aceofwands
12/11/2015 14:03 EST
Hi there,
I am planning a move with my family to Trujillo. We have not yet finalized exactly where we are going to live - city, suburbs, coast etc.
I would like to know what the situation is with regard to shopping in the city....we recently moved from the UK to Canada and I shipped personal effects (11 boxes in total), clothes, as little as possible, but ended up wishing I had shipped a bit more because the ordeal of replacing everything was almost not worth it (cost, time spent, spread out nature of shopping in Canada, shipping from the US etc).
So I am starting to think about this again, and more inclined to ship more - but how easy is it to pop out and get a toaster, or a bath mat in Trujillo?
I am thinking of also leaving behind most of our (second-hand) furniture, except our (new) beds - is second-hand furniture easy to come by there? Not averse to buying new as well. Just trying to weigh up the use of shipping stuff versus replacing when we arrive!
Any advice appreciated. Thanks
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rianmi
12/11/2015 23:32 EST
My one advice is make if you are going to be taking electricals that the voltage is correct. My in-laws are a large family. We decided to take a very large food processor from USA to Lima. It burnt out before we could try it out. Converters were also very expensive when we checked. We ended buying a processor in Lima.
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pistachio
12/12/2015 07:31 EST
Trujillo is a good choice. There is a lot of forward motion in the culture and the economy. The city is diverse in every way.
You will find most everything you need, There are two malls here, Real Plaza and Aventura Mall, there is not lack of clothing and appliances.
Keep in mind that the voltage here is 220v. Many things you may want to bring may be 110v and will simply immediately burn out so,, you cannot use here. Conversion is a problem because converters are rare, cumbersome to use and anything over 50 watts is expensive.
Know that cell phones and computers can take either 110 or 220.
If you are about to need a computer, best to get at home and bring.
The only windows versions here utilize single language / Spanish and cannot change to English.
I shipped my things Sea Cargo using a portion of a shared container. My things arrived well,
BUT!
Know that everything has to go through customs and you also will have to pay about 15% of the value as a tariff. You have to declare the value of every item and if you appraise LOW it will be increased by Customs. Some things better to be obtained here.
Appliances of all sorts are readily available here especially in the malls.
Some things though do not exist here in Peru at all or are very expensive. Vitamins, Sports Supplements. If you like Tums you better bring your own. There are antacids here but nothing so easy and fast and convenient as Tums. ha!
I do not think you want second hand furniture here... not a good idea.
Between shipping costs and tariff on your beds, probably better to buy here,, readily available.
All of Coastal Peru is desert. If you see green it has been cultivated. You will find it very dusty here.
Suggestions for renting an apartment in Trujillo would be in La Merced or California section of Trujillo. Both good neighborhoods, pretty clean and safe.... There are some places you do not want to be day or night so pay attention.
You will find Supermarkets here are modern and clean, Wongs, Plaza Vea, Tottus, and Metro. Meats are cut quite differently here and sometimes you do not know what you are looking at. You will learn. Meats are good but Peruvian Beef is really not what your looking for. There is No Grain and really, well,, Shoe Soles come to mind no matter how carefully you cook it.
Trujillo is On the coast so there are areas that are right on the beach and sometimes under water. The beach here is not what the beaches are in North America. Much is totally undeveloped and much has no beach at all with the tides...
I have never seen a protected beach, meaning Life Guards that you might be used to. Your on your own...People tend to go to Huanchaco to enjoy the beach or surf. Most of the visitors to Huanchaco are Peruvians... so in that way it is not a tourist attraction.....
No doubt, Trujillo offers an Urban Life Style. 30 minutes out of town and you go back 100 years and it gets rural very fast. I think you will have a culture clash should you think to make your home outside of the City Area.
With the intention of making your home here you need to start thinking Visas and Residency. There are regulations which you will learn and then choose your best path.
Banking without Residency is not possible so you will have to set up with a bank from home the use of your Card for ATM withdrawals so you can have or get the cash you need to keep going until you get set up. There will be some small fees to use the ATMs which you will become annoyed with after a while but at first at least you can obtain funds.
