Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Before deciding to drive into Perú from Chile we had asked lots and lots of people about the conditions of the roads and personal safety. The American Association of Chile members were very helpful. Generally we got the impression that the roads were pretty good and we (as well as all our personal stuff) would be safe, if we were careful. So we crossed the northern border of Chile into Perú at Arica.

Crossing the border at 11 a.m. with all of the buses full of people was extremely unpleasant. It took us 1.5 hour to clear the Chilean border controls and another hour for the Peruvian ones. It was hot; I sat in the car (to guard our stuff) and Dimitri stood in line. When the time came for the authorities to look at our passports, Dimitri had to speed over to get me from the car for the required one minute at the window. We had been spoiled when we crossed the Chilean/Argentinean border in the late afternoon. It had taken us 15 minutes. Live and learn: no border crossings around mid-day. We have a photo of Dimitri standing in an endless line at the Chilean border control.•

With all of the time spent at the border, we didn’t arrive in Arequipa until about 5 p.m. (really 7 p.m. our body time because of the time difference). The ride was uneventful and mostly through mud-colored desert. When the Panamericana (the main north-south highway) was near the ocean, or going over sand hills or in the multi-colored desert area, it was pretty enough. The splotches of green created by natural oases were a welcome relief. Fortunately, the Panamericana didn’t have the potholes in it that we had experienced in Chile and there wasn’t much traffic.

We didn’t have a good map of Arequipa and the one we had in Lonely Planet turned out to be out of date. Audre, the navigator, couldn’t find us on the map and we couldn’t find the Libertador where Dimitri thought would be the best place to stay. Finally, we hired a taxi to guide us there. The cost from one end of town to another was S/.3 (or about 94¢US).

As usual for us, we arrived without reservations at the Libertador Ciudad Blanca (Plaza Bolivar s/n, Urb. Selva Alegre fono: (51-54) 21 5110 e-mail: arequipa@libertador.com.pe, web: www.libertador.com.pe). We looked at many of their rooms and decided we would be comfortable for 10 days in junior suite #129 if they moved out one of the 2 double beds and put in a second desk (so that both of us could sit at our computers). Christian Castillo, the assistant manager and the staff jumped to it and we had our room rearranged promptly. The result of our re-design is memorialized in our photo album. Dimitri negotiated a rate of US$154 (including 10% service and breakfast) per day—the corporate rate for a standard room). The rack rate was US$296. Travelers to Perú should be aware that, with a foreign passport, the 19% IGV tax isn’t charged (for their first two months in Perú). That makes a big difference in hotel prices.

For us, our multi-day accommodations are numero uno of our requirements since they are our one and only home. We would not be travelling 365/24/7 if it weren’t easy and we weren’t at ease. We don’t like to live out of suitcases and we don’t like to feel cramped. We like to be able to watch TV, sitting in comfortable chairs, for instance. Too many hotels lack good storage and a sofa or easy chairs. Also too many hotel suites in Perú have the TV in the bedroom, or only viewable (uncomfortably) from bed. Being able to re-arrange a room to our specifications is terrific! While we were waiting, we were offered our first maté de coca tea. It’s a tea made of coca leaves and it is supposed to help with acclimatization in the highlands altitude. Having solved our accommodations, we had dinner at the hotel.

The meal at the Libertador was okay. We ordered our first bottle of Peruvian wine, a Tacama, and weren’t impressed. Nothing else to note about the dinner except that it was very expensive—US $62. The breakfast the next morning was great, on the other hand! We were delighted with all of the freshly made juices: mango, pineapple, papaya and orange. Sometimes there were other juices such as different melon juices. All were really good. The breads and the assortment of breakfast foods were wide and varied each day. We enjoyed our breakfasts very much until the American Ambassador, his wife, his child and a contingent of 5 Diplomatic Secret Service Security Guards arrived. They seemed to stay forever and, with their Peruvian counterparts, took over the restaurant. Oh well, we endured.

Dimitri had decided that, once we got to the hotel and put the car in the guarded lot, we wouldn’t use it again until we left Arequipa. We’d only take taxis. Not only were the roads hard to follow (many with no street signs) and in bad shape, but the drivers are undisciplined. For instance, left turns from the right lane are common. The only rule that is generally followed is stopping at red lights.

There are thousands of tiny Korean cars in Arequipa that are yellow taxis. It seemed like no ride was more than S/.3. We were reluctant to use the Libertador hotel taxi at first. But Geovanni, the driver, didn’t charge more than a normal taxi and he was wonderful (Geovanni Bouroncle Trevejo, cell 054-942-7370, e-mail: cpspci2@hotmail.com) He even took our bikes to be repaired when they had flat tires. And when we were leaving town, he made sure we easily found the way to get to the Panamericana Sur.

Our first morning in town we walked from our hotel in the Selva Alegre area to the cercado or the center. While the architecture is unusual and interesting, for a “Ciudad Blanca” it isn’t blindingly white. The volcanic rock, called sillar, is kind of dirty, actually. Have a look at the photos. All around Arequipa is desert but there is enough river water to keep the city, Perú’s second largest, green.

Our second dinner in Arequipa was at Coca Kintu (Calle San Francisco 302A, Arequipa, fono (51-54) 224-380 or 330-568, e-mail: coca.kintu@mail.com). It was described as “fina comida novo andina” and it really was. We had 2 entrées (a good quinoa soup and nachos, which Dimitri loved), one main, one dessert and a Chilean wine (Cassillera del Diablo, Carmenere S/. 50). The Chilean wine at US $15.72 was about one-third more expensive than in Chile. The meal cost S/.121/US $40.59 and we rated it 8/10. Unfortunately there weren’t too many diners.

