The Time I Was Almost Robbed at Gunpoint in Lima, Peru

When the little voice tells you to move, you should listen

Image by Walter Rhein

I’d completely forgotten this story. It just happened to pop into my mind this morning. It’s a shame too because I’ve written a whole book about the decade I spent in Lima, and this incident would have fit in perfectly.

I moved to Lima in 2001. I didn’t speak Spanish. I didn’t really know anyone who lived there. 2001 to 2009 turned out to be a major chapter in my life. The chapter started when I went to Peru, and ended when I married my lovely wife. The next chapter went from 2009 to 2017 and involved having children and settling into the role of dad.

None of that might have happened if I hadn’t foiled an assault on Avenida Alfredo Benavides.

I was really adrift in my early days in Lima. I used to walk everywhere so I could learn the city. I was a marathon runner, so walking for 10 or 15 miles didn’t seem like a big deal.

There are buses that go all over Lima that cost next to nothing, but those scared me. I once jumped on a bus and jumped off only to realize I had no idea where I was or how to get home. When all the street signs are in a different language, it’s easy to get turned around. Plus, in the Southern Hemisphere, the sun is in the wrong place.