Thoughts on Peru vs. Ecuador

Although there was a football match last night that mostly stopped the town (we think Ecuador won, it was 1-0 in the 80th minute), this is more about our impressions on the countries as a whole.

First of all, Peru is expensive. If you look at some guidebooks, they'll tell you that Peru and Ecuador will cost you about the same, and Bolivia too. How far from the truth that is. Food in Peru is costing us about $15/day more than Ecuador. Hotels in Peru are only slightly more expensive, but rarely include breakfast. In Ecuador it was hard to find a place that didn't include breakfast. [Having to buy breakfast accounts for almost half the $15.] Taxis cost at least double in Peru, and buses are more like 4 times as expensive. We got from Cuenca to Loja in Ecuador (5 hour ride) for less than it cost us to get from the airport to our hotel in Lima, and for about half the cost of the bus from Paracas to Ica (1.5 hours). We'll be arriving in Bolivia sooner than anticipated; the word on the street is that it's very, very cheap.

The food in Peru has been tastier than Ecuador. The local food is more interesting (Ecuadorian food was a little bland), and the Peruvian take on foreign food is better too. I guess you get what you pay for?

Internet in Peru has been spotty or non-existent. Even in Lima it was touch-and-go. Phone calls are also more expensive in Peru.

The small Peruvian towns are more ramshackle than the small Ecuadorian towns. The big cities (Lima, Arequipa vs. Quito, Cuenca) are fairly similar.

Taxis in Peru are apparently rather dangerous. In Ecuador you just walked outside, stuck your arm out, and caught a cab. In Peru that is a no-no, and you arrange for a taxi through your hotel. I guess some taxis (that you might pick up off the street) will hold you or your luggage hostage if you don't pay extravagant fees.

Lots of Peruanos speak at least some English, and many speak a little French and/or German too. People will automatically start speaking English to us. We know we look like gringos! Although it's probably a polite gesture (as is our trying to speak Spanish), it ruins the experience a little when folks stop speaking Spanish. On the other hand, it is nice when our vocabulary fails us to sprinkle in a few English words and be perfectly understood.

On a related note, there is a bit of an accent in Peru. We mostly noticed it in Lima, but it crops up every now and then. Some people drop some consonants from some words, usually an "s". It's inconsistently applied, which makes it harder to get used to. It tends to trip us up occasionally. For example, "gracias" becomes "gracia". That's not so bad. But "mismo" becomes "mimo" and missing letters in the middle of the word are tricky. 60 and 70 become almost indistinguishable if spoken quickly: seenta vs. setenta. The accents in Ecuador were easier to deal with since it was mostly just the added "j" sound to the "ll" when in the mountains and everyone used it.