Would you ride a moto taxi?

The first  that struck me about Pucallpa Peru were the swarms of moto taxis on the streets. (Tony Dunnell wrote an excellent article about moto taxis.)  These three-wheel contraptions are fun to ride and cheap. 5 new soles (about $2 US) will take you just about anywhere. (Make sure to agree on a price before you step aboard.)

Each moto taxi is a small business. The driver is a "micro entrepreneur". Starting a moto taxi business looks simple: Think about it. Buy one. Do it.

When I told a US friend about the moto taxis, he replied, "I've given micro loans to people to buy moto taxis." You can make your own micro loan to a moto taxi driver at Kiva.org

Micro lending is big in Peru. According to AOL Daily Finance writer Emily Schmall, Peru ranks No. 1 in the annual Economist Intelligence Unit survey of world's best business environments for microlending.

Did I mention that they are fun to ride? Here's a video of a Pucallpa taxi ride posted by Hobo Traveller on YouTube.