Traveling To Peru: Safety Tips and Traveling Information

Traveling can be hectic. If you have ever walked into an airport, you know this! It can be fast-paced, chaotic and you are dealing with a lot of people. After years of experience and a lot of learning, there are a few things you should know when traveling to your final destination- Peru.
Arrive two hours before your flight. This might seem like a silly thing, or even well known information, but people constantly forget that delays happen in and out of the airport. Give yourself plenty of time.

Be polite to the airport staff, and they will be polite to you. Americans get a bad rap, and you might get treated differently or with contempt. Be happy, smile, and be polite.

 My sister and I traveled from Peru by ourselves this summer and we found ourselves stuck at security and then again at immigration. After debating with the airport employee for several minutes we were escorted into the police office inside the airport. Both my sister and I were unprepared to deal with the situation at hand and neither of us knew the language well enough to communicate beyond what I had already explained to the immigration officer.  It took a while, but we got out of there and I even managed to thank them (albeit sarcastically) and we went on our way. I was so happy we arrived early to the airport too!

When you arrive in Peru, you will have to go through customs. Fill out the form BEFORE your arrival to make this go faster. The Lima airport is not a place you want to spend a lot of time, especially if you are tired, hungry and starting to smell like the airplane.

When you are done with customs and getting your luggage, ignore all the cab drivers holding signs or yelling out rates. Be prepared and plan ahead- have someone waiting for you. Hotels will happily set this up for you, and this is the safest way to get where you want to go.

I've had three years of experience living in Peru; and three years worth of scary stories to go with it. I've  heard true stories of kidnappings, ransom demands, and thefts during my years in Peru. I even know some of the victims.  Don't go worrying, or fretting about the what-ifs, and don't go thinking Peru is dangerous; it's only as dangerous as any other place you might go. No matter where you travel, be it Idaho, Rome or Peru you should always be aware of your surroundings, the dangers, and know how to stay out of bad situations.

Simple Tips to Keep you Safe:

• Do not carry large amounts of money with you.
• Do not carry large handbags.
• Do not wear flashy or expensive jewelry.
• Carry your wallet or phone in your front pockets.
• When walking on the sidewalk, stay close to the buildings and keep your bag away from the street. People have had their purses or cell phones snatched right out of their hands.
• When in a car, keep your window rolled up, especially when waiting at an intersection. Keep your purse on the floor, out of sight from view. This applies to both purses or bags and electronics.
• When riding on a micro or bus wear your bag or backpack on your front and keep a hold of your stuff at all times.
• If you are traveling with children go over stranger danger rules and teach them what to do in an emergency.
• If you are traveling in a group select a destination you will meet at if anyone gets lost or separated from the group.
• Do not take a street taxi unless absolutely necessary. If you must take a street taxi, never ride alone. You are more vulnerable in such situations. Try to plan transportation before you go, or call a reliable taxi company.
• Keep your passport and identification on you.
• Program the U.S. Embassy into your phone, in case of emergencies.

For other tips visit:

The US Embassy located in Lima:
http://lima.usembassy.gov/

The US Department of State and Bureau of Consular Affairs:
http://travel.state.gov/content/travel/english.html

Traveling to Peru: Feasting on the Culture

Peru offers a wide array of food, and in Lima you find a large variety of tastes. Foods are prepared in different methods depending on the area and class system. You can have the same dish at twenty different places and each would have its own unique flavors.

Popular Dishes:

Cuy

This is a delicacy in Peru; and is one of the most popular dishes. Cuy is guinea pig, friend or roasted and served with rice and potatoes. At most restaurants you can even pick out what guinea pig you want!

Lomo Saltado

This is a classic. Lean cuts of beef in a vegetable stir fry served over rice and french-fries and, in some places, topped with an egg. Although the combination of French fries and rice sounds strange the combination is tasteful.

Llama and Alpaca

This meat is one of my favorites. It has the same tenderness as lamb, and is served with vegetables and rice.  In some places, you can find thin cuts of raw alpaca covered in a lemon-lime mixture.

Anticuchos

This is cow heart, slowly grilled to perfection. The first time I ate this it was delicious… until my father told me what it was. It became less and less appealing the more I thought about it. Going back to Peru the second time when I was older,  I found the dish to be perfection.

Sea Food

Lima offers a full array of sea food, including octopus and squid! These dishes are served in a variety of ways. My favorite is the sea food pasta; a variety of shrimp, clam, scallops, fish and other sea food served on top a bed of fettuccini noodles with a white wine sauce. Ceviche, raw fish marinated in a lemon-lime juice is another local favorite and delicacy.

