Victor is the assistant manager of BiciCentro, a great bike shop in Lima
Lima is a bustling, fast-moving metropolis. It’s home to almost one third of Peru’s population. The big city and its super-dry climate is the complete opposite from where we hope to be in about one month- deep within the wild Amazon jungle.
Among the 8 million people in Lima, we were very fortunate to find Victor Romero. Victor is the assistant manager of BiciCentro, the store where we purchased our mountain bikes. Victor is a great businessman who has studied business administration at the College of Lima. He is bi-lingual (speaks English and Spanish fluently), very friendly and knowledgeable. Victor has taken over the family bike business that his father started about 40 years ago. Since his father still plays the major role in managing the bike store, Victor has taken advantage of his free time to start another business. He has a passion for traveling. He has also been all over Peru, so his new business is to provide travel services for local Peruvians and foreigners.
Victor´s father, Victor Sr., started building bikes nearly 40 years ago.
Victor is helping us sort through our complicated itinerary by connecting with other business partners in the areas we will visit. When we buy bus tickets, or rent a hotel room through Victor’s travel agency, he gets a small commission, or payment, for providing a service. Business in Lima is very competitive. The difficulties of making money are a metaphor to the survival pressures on the living organisms of the rainforest. People must work hard and adapt to a constantly changing environment. In many places jobs are scarce. It seems as though every possible job is filled with anxious and capable Limenos (people of Lima). People can be found walking the streets selling anything from car washes to clothespins.
BiciCentro wrapped our bikes in cardboard for safe transportation up the coast.
Plants and animals have similar survival pressures, or competition for survival, in the jungle. Due to the constant warmth and moisture, we’ve noticed that every organism has adapted to fill a particular niche, or specialization, in the Amazon. Look for these similarities in methods of survival between the people and all other organisms as we begin our epic voyage across South America.
Buena Suerte (Good Luck!),
Patrick