Going to Peru for a 19 day holiday from England in October. Never been out of Europe before. Have loads of what might seem to some, silly questions. ! Do hotel rooms have kettles? Are there public toilets? Keep watching this space as I know I will have loads more queries. Just tryig to establish contact for now.
Reply to this No, you won't find kettles in hotels in South America. If you are staying in hostels there is usually a kitchen where you can make yourself a cuppa. No public toilets. The better long distance buses have toilets on them but others don't. Like your Mum said, go when you have the chance!
For your first dip into South America you are choosing one of the most spectacular countries. Below is a website which might help you with some of your questions:
http://www.andeantravelweb.com/peru/
Reply to this Many many thanks for your kind reply. Kettle no prob but public loos!!!! Lets just say that my system is not at its best on holiday and knowing loos are not available does not help. You don't by any chance have any further suggestions on this topic do you?. A delicate matter I know but of great importance to me.
No more questions at the mo but no doubt loads in the future.
Thanks for the web address. Looks very useful.
Reply to this Aside from 'go when you can', the only other option is to use the services of fast food places, bus stations, restaurants, bars, cafes, museums and malls. In one sense they are 'public' yet not public conveniences. Don't worry, half the travelers in Perú at any given time are also on the lookout for a loo! Toilet etiquette in rural areas is to put used toilet paper (bring your own) in the bin beside the toilet. The plumbing can't take the paper. A trip to Perú does make you appreciate good plumbing.
Reply to this If you are not too picky on the cleaness of the loo, shoudl not have a problem to use them. Indeed make sure you always have with you in every possible pocket toilet paper (just in case). Another thing we carried and liked using is Alcohol Gel - you should be able to buy it in every pharmacy in England or even in Peru - you just use a little bit of it after the loo, and you feel clezn and new in your hands, even if the water tap is not working or there is no..
Be also prepared that in many public places they charge a small fee for using the loo - like in bus stations, some restaurants etc.
But in general, we always found a place - not that much of a problem.
Peru is a beautiful country with lovely people, and lots of things to see and experience - don't worry too much, enjoy your vacation!
Reply to this Advice re what clothing to take to Peru please.
We leave England on October 25th and are in Peru for 19 days. We are staying in hotels. We visit Machu Picchu, Cusco, Lake Titicaca, Arequipa and one or two other places. Many thanks.
Reply to this you need both warm and short clothing! This includes a warm jacket, hat and gloves (yes you might need it in the early mornings or in mountain crossings) and short because you will be very hot in some 0places! if you are going also for a jungle tour, I would reccomend also long sleeves light shirts, so that you can wear long to 0protect from musquitos though it is hot. Also recommend bringging a light rain coat, as it might rain even when it is hot... There is no need for too much formal elegant clothing, as it is not needed anywhere. If you feel like it, you can 0perha0ps bring one set for special nights having dinner in a fancy restaurant once in a while might make yu feel like dressing u0p slightly... I would also reccomend to leave jewlery back home and not bring it with you, just so that nothing calls to much for the thieves, one should be somewhat careful in )Peru. Same goes for any special fancy shmancy branded clothings or shoes - leave them for showing in England, in )Peru come with simple old looking comfortable clothings.
Reply to this Broads since you are coming to Peru for 19 days it seems you have already booked trips/hotels ect, compared to some countries in S.A. Peru is very welcoming and for the places you are going pretty well organised for tourists, I wouldn't worry too much, Public toliets are in all the places you mentioned but carry hankies with you and I find wet wipes great for freshening up when you don't have access to a basin and water, As above you will be experiencing both warm and cool weather so I suggest you bring long and short hard wearing trousers, long/short sleeve shirts, vest tops, bathing suit, warm jacket, scarf/hat/gloves, rain jacket, trainers, hiking boots flip flops and socks, leave the fancy duds at home, you will find that in places like Cusco or Puno all the tourists are wearing their hiking gear, dressing up is not really the way to go, remember you have to carry it when your not wearing it, leave your valuables at home besides there are beautiful trinkets in Peru at low cost where you can stock up on Costume jewellery,Peru also has gorgeous silver. Have a brilliant time and don't worry, you will have a ball, its also helpful if you know a few basic words of Spanish before you go, there are loads of on-line sites to help you with this, Peruvians are great and will be interested in making your trip run smoothly, Enjoy.
Reply to this We are flying to southern Peru from England for about 3 weeks on October 25th. I must thank everyone who has previously posted to me. I have learnt a lot from you.
We visit Lima, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, Puno, Paracas, Ica and one or two other places. We are staying in 'posh' hotels.
Today I was in touch with my doctor who said that we need immunisation for Hepatitus A, Typhoid, Yellow fever and also malaria tablets. I would really appreciate comments about her recommendation ie do we really need all she suggested?
Reply to this None of these places are malaria areas but I know a lot of folks like to take them anyway, you wont be near the jungle in any of these locations so your risk is very low, mozzies are not in these areas, your Malaria medication is much cheaper in Peru if you choose to take it
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