 

When touring the Lima (or any of Peru's cities) make sure you take care not to eat foods that could put you at risk of getting a disease or becoming sick. After three years, here is my list of pointers when it comes to food:

 

• Do not eat salads unless you are at a high end establishment. Most places do not clean their produce when serving it raw, and unless you are accustom to the bacteria, it can make you sick.
• Do not drink the water from public fountains. Instead by bottled water. In some areas of Peru you should not buy water at restaurants even if it is in a bottle. Many places will take bottles and refill them to give to customers. It is safer to go with a soda, or a juice.
• Do not eat fruit that has not been washed, unless cooked.  The bacteria found of vegetables and fruit can make you sick.
• Do not eat mayonnaise from vendors. These vendors do not have proper refrigeration and often food is left out, or in rare cases a cooler. Mayonnaise can easily go bad if kept at room temperature and contains ingredients that can make you sick. This is especially true as most mayonnaise you will encounter at a street vendor will be home made.
• Be careful when eating meat, especially from venders- you can get food poisoning or bacteria like e-coli from spoiled or undercooked meat. Eating meat or fish that has been sitting in a lemon-lime mixture is less likely to cause infection or make you sick.

Be open to trying new things! I have had many experiences where I have not wanted to eat something, and then discovered I really liked what I was trying. In Peru there are a lot of new things to try from ceviche to grilled banana. You don't have to try everything, but try a few new things on your trip. This is an adventure after all!

Traveling to Peru: 5 Places to Visit in Lima

If you are headed to Peru to indulge yourself in the culture and people, the best place to start is in Lima, Peru’s capital and largest city. Lima has grown in spades in the last decade and with the growth has become more modern. Lima offers the perfect combination of comfort and culture.

 

 

Lima is located along the west coast, and offers a variety of activities both on the beach and off. Lima is divided into districts, each offering its own style and features. TIME magazine wrote an article titled Lima: 10 Things to Do giving their opinion of the best places to go and see within the large city.  Spending a year in the city, here are my top 5 must-see places within Lima:

1. The Basilica Cathedral

This beautiful cathedral is located in downtown Lima in the Plaza Mayor. Built in 1535, this building contains an abundant amount of history, including the begining of Christianity in Peru. Catholicism was not a religion until the Spaniards came over and conquered the land from the Andean people. 

2.  Plaza de Armas

This plaza is the largest in Lima, and offers history dating back to the 1500s. The Plaza de Armas is home to government buildings including the Government Palace, the Presidents house. This is also the house of the last Incan chief and is said to be set on sacred land. While you cannot go into the Government palace, you can see the changing of the guards that occurs at noon each day. Peru's old train station and other historic buildings are also located around the plaza and are fun to explore.

 

3. Incan Ruins

While most people think the Incan ruins are contained in The Sacred Valley, Cusco, and Machu Picchu, there are structures scattered throughout Lima and other cities of Peru. These structures were built as the Incans made their way from Cusco. These structures are all over the city, and you will see multiple structures without even searching for them!

4. Locomar

Located in Miraflores, along the cost line, this is my favorite place to spend a warm sunny day in Lima. The view is gorgeous, and there is so much you can do. Locomar offers great restaurants and a shopping area and holds numerous social events throughout the year.

 

 

For those adventurous enough, Miraflores offers the best experience and landscape for paragliding. With the view of both the ocean and the city you get a unique thrill as you sail across the sky above.

You occasionally see things like skateboarding dogs or dogs on motorcycles too!

5. Parque Kennedy

Located in Miraflores, Parque Kennedy is named after American president, John F. Kennedy. This park is home to at least fifty abandoned and feral cats. There is an organization that cares for the cats and adopts out the ones who are newly abandoned. Surrounding the park there are many restaurants and small shops making it a fun and relaxed environment.

 

 

 

Lima can be a funny place. You can see the strangest sights, last year we saw Santa driving a cab, Bumblebee from Transformers and a whole slew of other fun and random sights. Have your camera ready for your adventure, and enjoy exploring Lima! 



Traveling to Peru: An Introduction

I have had many opportunities to travel with my family, and in 2013 after graduating from high school, I had the chance to move with my family to Lima Peru. I spent a year there, from July 2013-June 2014, and had the opportunity to go back for a month in December 2014.

Peru holds a special place in my heart; I spent two years living there when I was ten and going back almost a decade later was remarkable. Through my experiences in that beautiful country, I have grown, and  have learned a lot about cultures, and humanity that so many others do not have the chance to experience. I have truly been blessed in my life, and in my travels.

My favorite thing about Peru is the children and the opportunity I have had to volunteer, but a close second would be touring Peru and learning about the culture. Even within the Peruvian culture many differences are expressed in different areas, each is in its own way unique and each offers its own experience.

 I have written a series of blog post about traveling in Peru based on my own life experiences. I'm no expert at traveling, but after living in Peru for three years, I have come up with a few tips designed to help first time travelers as they make their way through this beautiful country.