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Peru vacation
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Shopping
Of all the Peruvian towns and cities, Lima is
the most likely to have what you're looking for. For shoes and clothing it
is certainly your best bet, particularly if you're on the large size or want
a huge selection to choose from. The same is true of electronic goods,
stationery and recorded music, though bear in mind that most Limeños who can
afford it do their main shopping in Miami. Lima also has a good selection of
reasonably priced arts and crafts markets and shops, which means you don't
have to carry a sack full of souvenirs back from Cusco or Puno. Lima's
flashiest indoor shopping centre is the Centro Comercial on Camino Real,
near the Lima Golf Club in the heart of San Isidro. For supermarkets try
Wongs, which you'll find across the city, notably at the San Isidro
Comercial Centre, at the Ovalo Gutierrez and on Avenida Benavides in San
Antonio; in downtown Miraflores, the Santa Isabela supermarket, Avenida
Benavides 487, is open 24 hours.
The usual shopping hours are Mon-Sat 9am-6pm,
though in Miraflores, the main commercial area, many shops and artesania
markets stay open until 7 or 8pm. Some shops, but by no means all, shut for
a two-hour lunch break, usually from 1 to 3pm and most shops shut on Sundays,
though the artesania markets on Avenida La Marina and Petit Thouars tend to
stay open all week until 7pm.
Arts and crafts
All types of Peruvian artesania are available
in Lima, including woollen goods, crafts and gem stones. Some of the best in
Peru are on Avenida Petit Thourars, which is home to a handful of markets
between Avenida Ricardo Palma and Avenida Angamos, all well within walking
distance of Miraflores centre. Artesania Gran Chimu, Avenida Petit Thouars
5495, has a wide range of jewellery and carved wooden items, as does Mercado
Artesanal, also on Avenida Petit Thouars, at no. 5321. Elsewhere, Las Pallas,
Cajamarca 212, Barranco (tel 477-4629), around the corner from block 6 of
Avenida Grau, is a fascinating and veritable museum of artesania, run
by a British woman who has spent most of her life collecting fine works and
who may be able to show you the rest of her collection (ring for an
appointment). Antisuyo, Avenida Tacna 460, Miraflores (tel 241-6451), sells
crafts from Peru's Amazon tribes, while La Casa de Alpaca, La Paz 679,
Miraflores, stocks good-quality but expensive alpaca clothing. Agua y Tierra,
Diez Canseco 298 (tel 444-6980) has an interesting range of ethnic and
traditional healing or curanderos's artefacts; Collacocha, Colon 534,
parallel to block 11 of Avenida Larco (tel 447-4422) has a very nice, if
small, collection of Andean arts and crafts; Silvana Prints, Conquistadores
915, San Isidro, produces and sells a colourful range of mainly cotton
fabrics and items like cushion covers, incorporating ancient pre-Inca motifs
in the design. Slightly cheaper are the artesania markets on blocks 9
and 10 of Avenida La Marina in Pueblo Libre and the good craft and antique
market, which takes place every evening (6-9pm) in the Miraflores Park
between Diagonal and Avenida Larco. Hatun Raymi Artesania Festival (July
27-Aug 13) is a great gathering of Lima based artesania producers;
it's located on the massive esplanade of the Museo de La Nacion and entry is
free.
For jewellery , Casa Wako, Jirón de la
Unión 841, is probably the best place in Lima Centro, specializing in
Peruvian designs in gold and silver at reasonable prices, while Plateria
Pereda, Jirón Venecia 186a, Miraflores, stocks fine silver jewellery to suit
most tastes. Nazca, Avenida La Paz 522, has a nice range, much of it in
silver. For good- quality antiques there's Rafo, Martinez de Pinillos
1055, Barranco (tel 247-0679) who have a good lunchtime restaurant too, and
also Collacocha, Calle Colon 534, parallel to block 11 of Avenida Larco in
Miraflores.
Books, stationery and maps
A few shops on Avenida Nicolas de Pierola stock
English-language books (try the one at no. 689), and The Book
Exchange, just around the corner at Ocoña 211, sells or swaps second-hand
paperbacks. Epoca, Avenida José Pardo 399, Miraflores, has a good range of
titles including many in English. The ABC Bookstores at Colmena 689, Lima
Centro, and in the Todos shopping complex, San Isidro, are well supplied
with all kinds of works in English, including books on Peru. On the Jirón de
la Unión, the Librería Ayza usually has some interesting publications and
maps, while in Miraflores the Libreria El Pacifico, by Café Haiti, generally
has a wide range of books and magazines in English. Stationery is
available from Libreria Minerva, Larco 299, Miraflores.
