Perú - ugly but not everywhere. 🇵🇪
My second time in the very underrated Perú. I'll share my honest recommendations, geoarbitrage tips, a story or two, and a breakdown of my costs.
Perú can either be extremely ugly or very beautiful.
During the colonial period, the Viceroyalty of Peru, based out of Lima was one of the wealthiest and most important regions of the Spanish Empire, due to its vast natural resources, including silver and gold mines, as well as its strategic location for trade.
Lima today is the official capital and a megacity with a population of 10 million. It is a blend of some of the ugliest and most beautiful architecture I've ever seen.
Ugly, unfortunately, is the modern-day typical Peruvian architecture, characterised by incomplete-looking concrete buildings with reinforcement bars hanging out from the top of every structure.
Beautiful, on the other hand, is the colonial and architectural heritage. Also, a couple of modern barrios (neighbourhoods) that stand out for their quality of life, which I consider among the highest I’ve seen in Latin America. A good thing about these two barrios is that they’re affordable.
Lima even rivals socialist-stricken Buenos Aires, especially in imported goods. I had a field day loading up on Patagonia brand hiking gear without having to sell a little finger, as I would if I wanted the socialist equivalent brand called Montagne in Argentina.
Montagne is priced in Argentina as if it's the Hugo Boss of the hiking world, it ain’t, but those Argentine socialist politicians had to pay for their second house in Madrid somehow.
Libertarian and current president Javier Milei will fix this - viva la libertad , carajo!
Anyway, this article is about Perú, I’ll get back to writing about Argentina now I’m back in my Buenos Aires apartment.
Arequipa, the unofficial capital city of 1.2 million has become one of my favourite cities in Latin America.
It’s great for;
Remote workers.
Latin American history enthusiasts.
Food connoisseurs - steak & fresh grass-fed local produce.
Backpackers.
Hiking/trekking fan - for all levels.
Enjoyer of literally the most perfect weather at a pleasant altitude.
In this article, I want to go through my recommendations after my second visit to the country with a focus on Arequipa - a city I could spend months in for deep work. I'll provide geoarbitrage tips, share a story or two and show the exact costs of a trip like this for me.