Today we caught a local bus from our AirBnB to the international bus terminal, 400 pesos each, and pay the border tax of 350 pesos – I get nervous because the concierge isn’t sure if I can enter Peru without a visa (and nor am I since I never intended entering Peru and so didn’t check before I left NZ or even before I booked the AirBnB in Peru) and I may lose my translator. He takes my passport and Chilean visa away to check with someone in the office and much to my relief returns with an affirmative answer and we board the nice clean 40-seater bus to change countries (2000 pesos – NZD4.50 - each for the trip). It’s about an hour and 60 kms. A shared taxi (colectivo) is twice the cost but the bus is more interesting. We hit “Ruta 5 Norte” yet again and soon cross the border line into Peru according to the road signs and a few kilometres further on get to the border crossing point where we stop for 30 minutes, alight with our luggage and identity papers and clear immigration out of Chile and then into Peru and back on the bus for the last leg of the journey. On board a man standing at the front of the bus is giving what I thought was an explanation about what to be careful of in Peru and what you can and can’t bring into the country as he is holding up a ring binder with lots of photos in it of human intestinal tracts and one of a young lady sitting on a latrine. His spiel is delivered for a full 20 minutes without reference to notes as he turns from page to page and then moves up the bus handing out sachets of a powder which I presume is an anti-diarrhoea treatment. I refer to my translator for advice and she informs me he is a hawker selling his brand of herbal tea and not to buy it. He then returns to the front of the bus and begins another spiel holding up a packet of something which he again distributes through the bus – it looks like coca leaves on the packaging and says “Coca” on the packet and as I know that is helpful for altitude sickness I buy a packet (NZD$2.50) knowing that I’ll likely be at high altitudes in Peru at some time. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of differences in the “scenery” so far – same dry and dusty environment but we soon start passing small fields of corn and other crops which look well-watered. We arrive into Tacna which is the only place in Peru where the Chilean Peso is accepted as currency but I exchange a 10,000 peso note for 51 Soles at the bus terminal so I can pay for the taxi. It feels as though I’ve been short changed but one Peruvian sol is worth about 200 Chilean pesos or NZD 50 cents. I have to get used to the exchange rate difference after having just got used to the CLP:NZD rate difference. The previous day I’d caught a bus in Arica where the fare was 520 per person and I gave the bus driver 1,400 pesos for the two of us instead of 1,040 pesos. I realised my error as soon as I’d sat down and chuckled to myself as the driver hadn’t said anything. When we got off the bus I called back “Keep the change!” and laughed and we both laughed together as of course he knew he was 360 pesos (NZD .80 cents) ahead on that fare.

We caught a taxi from the bus terminal to the AirBnB here in Tacna

for five soles (NZD2.50) and met the hostess, Daniela, and dropped our luggage in our room while she showed us around what is a lovely apartment on two levels with a nice outdoor terrace on the third level. Another young man who’s staying here is from Turkey and speaks English quite well enough to have a conversation with. Daniela needed to go into town to meet her Mother to celebrate Mothers Day (Saturday here, not Sunday) and Ishmal, the young man from Turkey, came along as well. We strolled around the streets and noticed how many places there are to eat at, from more expensive restaurants through to “dairies” that will do a hamburger or empanada. The food is noticeably cheaper here than in Chile and we settle on chicken burgers (6 soles – NZD3.00) and a beer each. The burgers are good with plenty of moist chicken, lettuce, tomato and mayo. My translator continues to teach me some important phrases such as “I’d like a cold dark beer, please” after which we continue to stroll around the town and find the central market place where there are many fruit and vege vendors, butchers, cosmetic sellers and electronics sales outlets and I buy another two pin plug to fit Peru’s different power outlets so I can keep my phone and laptop charged (I brought my electric shaver with me but without the charging cord and so far haven’t been able to find one to fit, so have been blade shaving since I left NZ). The hostess here suggested we catch a “Line B” bus back to the AirBnB and we wait as hundreds of buses pass over the course of 30 minutes but not one is a “Line B”. My translator makes a few enquiries and someone suggests a bus #200 is the one to catch and we’re soon on our way back to here for .70 soles (NZD 35 cents each). I decide that if we can stay longer here we will (subject to Daniela having the room available). The climate suits me – warm, and today at least, sunny. The Peruvian flag is flown everywhere and is almost identical to the Canadian flag except for the Maple leaf which in Peru is replaced by the National Coat of Arms insignia containing a Llama, a tree and a cornucopia symbol. There’s a wicked looking bakery on the corner of our street only a few metres from our front door and I buy a pastry to have with my coffee for breakfast. The cakes look wonderful but I’m not tempted. Tomorrow we join a 2 hour bus tour of the region departing from the centre of town for 30 soles each (NZD15.00). It’s advertised at 40 soles but Greta beat them down to 30 because the English speaking guide is on holiday at present so it’s Spanish language only tomorrow. Our hostess suggested we dine at a restaurant in town that does Peruvian cuisine and described the meat as “like a rabbit”. I suggested it might be Cavi but she assured me it is Cuy. I Googled it – it’s Cavi (Guinea Pig!). I’ll try it tomorrow if they’re open!

All for today – might get an early night after a late one at the last AirBnB with Veronica and her other guest, Doctor Daniel.

In Chile you can buy the whole shop for only 1,500 pesos!!