mlgb: I am (and was before i got here) totally aware they take both currencies. It is just my personal philosophy to use local currency when traveling to other places. Peru is slightly different in that accepting US$ isn't an inconvenience/imposition. But I have seen FAR too many 'ugly Americans' in my travels asking " how much is that in real money?"

Agree, Janis. There are (or were when I was there), many places in Peru--primarily in rural areas--where only soles were accepted.

One trick, BTW, is to try to pay with the largest bill you have, and hoard the smaller ones. Many places don't have change for, say, a NS100 bill. There were a couple of times on my first trip (almost 20 years ago now) when I was embarrassed for lack of small bills. Luckily, the people were so nice that they would take whatever small bills I had, even if they added up to less than the posted price.

So now that you're there, janisj, I guess you have seen in person that Peru is different. As I gather, you haven't gone off the beaten path by even a few feet?

That's all I was saying. That Peru IS different. In fact if you are doing the typical tourist route shopping for souvenirs and ask about a price in a market, you'll probably be asked if you are using dollars or PEN. There are also some retail stores, which tourists frequent, where prices may be marked in both currencies.

Since it's been 20 years, dwdvagamundo, you might be pleased that it is no longer necessary to hoard small bills. In fact it's rather rude to only pay with large bills if you have smaller ones.