Pisco, Peru - Polarsteps

Pisco, Peru: population: about 86,000. Pisco is a town on the coast of central Peru. It's generally a nice place, the majority of the city is clean, and they have a new mall, granted it's not big, but it's new. My first impressions were that I liked Pisco, but then, just this morning, I walked into the city center looking for a restaurant serving breakfast. I found a few. My first question for each was "What kind of coffee do you have? Instant or filtered?" They all replied, "instant". I turned around and walked out each time. In one restaurant the waitress said, "filtered" and pointed to the coffee machine so I said, "Great, give me a cup of coffee, black." And she asked, "What? We have cappuccino, frappuccino, crapaccino, etc." I asked for Black Coffee, simple regular black coffee. She had no idea what I was asking for. I couldn't get her to understand that I wanted only regular unadulterated black coffee. I turned around and walked out of there, too. So, I ate mixed nuts for breakfast and drank water with lemon. I suppose it is healthier. Then this evening, I went to the mall to the big grocery store to buy two bottles of water with pineapple flavor, "agua con piña." It's the only store in Pisco I have found this water in. The two bottles came to around 8 soles (Peruvian money) and I gave her a 20 sole bill. She said it was too large for only 8 soles and she couldn't accept it. I said, "Seriously? The difference is only 12 soles, you have that in coins." She said something about the policy for amounts under 10 soles and not accepting bills of 20 or higher. I couldn't believe it and left without buying anything there. What a stupid policy, especially when the store is jam-packed with customers waiting in long lines. So, I think you can figure out I do not much care for Pisco, Peru. Therefore, no more writing about it. Pisco has a desert climate. The average daytime high of 24° C (75° F), and the night average low of 17° C (63° F). The city's elevation is barely above sea level. Pisco averages 26mm (1 inch) of rain per year. So, my impressions: Pisco is a decent enough town to visit for a day or two. It's a typical beach town—sand everywhere, dust blowing everywhere, and at night the street lights are not bright and are generally on only one side of the street if they exist at all. There are many streets that have a distinct odor and it's not a pleasant smell. The beach is not anything special, especially when compared to just about all of the northern Peru coast. During my two-night visit, I saw enough to satisfy my curiosity for the rest of my life, I won't be revisiting this town.