7. Useful Information

Telephone Services

Phone calls can be made from most hotels of 3 stars and above, though there is a fee charged for this that may vary from 10 to 100% of the call cost. Most hotels will allow you to make reverse charge (collect) calls as well as use a telephone charge card. Always check with the hotel prior to calling - most make a service charge.

It is cheaper to go the local phone centre (telefónica) to make an international call. Procedure and prices vary. Most telephone companies have direct dialling. You will usually receive a plastic tag with a number for the respective booth, make all your calls, then hand in your number and be charged accordingly.

There is generally a charge for a collect call from these booths.

Most countries now operate with telephone cards, bought in most kiosks or telephone company shops. These can then be used from pay phones in the street for national and international calls. Be careful in those countries where there is more than one phone company (e.g. Chile) as often the cards are not accepted by other companies. Beware of being sold a 'phonecard' which is actually a pre-paid top-up card. If it states the word 'celular' anywhere on the card, don't buy it.

Similarly, some denominations of phonecards may be insufficient to make international calls. If in doubt, ask first! Very occasionally, a 'ficha' or 'cartão telefônico', may have to be bought to make local calls. In Buenos Aires and in Cusco, Peru, small 'call shops' seem to be springing up on every street corner. These are cheap and open long hours.

Mobile phone coverage abroad depends on your network and phone model. You should contact your service provider for details. Note that in remote areas there will be no mobile coverage. The service is constantly improving - there is now coverage, for example, at Machu Picchu and sporadically in the Sacred Valley and Cusco-Puno routes in Peru.

Internet and Email

Internet access is widely available in Latin America (although it is limited in Cuba) in cities and tourist areas, either in internet cafes or from your hotel. Your tour leader or local guide should be able to point you in the direction of the nearest internet centre. More and more hotels offer broadband connections, and usually provide cables if their service is not wireless.

Electrical Voltage

110-120 volts: Cuba (older buildings), Mexico, Guatemala (mostly), El Salvador (flat pin plugs), Honduras (flat pin plugs), Nicaragua, Costa Rica (flat pin plugs), Panama, most parts of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Belize, and Bolivia (outside of La Paz).

220-240 volts: Cuba (newer hotels), Panama (modern homes and hotels), Argentina, Bolivia (in La Paz), the north-east of Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay.

Standard British plugs will need an adapter to two-pin plugs. The sockets usually accept both round and flat pins, but some on 110 voltage are flat pin only, so you will need an adapter with both (worldwide adapter). You can buy these in electrical shops, branches of Boots (in the UK), luggage shops and at airports. For quick-reference see: http://electricaloutlet.org/

Photography

The majority of travellers now have digital cameras. Memory cards (often expensive) and batteries can be bought at many of the principal tourist destinations, but do not rely on this - bring them from home. If you need to free up memory space, there are outlets in many main towns where you can download your images onto discs.

Film for old-style cameras should be purchased before you go if you use transparencies, as slide film can be hard to come by. Film for prints is almost universally available but can be more expensive, especially at main tourist sites. It is advisable to buy from shops where it looks as though they have a reasonably good turnover of film, and don't store it in very warm conditions - check the expiry date! If you are going to a jungle area it is advisable to buy some fast film (e.g. 400 ASA) in advance. The canopy cover of rainforest regions makes photography very difficult if you are using 100 ASA speed film. Conversely, a clear day in the high Andes will make slow film, (e.g. 100 ASA) a better bet. If possible, do not develop your film in Latin America, as the service is frequently substandard.

Laundry

Most hotels except the very cheapest have a laundry service, and they usually take between 10 and 24 hours to return your clothes. Hotel laundry services tend to be expensive, but can be more convenient and often offer a faster service than the cheaper launderettes which can often be found nearby.

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