Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
flexibility in their itineraries. Bring your own travel alarm clock - tours and long-distance
buses often depart before 6am.
Toilets
Peruvian plumbing leaves something to be desired. There's always a chance that flushing
a toilet will cause it to overflow, so you should avoid putting anything other than human
waste into the toilet. Even a small amount of toilet paper can muck up the entire system -
that's why a small, plastic bin is routinely provided for disposing of the paper. This may
not seem sanitary, but it is definitely better than the alternative of clogged toilets and
flooded floors. A well-run hotel or restaurant, even a cheap one, will empty the bin and
clean the toilet daily. In rural areas, there may be just a rickety wooden outhouse built
around a hole in the ground.
Public toilets are rare outside of transportation terminals, restaurants and museums, but
restaurants will generally let travelers use a restroom (sometimes for a charge). Those in
terminals usually have an attendant who will charge you about S0.50 to enter and then
give you a miserly few sheets of toilet paper. Public restrooms frequently run out of toilet
paper, so always carry extra with you.
Travelers with Disabilities
Peru offers few conveniences for travelers with disabilities. Features such as signs in
Braille or phones for the hearing-impaired are virtually nonexistent, while wheelchair
ramps and lifts are few and far between, and the pavement is often badly potholed and
cracked. Most hotels do not have wheelchair accessible rooms, at least not rooms spe-
cially designated as such. Bathrooms are often barely large enough for an able- bodied
person to walk into, so few are accessible to wheelchairs. Toilets in rural areas may be of
the squat variety.
Nevertheless, there are Peruvians with disabilities who get around, mainly through the
help of others. It is not particularly unusual to see mobility-impaired people being carried
bodily to a seat on a bus, for example. If you need assistance, be polite and good-natured.
Speaking Spanish will help immeasurably. If possible, bring along an able-bodied travel-
ing companion.
Organizations that provide information for travelers with disabilities:
 
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