Within the United States, Louisiana is the least peaceful state by a fairly wide margin. We have the most small arms, police employees, incarceration, violent crime, and homicide. Some other states are tied with us in some of these categories, but we are the absolute winner in most categories. This makes us the greatest loser, in terms of peacefulness, overall.
This year´s Global Peace Index ranks the United States 82d out of 153 countries, putting us below median although still in the second quartile by other measures. These are our neighbors on the list:
| 78 |  Macedonia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of |
2.048 |  |
| 79 |  Trinidad and Tobago |
2.051 | |
| 80 |  China |
2.054 | |
| 81 |  Gabon |
2.059 | |
| 82 |  United States |
2.063 | |
| 83 |  Bangladesh |
2.070 | |
| 84 |  Serbia, Republic of |
2.071 | |
| 85 |  Peru |
2.077 | |
| 86 |  Cameroon |
2.104 | |
| 87 |  Angola |
2.109 | |
| 88 |  Guyana |
2.112 | |
Axé.
coldhearted scientist وداد 
I’ll relax about going to Peru, now that I see it’s only slightly less safe than the U.S! Of course I understand that there are rent-a-goons everywhere there, but it’s getting more and more like that in our fair country too.
BTW: I have some questions: You mentioned a good place to stay in Cuzco. Could you repost the link to their website?
And could you also recommend places to stay in Lima? Travelers say it’s best to remain in the vicinity of the airport. Is that true?
And last, what are the three best things to do in Lima?
I’m meeting with Mary, my friend who is going on this trip with us, and we need to firm up our plans before air fares go up.
Thanks.
And oh, did you realize that Louisiana is #1 in the U.S. for numbers of incarcerated people?
Cusco: I like the Hostal Huaynapata. http://huaynapata.com/ Not fancy but comfortable. In Cusco you do have to watch out for cleanliness issues, water issues, and overpricing or even swindling issues. Huaynapata is reliable.
I also liked the Inca Garcilaso, slightly fancier, pretty, but not an OD of fanciness. http://hotelescusco.caminoinca.com.pe/noticias.item.56/hotel-3-estrellas-hotel-garcilaso-ii-en-cusco-peru.html
Lima, I usually stay with friends so am not very good with hotels, but it would be very inconvenient and also boring to stay by the airport, I would think. Airport is quite small and easy to navigate, and not that far out of town. Stay in Miraflores / Barranco / San Isidro. Also consider staying downtown, among the beautiful buildings.
There´s a place in Miraflores I stayed in 1999 that you´d like, I wish I could remember the name right now, it´s a hotel/residence oriented toward academics, slightly upscale but no bling. What you want to be able to do, maybe, on your first night, the jet lag night, is sit in the sidewalk cafés/restaurants on Parque Kennedy and wander through the hippie arts market there – good way to acclimate. This would mean staying in Miraflores, if you want to just stroll the first afternoon/night somewhere non intimidating where a lot of foreigners are, menus are translated, etc.
Three best things to do in Lima, it depends upon what you want and what your interests are, also how much Spanish you have / how much of a thrill you get out of Peruvian history and so on. I haven´t done tourist type things there in a very long time but here´s one overview that justifies my preference for getting a nice hotel downtown by Plaza de Armas: http://www.moon.com/destinations/peru/lima/sights … if you did that you could walk to a lot of major places (churches, convents, etc.) and get recommended cab drivers from hotel to places like Larco Herrera museum, gold museum, anthropology museum, and so on. All of these museums are really good. The cuisine is also world class and not to be missed, you should stick around to eat it.
The thing is that the cabs on the street you have to bargain with and argue about routes, and public transportation is jammed and you have to know where you´re going. Being where you can walk to some of the major churches and museums, as opposed to sticking yourself out in the suburbs, would really help.
Lima was one of Spain´s major centers early on so there are a very great number of old buildings, monuments, museums, and so on to see. A place of very longstanding civilization and intellectual tradition.
Louisiana, incarceration rate, yes, I have been working on this since 1992, I know.
Lima: try this hotel, very good location: http://www.casa-elsilencio.com/
Don’t know if my earlier comment got posted. Anyway, thanks a million for this. What you write squares with my instincts about where to stay and what to do, unlike some of the advice we’ve been getting which makes me wonder why some people travel at all.
Well, Lima can be intimidating. Peru is a 3d world country, and South America is always a shock. The Andean countries are really *not* as *obviously* user friendly as somewhere like Mexico and in the foggy months of June-August it is cold/dark like the Pacific Northwest.
You might want to consider this place, too, in Miraflores, on the Cisneros quai. http://www.casabellaperu.net/miraflores/ Rooms are $65 which is high but could be worth it for those jet lagged days and culture shock. They seem to speak English.
People in P speak a lot less English than in some other non English speaking countries, and as I say public transportation is intimidating if you do not speak Spanish. No metro and no public buses – all these wild cabs and collective vans where you have to know how to negotiate and explain where you are going, and broken down buses by random private companies, jam packed and you have to know your route and theirs.
Add to that memories of what things were like during the Sendero war, bombs going off, electrical blackouts, desperate muggers, and you can see why the rumor is that it´s scary.
It used to be beautiful and is no longer due to all the new construction, and the air pollution is some of the worst in the hemisphere.
And – news flash – here is the place I stayed one time when I felt like being comfortable. Highly recommend. http://www.hotelsanantonioabad.com/
Rates include airport pickup and good buffet breakfast.
Catholics who do not want to have their medical expenses for birth control, pregnancy etc to be paid by their employees are very welcome to return them the money instead of initiating a religious war that could cost many dollars to taxpayers. These people are just fanatic, irresponsible idiots!. We have no resources for stupidity!.
It should read: “to be paid by their employers”