Lima — A green city on a desert

It does not rain in Lima. It drizzles sparingly only in July, September and August but the city of Lima is evergreen with flowers blossoming all year round.

What Ghana and Peru have in common is that they are both third world countries but what sets Lima apart from Accra is that it is built on the foundation of careful planning and greens.

On arriving at Miraflores, a suburb of Lima, it is clear that enormous attention is given to greening the capital, particularly areas considered to be first class.

Perhaps, River Rimac, which flows from the Andes, is of great help in providing the needed potable water to residents of Lima, but a Peruvian, Ms Luz Maria Correa, notes, "We have to go through great lengths to have those plants and flowers because Lima is a desert. It doesn't rain here.  It only drizzles for three months".

The greens and colours give some level of comfort to the bone and pleasure to the eye while stuck in the populous Lima city traffic, and research has also indicated that there are more benefits from urban greening.

According to Luz, there are  29 million people in Peru, but Lima alone has a population of about nine million.

Urban greening

There is evidence that flowers generate happiness as research has found out that having them at home greatly improves people's moods and reduces the likelihood of stress-related depression. Flowers and ornamental plants are also found to increase levels of positive energy and help people feel secure and relaxed.

The ambience at the Kennedy Park at Miraflores, Lima, which is full of flowers, is relaxing and so is that of  many other parks dotted in the city.

“These parks pull many Peruvians and even foreigners, who wish for a sound mind for relaxation or reflection,”  another Peruians, Miss Joan stated through a translator.

"I usually come here on Tuesdays just to rest,” she said.

Some Peruvians spoke of the great influence the parks and greens have had on their wellbeing and emotions.

"When I broke up with my fiancée two months ago, this park served as a haven. I would come here soon after work to reflect," Derby said.

Concrete medians and 'brown' parks

On the contrary, Accra has more medians in concrete than greens. Plants and flowers at some parks and medians where some greening has been attempted have withered for obvious lack of attention.

The Efua Surtherland Park, by far, the most popular children's park in the heart of the city, is far from providing comfort to heart, soul and body.

Grass at the park is uneven and the plants scattered. The periphery of the park is bushy and in dire need of clearing.

Similarly, the minimal greens attempted along the Achimota-Ofankor Highway have withered. Traders have a field day selling in the bosom of these gardens.

The situation is not different in many other areas in the capital.

10 days in Lima City

The economy of Peru is hinged on tourism. It was recently named the best destination for food.

Local foodstuffs such as yam, maize, cassava, pear, plantain and corn are found in abundance in Lima.

One is encouraged to try the popular ceviche, which is usually taken as lunch. Chicha, a dark flavoured drink, tastes just like Ghana's bisap or sobolo.

According to Ms Corea, Lima had a small population of about a million people around the 1950s.

A lot of Peruvians, however, fled Shining Path, a terrorist group in the late 1970s to the 1990s, which stirred a big migration to Lima within those years, causing a population explosion in Lima.

"Lima wasn't prepared so the people settled on the outskirts, which are all now districts," she stated.

Security

Lima is considered one of the biggest cities in Latin America, but with a questioning security.

"Generally, you should be careful in Lima, but a lot also depends on where you are. Drug trafficking is still a major problem," Ms Corea stated.

With just a metro system and a single bus rapid transit lane, traffic congestion in Lima is heavy.

Public transport system is operated by the private sector, just like Accra.

Only about 25 per cent of the working population is engaged in the formal sector.

The rest are in the informal sector,  undertaking trading and construction works, among other enterprises.