Peru - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 734

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as the good craft and antique market in the Miraflores Park
between Diagonal and Av Larco, which takes place every
evening (6-9pm). In central Lima the Artesanía Santo
Domingo, opposite the church of the same name, houses a
range of suppliers to suit all budgets, just a stone's throw
from the Plaza Mayor; it is especially good for loose beads.
For clothing, Polvos Azules (Av Paseo de le República,
2 blocks from Plaza Grau) and Gamarra (Prolongación
Gamarra 712, La Victoria) are huge shopping centres/
markets where you can pick up very cheap branded
clothing and footwear. Both areas can be dangerous and
are rife with pickpockets so take only the money you want
to spend and try to visit early in the morning.

which houses the Museo del Ejército
(Military Museum; Tues-Sun 9.30am-
4pm; S15 by 1hr 30min guided tour in
Spanish or English; T 01 429 0532). he
collection of eighteenth-century arms and
rooms dedicated to Peruvian heroes are
interesting, but the real star is the fort
itself, a superb example of the military
architecture of its age. A short walk
from the fort, at the dock on Plaza Grau,
you can take boat tours (see p.734) out
around local islands. Book ahead for trips
further out to the Islas Palomino (4hr;
around S115), where you'll see sea birds,
dolphins and sometimes whales.
A twenty-minute walk southwest of
the fort are the crumbling but charming
neighbourhoods of Chuquito and
La Punta , where you can dream away
an afternoon on the pebble beach,
eat mouth-wateringly fresh ceviche or go
for a rowing-boat ride out to sea.
ARRIVAL
By bus or colectivo To get to Callao from central Lima,
take a colectivo from Plaza Dos de Mayo running down
Avenida Oscar R. Benavides, or a bus from Avenida Tacna
(line Roma 1). Note that Callao can be dangerous in the
evening.

DIRECTORY
Banks and exchange Central Lima, Miraflores, Barranco
and San Isidro all have several casas de cambio, and
Interbank will change money and travellers' cheques.
Moneychangers on the streets will often give a slightly
better rate but will try all sorts of tricks, from doctored
calculators to fake money. Often the best way to change
money in Lima is by buying things in supermarkets with
large US$ notes and asking them for the change in
soles - they usually give the best rates.
Embassies and consulates Australia (Av La Paz 1049,
10th floor, Miraflores T 01 630 0500); Canada (Bolognesi
228, Miraflores T 01 319 3200); Ireland (consulate) (Av
Paseo de la Republica 5757b, Miraflores T 01 242 9516);
South Africa (Av Víctor Andrés Belaunde, Edificio Real 3,
O ce 801, San Isidro T 01 440 9996); UK (Torre Parque
Mar, Av Larco 1301, 22nd floor, Miraflores T 01 617 3000);
USA (Av La Encalada, block 17, Surco T 01 618 2000).
Internet Internet cafés are available throughout the
capital, most equipped for chat, with several 24hr places
in Miraflores. A large percentage of bars, restaurants and
accommodation also have wi-fi access.
Police Tourist Police, at Jr. Moore 268, Magdalena del Mar
( T 01 460 1060 or T 980 121 462, E [e-mail]).
English spoken.
Postal services Not overly reliable, the principal postal
company is SERPOST whose main o ce is on Pasaje Piura
s/n off Jr. de la Unión, one block from the Plaza de Armas
(open 8am-8.30pm; T 01 511 5110). SERPOST also has an
o ce in Miraflores at Petit Thouars 5201. FedEx, DHL and UPS
all have o ces in Lima - check their websites for details.

Ayacucho
Beautiful AYACUCHO (2761m) played
a vital role for the fifteenth-century
Spanish conquistadors, thanks to its
strategic location between Lima and
Cusco and between Potosí (Bolivia) and
Antofagasta (Chile-Argentina), home to
gold, silver and mercury mines. Ayacucho
attracted rich miners and landowners
who financed the construction of the
beautiful churches and colonial buildings
that are still standing today. More
recently, the region was one of the worst
hit in the 1980s when the Maoist
revolutionary movement Sendero
Luminoso, or Shining Path, launched
mass internal conflict leading to the
death of thousands. The city's isolation
and its recent turbulent history mean
that the area has mostly remained off
the backpacker trail. Nonetheless, since

CALLAO
Still the country's main commercial
harbour, and one of the most modern
ports in South America, Callao lies about
14km west of central Lima. Its main
attraction is the pentagonal Fortaleza del
Real Felipe , on Plaza Independencia,