The South American Explorers' Club operates a
free book exchange for members and is also a good source of maps .
Charts covering most of Peru in detail are available from the Instituto
Geografico Nacional, Avenida Aramburu 1190, Surquillo (tel 475-3085 or
475-3075, postmaster@ignperu.qob.pe), and from the Servicio
Aerofotografico Nacional, at Las Palmas Airforce Base in Barranco (tel
477-3682). Ingemmet, Avenida Canada, 1470, San Borja (tel 225-3158) stock a
wide range of plans, while the Touring Y Automovil Club de Peru, Avenida
Cesar Vallejo 699, Lince (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; tel 440-3270) ar good for road
maps
Food
The best place to buy food for a
picnic is Surquillo Market (daily), a couple of blocks from Miraflores over
the Avenida Angamos road bridge, on the eastern side of the Paseo de la
República freeway. This colourful place is fully stocked with a wonderful
variety of breads, fruits, cheeses, meats etc, though it can be a bit dodgy
in terms of petty thieving, so keep your wallet and passport close.
Alternatively, you could try one of the Wong Supermarkets, in San Antonio,
on the corner of Avenida Republica de Panama and Avenida Benavides, or the
smaller branch at Ovalo Gutierrez on the corner of Avenida Comandante
Espinar and Avenida Santa Cruz; all the branches also change cash dollars.
In the centre of Lima you can buy most basic foodstuffs - bread, fruit and
so on - either from stalls on Avenida Emancipacion or in the central market
to the east of Avenida Abancay. The best things to buy for a tasty picnic
are the delicious white queso fresco (cheese), avocados and pecan
nuts. For health food , try Naturalix, Jirón Diez Canseco 440,
Miraflores, or Octavios, Los Jazmines 219, Lince, which stocks a wide range
of healing herbs from the Amazon and the Andes. Other good options are the
Natural Co-op on Moquegua, near the corner with Torrico, and El Girasol,
Camana 327, not far from the Plaza Mayor; Eco Natura, Jirón Schell 634; or
Botiquin Naturista, Centro Comercial Camino del Inca, Surco, Tienda 157,
upstairs.
Camping and sports equipment
Altamira, Arica 800, a block from the Ovalo
Gutierrez roundabout, sells a good range of quality camping equipment
, as do Alpaymayo, Avenida Larco 345, Miraflores. Best, Avenida Espinar 320,
Mirafores, sell rucksacks, cycling equipment and surfing gear, while Todo
Camping, Avenida Angamos Oeste 350, has a range of tents and other equipment.
There's also the Camping Centre, Avenida Benevides 1620 (tel 242-1779) in
Miraflores or Sisperu, Caminos del Inca 257 (tel 372-0428) in Chacarilla,
and the South American Explorers' Club is worth trying too.
For surfing gear go to Best, Billa
Bong, Ignacio Merino 711, O'Niells, Avenida Santa Cruz 851, or Waves,
Bolivar 149, all of which are in Miraflores; in Barranco there's Wayo Whilar,
Avenida 28 de Julio 287. Cycling equipment is available from Biclas,
Avenida Conquistadores 641, San Isidro (tel 440-0890); Bike Mavil, Avenida
Avacion 4011 (tel 449-8435); Cicloroni, Calle de Las Casas, block 32 Avenida
Petit Thouars, San Isidro (tel 221-7643); and Will-Pro, Avenida 2 de Mayo
430, San Isidro (tel 222-0289).
Photographic equipment
Photographic equipment ,
accessories and film developing are all a little expensive in Lima. Try
Kodak Express, Avenida Larco 1005, or Lab Color Profesional, Avenida
Benevides 1171 (tel 446-7421), both in Miraflores, for films and developing.
Agfafoto, Diez Canseco 172, Miraflores, has films and peripherals, while
Renato Service, 28 Julio 442, Miraflores, has excellent camera and video
equipment. Foto Digital, Avenida larco 1005 (tel 447-9398) are good for fast
developing. Kodak's laboratories on Avenida Arriola, just off Javier Prado
Este in La Victoria, will develop Ektachrome but not Kodachrome. For
camera repairs , try the shop near the Camera House, Larco 1150, Oficina
39 (tel 961-7590) in Miraflores.
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