Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [452]
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SHOPPING
Arts and crafts are inevitably sold wherever tourists gather. Popular souvenirs include alpaca wool sweaters and scarves, woven textiles, ceramics, masks, gold and silver jewelry and the backpacker favorite: Inca Kola T-shirts. While Lima offers a wealth of crafts, highly specialized regional items may be difficult to find.
Expensive foreign-language books are stocked at better bookstores, especially in Lima (Click here) and Cuzco (Click here).
Bargaining is the norm at street stalls and markets, where it’s cash only. Prices are fixed in upscale stores, which may add a surcharge for credit card transactions.
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SOLO TRAVELERS
Peru’s top tourist spots are good places for solo travelers. Inexpensive hostels with communal kitchens encourage social exchange, while a large number of language schools, tours and volunteer organizations provide every traveler with plenty of opportunities to meet others.
Outside popular areas, this type of infrastructure may be limited, in which case you might be spending a lot more time by yourself. It is not recommended to undertake long treks in the wilderness on your own.
Traveling alone as a woman is riskier than for a man – but still do-able. For more specific advice for women travelers, Click here.
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TELEPHONE
Public pay phones operated by Telefónica-Perú (www.telefonica.com.pe) are available on the street even in small towns. Most pay phones work with phonecards which can be purchased at supermarkets and groceries. Often internet cafés have private phone booths with ‘net-to-phone’ and ‘net-to-net’ capabilities (such as Skype), where you can talk for pennies or even for free.
When calling Peru from abroad, dial the international access code for the country you’re in, then Peru’s country code (51), then the area code without the 0 and finally, the local number. When making international calls from Peru, dial the international access code (00), then the country code of where you’re calling to, then the area code and finally, the local phone number.
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PERUVIAN ADDRESSES
A post-office box is known as an apartado postal (abbreviated ‘Apartado,’ ‘Apto’ or ‘AP’) or a casilla postal (‘Casilla’ or ‘CP’). Some addresses have s/n (short for sin numero, or ‘without a number’) or cuadra (‘block,’ eg Block 4) after the street name.
Only addresses in Lima and neighboring Callao require postal codes. Those used most often by travelers are Lima 1 (Central Lima), Lima 4 (Barranco), Lima 18 (Miraflores) and Lima 27 (San Isidro). Note that the word ‘Lima’ is essential to these postal codes.
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In Peru, any telephone number beginning with a 9 is a cell-phone number. Numbers beginning with 0800 are often toll-free only when dialed from private phones, not from public pay phones. See the inside front cover of this book for more useful dialing codes, including how to contact an operator or directory assistance. To make a credit card or collect call using AT&T, dial 0800-50288. There’s an online telephone directory at www.paginasama rillas.com.pe.
Cell Phones
It’s possible to use a tri-band GSM world phone in Peru (GSM 1900). Other systems in use are CDMA and TDMA. This is a fast-changing field, so check the current situation before you travel: just do a web search and browse the myriad products on the market. In Lima and other larger cities, you can buy cell phones that use SIM cards for about US$65, then pop in a SIM card that costs from US$6.50. Claro is a popular pay-as-you-go plan. Cell-phone rentals may be available in major cities and tourist centers. Expect cell-phone reception to fade the further you go into the mountains or jungle.
Phonecards
Called tarjetas telefónicas, these cards are widely available and are made by many companies in many price ranges. Some are designed specifically for international calls. Some have an electronic chip