Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [305]
El Poderoso Cautivo (30-9888; Sullana Norte 7) Buses for Ayabaca (S18, six hours) at 8:30am and 3pm.
Eppo (30-4543, Sánchez Cerro 1141) Has buses to Sullana (S2, 45 minutes) and Talara (S8, two hours) every 30 minutes. Also fast services to Máncora (S11, 3½ hours) hourly.
Etipthsa (34-5174; Tacna 277) Buses to Huancabamba (S23, eight to 10 hours) leaving at 7:30am and 5:30pm.
Ittsa (33-3982; Sánchez Cerro 1142) Has a bus to Trujillo (S10 to S28, six hours) and Chimbote (S23, seven hours) at 11pm, and a bus-cama to Lima at 6:30pm (S90).
Línea (32-7821; Sánchez Cerro 1215) Hourly buses to Chiclayo (S12, three hours) between 5am and 8pm, and a 2pm and 11pm bus to Trujillo (S15 to S45, six hours).
Sol Peruano (41-8143; Sánchez Cerro 1112) Goes direct to Tarapoto at 1pm (S45, 18 hours).
Tepsa (30-6345, Loreto 1198) Lima buses (S78) at 5pm and 7:30pm.
Transportes Chiclayo (30-8455; Sánchez Cerro 1121) Hourly buses to Chiclayo (S11, three hours) and a bus to Tumbes (S20, five hours) at 10am.
Transportes Vegas (30 -8729; Panamericana C1, Lot 10) Has buses leaving for Ayabaca (S21, six hours) at 7:15am and 3pm.
East of the San Miguel pedestrian bridge, buses and combis leave for Catacaos (S1, 15 minutes). Sullana (S2, 45 minutes) and Paita (S2.50, one hour) buses leave from Terminal Terrestre el Bosque (Sánchez Cerro, cuadra 12).
TAXI
If you are heading to Tumbes, you can catch a much faster colectivo taxi (S18 to S20, 3½ hours).
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CATACAOS
073 / pop 64,200
Catacaos, a bustling small town 12km southwest of Piura, is the self-proclaimed capital of artesanía (handicrafts) in the region. And justifiably so: its arts market (10am-4pm) is the best in northern Peru. Sprawling for several blocks near the Plaza de Armas, here you will find excellent weavings, gold and silver filigree jewelry, wood carvings, ceramics (including lots of pieces from Chulucanas), leather goods and more. The weekends are the best and busiest times to visit.
Not satisfied with the artesanía crown, Catacaos is also shooting for the culinary medal, with dozens of picanterías (local restaurants) open for lunch daily. You can get local specialties like chicha, seco de chabelo (a thick plantain and beef stew), seco de cabrito (kid goat), tamales verdes (green corn dumplings), copus (dried goat heads cured in vinegar and then stewed) and loads of other dishes, not all of them that adventurous. Several good picanterías advertising their specialities are located on Jirón Zepita off the Plaza de Armas.
Catacaos is famous for its elaborate Semana Santa (Holy Week) processions and celebrations. Reach it by colectivo on the east side of the San Miguel pedestrian bridge in Piura (S1, 15 minutes).
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PAITA
073 / pop 72,000
The main port of the department of Piura is the historic town of Paita, 50km due west of Piura by paved road. This dusty, crumbling colonial port town looks like it sprouted organically from the desert that surrounds it and has a roguish, Wild West feel to it – understandable when you look at its history.
In 1527, Pizarro became the first European to land here, and Paita has been attracting seafaring conquistadors ever since. It became a Spanish colonial port and was frequently sacked by pirates and swashbuckling buccaneers such as Sir Francis Drake. Raids continued, and in the 18th century Protestant adventurer George Anson attempted to decapitate the wooden statue of Our Lady of Mercy. The statue, complete with slashed neck, can still be seen in the church of La Merced. The only flotilla you’re likely to see nowadays is a scrappy Technicolor shipping fleet bobbing offshore.
Information
There are several banks here and a basic hospital.
Sights & Activities
Manuela Sáenz, the influential Ecuadorean mistress of Simón Bolívar, arrived here upon Bolívar’s death in 1850. Her house still stands (and people live there), and a plaque commemorates its history. Across the street is La Figura, a wooden figurehead from a pirate