Services

By Lorraine Caputo

The iPeru tourist information office is extremely helpful and has information on lodging, bus schedules and attractions in Piura and the region (Monday-Saturday 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Jr Ayacucho 377, Tel.: 320-249, URL: www.peru.info/piura). Additionally, iPeru staffs a booth at the airport when flights arrive. The Comisaría de Piura, or police department, is at Av Sánchez Cerro, cuadra (block) 12 (Tel.: 307-641).The following countries have representatives in Piura:

     · Consulado de Alemania (Los Ampolas K6, Urb. Miraflores, Tel.: 343-149)

     · Consulado del Ecuador (Av Chirichigno 505, Urb. El Chipe, Tel.: 308-027 / 309-959)

      · Viceconsulado de España (Grau 370, Tel.: 327-741).

Most banks in Piura are located near the Plaza de Armas or on Av Grau. The following cash American Express travelers checks and have ATMs that handle Cirrus, Plus, Visa, MasterCard and American Express cards:

      · BCP (Banco de Crédito)—has special window for travelers check transactions (Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Av Grau and Jr Tacna)

      · Interbank—also exchanges cash US dollars and Euros (Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-6:15 p.m., Saturday 9:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Av Grau 160)

      · ScotiaBank (Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-6:15 p.m., Saturday 9:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Jr Libertad 825).

All have branch offices and ATMs throughout the city, including near the bus depots on Av Sánchez Cerro. Western Union money wires can be picked up at ScotiaBank. Banco de la Nación handles MoneyGram (Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Calle Libertad 959). Casas de cambio are concentrated on Jr Arequipa and Jr Ica, and are generally open Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-2 p.m., 4-8 p.m. Changing money on the street is not adviseable.

Locutorios, or phone offices (calls $0.03 per minute for local to $0.30 per minute international) and internet cafés ($0.35-0.70 per hour) are common. Internet Acasa has Skype (Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Tacna 646, next to Museo Grau). Serpost is the place to drop a post card, pick up general delivery or send a package (Monday-Saturday 8 a.m.-8 p-.m. Calle Ayacucho and Calle Libertad).

Piura has several medical facilities. The main public hospital is Hospital I Santa Rosa (Prolongación Av Grau and Chulucanas s/n, San Martín, Tel.: 361-075). Boticas (pharmacies) are mainly found along Av Grau, between Óvalo Grau and the cathedral, and on Av Sánchez Cerro, between Av Loreto and Sullana. Normal hours are 7 a.m.-10 p.m. The chain drugstore Boticas Felicidad delivers (Tel.: 308-300 / 304-750).

Many towns near Piura are known for crafts. A good one-stop gallery to appreciate these artisan works is Centro Artesanal Norte, with 16 shops dedicated to a separate village and its products (daily 10 a.m.-1 p.m., 4-8 p.m. Calle Libertad 501, Tel.: 300-175).