Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [139]
Forum Rock Cafe (20-4294; www.forumrockcafe.com; Casona Forum, San Francisco 317; 10pm-4am Thu-Sat) It’s a gutsy Latin dance club with a thing for bamboo and waterfalls, and is currently the place to be seen on weekend nights. In the same building, Zero Bar & Pool is a busy nightspot with pool tables and spacious booths.
Cinema
A handful of cinemas show English-language movies dubbed or with Spanish subtitles. Local newspapers have listings. It’s also worth checking at the various cultural centers (Click here) for film festivals and other screenings.
Cineplanet Arequipa 7 (60-3400; www.cineplanet.com.pe; Los Arces s/n at Av del Ejército) Showing blockbuster movies in a shopping mall just a short taxi ride from the center.
Sports
Conducted arequipeño style, peleas de toros (bullfights) here are less bloodthirsty than most. They involve pitting two bulls against each other for the favors of a fertile female until one realizes he’s beaten. The fights take place on Sundays between April and December. Ask at your hostel for the location of fights – they usually take place at stadiums on the outskirts of town. The three most important fights are in April, mid-August and early December (admission S15).
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SHOPPING
Arequipa overflows with antique and artisan shops, especially on the streets around Monasterio de Santa Catalina. High-quality alpaca, vicuña (threatened wild relative of alpacas) and leather goods, and other handmade items, are what you’ll see being sold most often.
Casona Santa Catalina (28-1334; www.santacatalina-sa.com.pe; Santa Catalina 210; most shops 10am-6pm) Inside this polished tourist complex, you’ll find a few shops of major export brands, such as Sol Alpaca and Biondi Piscos.
Incalpaca Factory Outlet (25-1025; www.incalpaca.com; Juan Bustamante s/n, Tahuayacani; 9:30am-7pm Mon-Sat, 10:30am-3:30pm Sun) This outlet for the Kuña brand of alpaca woolen goods also has a small petting zoo out back that houses four types of American camelid.
Michell (20-2525; www.michell.com.pe; Juan de la Torre 101; 8am-12:30pm & 2:30-6pm) More than just a source for fine alpaca wool goods and raw thread, this complex functions as a tourist center for an international wool export company. It includes a well-presented commercial boutique, a museum detailing the process of wool production, and a small zoo and a cafe.
Patio del Ekeko (21-5861; www.patiodelekeko.com; Mercaderes 141; 10am-9pm Mon-Sat, 11am-8pm Sun) This high-end tourist mall has plenty of expensive but good alpaca- and vicuña-wool items, jewelry, ceramics and other arty souvenirs.
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GETTING THERE & AWAY
Air
Arequipa’s airport (code AQP; 44-3458) is about 8km northwest of the city center.
LAN (20-1224; Santa Catalina 118C) has daily flights to Lima and Cuzco. Sky Airline (28-2899; La Merced 121) also offers occasional flights to Arica, Chile.
Bus
Night buses provide a convenient means to reach many far-off destinations in a city where options for air travel are limited, although some routes do have histories of accidents, hijackings and robberies. Paying a bit extra for luxury bus services is often worth the added comfort and security. Exercise extreme care with your belongings while on the bus and consider disguising luggage stored beneath the bus with large potato sacks that can be bought cheaply in any market. It is also recommended to carry extra food with you on long bus rides in case of a breakdown or road strike.
INTERNATIONAL
From the Terrapuerto bus terminal, Ormeño (42-7788) has two buses a week to Santiago, Chile (US$130, 2½ days), and three a week to Buenos Aires, Argentina (US$190, three days).
LONG-DISTANCE
Most bus companies have departures from the terminal terrestre or the smaller Terrapuerto bus terminal, both of which are together on Av