, named the Circuito Mágico del Agua, now hold a place in the Guiness Book of World Records.

I had the privilege of visiting this park this past Sunday with my host family, pictured below. Sunday evening we went out the park then came back to Callao for dinner at a common Limeño restaurant called Norky's, where you can get pollo a la brasa (which was surprisingly similar to port-a-pit chicken for all you Goshenites out there). Anyway, it was a great evening and I really felt like I connected with my family in a positive way. It was really the first time we had gone out like that as a family.

While at the park, though, I observed some very interesting activities just outside of the entrance. As you walked along the exterior perimeter, and especially at the entrance, you couldn't help but meet up with a street vendor, as is the case much of the time on Lima's sidewalks. Here, as you got ready to pass through the gates, were offerings of popcorn, candy, soda, and other snacks that you could enjoy while inside the park. Or, maybe you need a pick-me-up when after you exit. I couldn't help but think that this just wouldn't happen in the states (in fact, in the US, the government who developed the park would probably have their own snack vendors within the gates to create more revenue). But, then again, I am in Perú, and the economy is much much different than in the states, particularly in the informal sector.

During my first two weeks here, the informal economy of Lima has been very striking. And rightfully so, as there are more people involved in Lima's informal economy than the formal economy. Let me describe some of the informal economy I have seen in my first two weeks.

First, I have to tell you about the vendors which regularly appear on or near the kombis that I recently described in previous post. Every so often as you are riding public transportation, someone will jump on board the bus to quickly tout a product and hopefully make a couple of soles. More often than not, it seems, these salesmen are children, usually selling candy of some kind. But there are also many adult salespeople, walking in between traffic, selling items to passengers through windows. They may be selling anything from ice cream sandwiches to newspapers, or pirated DVDs to sodas. Nonetheless, they are selling something very simple, trying to get the quickest buck they can. But I think I saw the most interesting vendor I saw was on board a bus today when a man wearing a professional-looking suit got on board. He began to rattle off his well-memorized sales pitch and reached inside his briefcase for a sample...of those paperclips with the black V-shaped base and two chrome metal hinged pieces on each side. He was on the bus telling us all how we could use these great items and what a great price we could get them for. It was the ultimate when it comes to the informal market in Lima.

Another common sight within the informal Limeño economy is the small, storefront vendors, selling all kinds of goods. Again they might be selling food, such as produce, beverages, a menú for lunch, or some other product such as children's toys, household necessities, or, again, pirated DVDs. Many times a collection of these types of vendors will be formed in a mercado that offers even more selection, such as clothing and shoes. As I see these small vendors I feel compelled to buy from them, as I can see who is controlling the operation, and who will get the profits from the purchase I make.

On the flip-side is PlazaVea, or the Limeño equivalent of Wal-Mart. I visited PlazaVea a couple of times this weekend, almost more for the novelty of visiting a new Peruvian store. But as I was inside it really did feel like being in a large American store, where you can buy basically whatever you want. And, much different from the vendors in the mercado, I didn't know who my money was going to. After having a discussion with my host sister today, I realized that these concerns were somewhat valid. PlazaVea, it turns out, is a Chilean owned company. Much like Wal-Mart in America, PlazaVea and other large corporately-owned companies do not always treat their workers fairly when it comes to hours and wages.

Lima has an extremely interesting economic system, which I have just begun to see in-depth. But one thing to be sure, the informal economy of Lima is much more expanisive than anything in the States. In my mind, that is a good thing, as it gives more people to creatively find a way to make some money for themselve. The economy is something I'll keep looking at and thinking about as I continue with my studies here in Lima.