Every little thing is gonna be all right

Peru is going to make it.  

Why am I suddenly reconvinced of this fact?  The answer lies in my recent visit to Mercado Mayorista (“Oldest Market” for those that haven’t been practicing their castellano).

The Mercado Mayorista is a few square blocks that serve as a center for all fabric and clothe sellers in Lima.  What surprised me was the vibrancy of the market and the sheer mass of humanity.  In just one concrete building, there were signs that said listed the maximum capacity per floor as 1200 people.  While we probably didn’t make it halfway to that number, each of the 11 floors was swarming with people.  In short, this was the densest group of people I have ever been witness to outside of a fútbol (or football) stadium.  All just going about their business in a country that does have a strong entrepreneurial spirit.

On the bus back to Ica I sat next to a very friendly civil engineer.  After chatting a bit about the world cup and other sports, we got talking about politics and economics in Peru.  This guy was clearly educated.  He did not come from a poor family.  

And you know what he said to me about Alan Garcia?  “El tiene la oportunidad para ser el mejor presidente en la historia del Perú.”  I couldn’t agree more.