Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Matheo's $
(Libertad 487; meals S9-14)
With two central locations, Matheo's serves as an antidote to
the hills of
parrillada
found all over Peru. The all-veggie menu has lots of I-can't-believe-
it's-not-meat versions of local dishes. The second branch is at Tacna 532.
VEGETARIAN
SELF-CATERING
Drinking
Centro Commercial Miraflores
(cnr Guardia Civil & Cayeta)
All of Piura's worthwhile nightlife takes place in
this small shopping center east of the centre. For a great bar, check out Atiko (cocktails
S12 to S22). If you really need to shake your rump, head upstairs to Queens (cover S25 to
S30), which gets rowdy on weekends when it fills with gringos and well-heeled Peruvians
shakin' their money-makers to an eclectic international music mix. Don't worry - if any
of these close, something else will open here.
BAR
BORDER CROSSING: ECUADOR VIA LA TINA
The border post of La Tina lacks hotels, but the Ecuadorean town of Macará (3km from the border) has adequate
facilities. La Tina is reached by
colectivo
(shared transportation) taxis (S12, 2½ hours) leaving from Sullana,
40km north of Piura, throughout the day. A better option is
Transportes Loja
( 073-30-5446;
www.cooperativaloja.com
; Sánchez Cerro Km 1, Piura)
, which has three daily buses from Piura (9:30am, 1pm
and 9pm) that conveniently go straight through here and on to Loja (S28, eight hours).
The border is the international bridge over the Río Calvas and is open 24 hours. Formalities are relaxed as long
as your documents are all in order. There are no banks, though you'll find money changers at the border or in Ma-
cará. By the time you read this, a new bridge and completely revamped immigration facilities will be in place,
with both Peruvian and Ecuadorean immigration offices sharing the same building on the bridge.
Travelers entering Ecuador will find taxis (US$1) and
colectivos
(US$0.50) to take them to Macará. Most na-
tionalities are simply given a T3 tourist card, which must be surrendered when leaving, and granted 90 days' stay
in Ecuador. There is a Peruvian
consulate
( 07-269-4030;
www.consuladoperumacara.com
; Bol
í
var 134)
in
Macará. See Lonely Planet's
Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands
for further information on Ecuador.