The process to obtain residency is awkward and cumbersome with many steps to completion of the application and then a wait of 2 to 3 months. In the meantime you can extend your incoming Visa by simply crossing a border, having your passport stamped and returning to Trujillo. You need to do this before your incoming Visa expires and you can do this indefinitely to maintain Legal Visa Status but remember, without Residency [ Carnet de Extranjeria ] you cannot bank.
Conversion of monies is easy and it is best to do this in booths you find at the malls or on main streets, The banks offer a reduced exchange rate.
I know all this sounds like a lot and it is but you will get through it....the two ingredients for success are patience and time....
pistachio
ps The best way to find an apartment is to find a neighborhood that you like and walk or drive the streets and look for signs. Good too to talk to people in bodegas or the security guys in the neighborhoods.
Most places are rented that way and not by agents or newspaper adds, but of course, you should look.
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aceofwands
1/5/2016 14:40 EST
Dear Pistachio,
I have a couple of questions.
What do you mean by forward motion of culture?
Also, by readily available, do you mean there are furniture shops in the malls and you can go there, pick a bed and get it delivered?
What is a ballpark figure on a bed these days in Peru?!
I had another thought actually about shipping our king size bed - looking at rentals, the rooms all look pretty small (appartments especially), so I'm wondering if a king size bed would fit in most houses/appartments! What do you think?
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pistachio
1/5/2016 15:35 EST
ooooooooook,
by 'forward motion' I mean progress......
Things are changing rapidly much more toward the way we know things in the states.....
but still, much of how things are .. are the way it was when you were a kid,,,,, so you can predict the coming development.....
it is like a cultural trip to the past..... the former era..... small shops,, single entrepreneurs......
furniture is a snap..... you can find what you want in a flash.......
best prices are outside of the malls for some things,,,,,, In Trujillo you want to go the the street market area,,,,
the typical bigger bed here is the 2 plaza,, which is really a 'full' size bed
Queen .......RARE......
KING,,, ha,,,, not gonna fit in any room I have ever seen here....
you can by in an instant both the new mattresses and beds you need and have delivered.... no big issue
ps.. a typical twin size bed is called a 1.5 plaza
bed frames with and without head and footboard are not expensive,, and mattresses the same.....
In mattresses Paraiso is the brand... [I definitely spelled that wrong]
ok,, quiz me whenever you wish.....
pistachio
oh,, one last thing,, apartments here are called departments... departimentos......
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aceofwands
1/6/2016 16:26 EST
Ok. King size bed is going on Kijiji.
So this street market area for furniture....where is it? We have finally found somewhere to stay temporarily in Trujillo California area.
Can you get decent wooden furniture at the market area too? Hard to come by in Canada without spending an absolute fortune. Also.....is it easy to get carnet size photos there...photo booths etc? No such thing in Canada....
I have sent another reply regarding shipping. Apparently if I find an agent in Peru to send on from Lima to Trujillo, I can keep the costs down. You mentioned you got a trucker to bring your things, so did you find yourself a Peruvian agent?
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pistachio
1/7/2016 11:04 EST
There are a few markets around Trujillo.... The one where you can get furniture is called Mayorista. It is kind of downtown and ask anyone / everyone knows where it is...
It is a compendium of storefronts and streetsellers selling EVERYTHING you can imagine,, you will walk and ask and look for furniture.
The Items sold here are out of mainstream manufacturing... prices are good and you can negotiate and also arrange delivery.... money here is Always in Soles......
Before looking at furniture here to see what is in the Mainstream for furniture.. Check out Oeschele at Real Plaza Mall,, and Sagafalabella, Ripleys and Paris at Aventura Mall.
This will give you the broad view on various levels of furniture....
For pics for the carnet,, well they take your pic for your Card on the day of presentation .... you don't need to get your own pics...
But,, on the street there are place to get little ID type photos taken.... there is one on Fatima and Magnolia in Trujillo... [ if he is still there ] businesses open and close constantly.
A friend found an agent for me. I am sure you can ask at customs or ask your shipper for a contact. He could also probably recommend a trucker...
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