So I called the Embassy in Lima, Peru direct from my home phone this afternoon while I was having lunch. The operator transferred me to the Consular Office, where I waited on hold for nearly 15 minutes (@ 25 cents/minute, nonetheless) and then I was disconnected. So irritating.

My husband can call from now on. It's free for him.

Any tips on getting through?

The only tip that I have is to call them using Skype next time. Skype on the computer has a program called Skype-out which allows calling a land line phone from the computer. Cost is 7.9 cent per min to Peru.
http://www.skype.com/products/skypeout/rat....html#listing-P

I call my fiance in China on her Cell phone when she is away from her computer at 2.1 cent per min. And Computer to Computer calls are FREE.

Thanks YuAndDan. I use Skype every day to talk to my husband. It's a lifesaver! I didn't think about using it to call a landline.

Hmmm...I'll give it a try.