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that keeps track of your balance when the card is inserted into an appropriate phone. Other cards use a code system whereby you dial your own personal code to obtain balances and access; these can be used from almost any phone. The most common are Telefónica-Perú’s 147 cards; you dial 147, then enter your personal code (which is on the back of the card), listen to a message telling you how much money you have left on the card, dial the number, and listen to a message telling you how much time you have left for this call. The drawback is it’s in Spanish. The 147 card is best used for long-distance calls. For local calls, the Holá Peru card is cheaper, and works the same way except that you begin by dialing 0800. There are numerous other cards – ask around for which ones offer the best deal.

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TIME

Peru is five hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). It’s the same as Eastern Standard Time (EST) in North America. At noon in Lima, it’s 9am in Los Angeles, 11am in Mexico City, noon in New York, 5pm in London, 4am (following day) in Sydney.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) isn’t used in Peru, so add an hour to all of these times between the first Sunday in April and the last Sunday in October.

Punctuality is not one of the things that Latin America is famous for, so be prepared to wait around. Buses rarely depart or arrive on time. Savvy travelers should allow some flexibility in their itineraries. Bring your own travel alarm clock – tours and long-distance buses often depart before 6am.

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TOILETS

Peruvian plumbing leaves something to be desired. There’s always a chance that flushing a toilet will cause it to overflow, so you should avoid putting anything other than human waste into the toilet. Even a small amount of toilet paper can muck up the entire system – that’s why a small, plastic bin is routinely provided for disposing of the paper. This may not seem sanitary, but it is definitely better than the alternative of clogged toilets and flooded floors. A well-run hotel or restaurant, even a cheap one, will empty the bin and clean the toilet every day. In rural areas, don’t expect much more than simply a rickety wooden outhouse built around a hole in the ground.

Public toilets are rare outside of transportation terminals, restaurants and museums, but restaurants will generally let travelers use a restroom (sometimes for a charge). Those in terminals usually have an attendant who will charge you about S0.50 to enter and then give you a miserly few sheets of toilet paper. Public restrooms frequently run out of toilet paper, so always carry an extra roll with you.

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TOURIST INFORMATION

The government’s official tourist agency, PromPerú (www.peru.info), doesn’t have any international offices, but its website – in Spanish, English, French, German, Italian and Portuguese – is an easy way to obtain information before you depart. In the USA and Canada, you can call its toll-free hotline (866-661-7378). Some Peruvian embassies in foreign countries (Click here) supply tourist information as well.

PromPerú runs tourist information offices, called iPerú, in the following cities:

Arequipa Airport (054-44-4564; 1st fl, Main Hall, Rodríguez Ballón Airport; 10am-7:30pm); Plaza de Armas (054-22-3265; Portal de la Municipalidad 110; 8:30am-7:30pm)

Ayacucho (066-31-8305; Municipalidad Huamanga, Plaza Mayor, Portal Municipal 48; 8:30am-7:30pm Mon-Sat, to 2:30pm Sun)

Chachapoyas (041-47-7292; Plaza de Armas, Ortiz Arrieta 588; 8am-7pm)

Cuzco Airport (084-23-7364; Main Hall, Velasco Astete Airport; 6am-4pm); City Center (084-23-4498; Office 102, Galerías Turísticas, Av Sol 103; 8:30am-7:30pm); Machu Picchu (084-21-1104; Edificio del Instituto Nacional de Cultura, Pachacútec, cuadra 1; 9am-1pm & 2-8pm)

Huaraz (043-42-8812; Oficina 1, Pasaje Atusparia, Plaza de Armas; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, to 2pm Sun)

Iquitos Airport (065-26-0251; Main Hall, Francisco Secada Vignetta Airport; 8am-1pm & 4-8pm); City Center (065-23-6144; Loreto 201; 8:30am-7:30pm)

Lima