On our third day we took our bikes off the top of the car and went for a short ride to a part of town called Independencia. While it wasn’t a long ride, it was all uphill. There wasn’t too much traffic and it wasn’t scary to ride on the road. Along the way we saw mini-eateries with boards announcing 3-course meals for S/.3 (or about 94¢US). We didn’t try any of them but we probably should have. The people-scape had changed as well as the prices. They have a mocha-color and a nose and upper lip that Dimitri called Incan. They look exotic.

Lonely Planet had highly rated the restaurant Sambambaia (Luna Pizarro 304, Vallecito, S/.80 with tip), where we went on our third night for dinner. It will probably turn out to be our worst meal in Perú.

Arequipa is a jumping-off point for mountain expeditions and a good town for sport tours. Through Peruvian Andes Expeditions we hired a guide, Aldo Peña, to take us on a bike ride outside of Arequipa. He is an avid cyclist, mountain climber and professional guide. We went on a 23 km bike ride with Aldo to Paucarpata, Socabaya and Sabandia. (We paid S/.50 to Peruvian Andes Expeditions.) It was great; he was full of information. We learned about the Incan irrigation system that is still in use and saw the Incan terracing that is used for agriculture. Unfortunately it started getting chilly and windy later in the ride. Have a look at the photos we took with Aldo.

Then it started raining. We decided to stop for lunch to wait it out. We went to el Peroy (comida criolla, a spicy Peruvian fare with Spanish and African influences), Av. Colón 204B in Sabandia. The owner was delighted to see us. He provided us with fried yucca chips gratis to start (which we were eating for the first time and we loved them—much better than French fries). The three of us each had a chupe that was far bigger than we ever expected. It had meat, regular potatoes, chuño (a potato that's dried before cooking that will never be a favorite of ours) and vegetables in a light broth. It was perfect for a wet and chilly day. For dessert, the owner provided us, again gratis, with our first mazmorra morada, a violet corn pudding dessert. All this cost S/.26 (US$8) for the three of us. It was still raining hard after we finished lunch and so we called the hotel’s taxi driver, Geovanni, who came to Sabandia to pick us up for about S/.3. All three bikes had to be taken apart to fit in the back of his station wagon but it was well worth it. When we returned to the Libertador, we used the steam room, the sauna and the outdoor Jacuzzi (which the staff had filled with hot water especially for us) in the hotel’s beautiful and large garden. It was really lovely.

Another highlight of our stay in Arequipa was our tour of the Monasterio de Santa Catalina. It is fabulous that 16th century unmarried women could “whoop it up” together in a convent, which was actually a city within a city. The place is a must-see; it’s so unusual, extensive and interesting. We experienced a novel Peruvian custom for the first time there: a little souvenir is given to visitors with their entry ticket.

We found our favorite restaurant in Arequipa without any guidebook help. It is La Trattoria del Monasterio (C. Santa Catalina No. 309, Arequipa, fono (51-54) 204-062, e-mail: latrattoriadelmonasterio@yahoo.com). It is open for both lunch and, unusually, dinner (except on Sundays). We had both meals there one day. We had our first chupe del camarones and it was delicious. Chupe de camarones Arequipeño is a chowder made with shrimp, milk, eggs and oregano. Our rating for the restaurant: 8/10.

At the central market in Arequipa we had other Arequipeño dishes: recoto relleno (red hot peppers stuffed with chopped beef, cheese and milk) and pastel de papas (mashed potatoes) for S/.6 (US$1.89). Interesting.

We ate cuy (guinea pig) for the first time at Sol de Mayo (Jerusalén 207, fono: 254 146, Yanahuara, Arequipa). We walked there from the center of Arequipa and stopped at the Mirador/Viewpoint in Yanahuara. Unfortunately it was cloudy or rainy during much of our stay and we never saw the volcanoes.

Sol de Mayo on Saturday at lunch had dancing and lots of diners. Have a look at the photos we took. We had our favorite: sea urchins in a ceviche de erizos that was delicious (and which we have never found again in Perú). We also tried ocopa con queso frito (boiled potatoes covered with a fresh cheese sauce, lima beans—why aren’t they pronounced the same way as Lima?? —onions and olives). Our main dish was the cuy chactado, very special and much meatier and juicier than we expected. For dessert we had buñuelos, a kind of donut that Dimitri thinks should be crispy on the outside (but usually aren’t). Dimitri drank a chicha (a beer made out of fermented corn) too. The total cost was S/.92 (US$28.93) and it was a great experience. This and many other restaurants are only open at lunch. The reason we were given is that the food is too heavy and unhealthy to eat at dinner.

The Museo Santuarios Andinos where, Juanita, the ice princess—the frozen body of an Incan maiden who was sacrificed on the summit of Ampato over 500 years ago—was well-done. The tour and another souvenir were included in the price.

Arequipa turned out to be our kind of town. It’s a city with all kinds of services and it’s a tourist destination with very good tourist services and restaurants. To top it off, for us, the possibility for sports makes it even better.

We were going to go from Arequipa to Colca Canyon but we were told that the rain was really bad during this El Niño. So we decided to go to Colca on the way back to Chile later in the year, after the rains. We headed west to the coast instead. We stopped at the Hotel de Turistas in Camaná on the recommendation of Lonely Planet that it was an elegant building. It was not at all as described. So, we decided to press on to Puerto Inca, after getting gas.