CHAPTER FIVE HUNDRED AND TWELVE – WELCOME TO LIMA

"Hey, come on," Jasmine interjected, trying to keep the peace. "We've made it this far. We just need to ask for directions. There must be someone who can help us." With determined optimism, Jasmine approached a nearby street vendor who was setting up a fruit stand. "Excuse me," she began in halting Spanish, "Can you help us? We need to find..." She trailed off, realizing she didn't know how to say the street name in Spanish. The vendor looked at her blankly, then rattled off a string of words she couldn't understand. Jasmine turned back to the group, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "Maybe we should try English?" Molly suggested. "In a big city like this, someone must speak it." They spent the next half hour approaching various passersby, met mostly with shakes of the head or confused stares. Finally, they found a young woman who spoke a bit of English. "Ah, you want artist district?" she said, nodding in recognition. "Very far from here. You need taxi, or maybe bus." Arme