Are you a surfer who is looking for some of the longest and most exhilarating waves in the world? Well, Peru might just be the place for you. Located about 300 miles north of Lima, Chicama offers one of the longest waves in the world ideal for surfing. Chicama, an arid region with cold sea, is known for its well organized swells. Big swells produce waves that can be ridden for 3 quarters of a mile. The entire cape where the waves break is roughly two and a half miles long.
The area is divided into three sections. The outside point called Malpaso breaks for about 150 m. The next point toward the town is called Keys, which breaks for another 600 m before touching deep water. When the swell goes above six feet, the main point connects with the main break called The Point along with El Hombre continuing till the pier in town.
Main break, El Point is often easy to identify with its long projection from the line of cape. This is where most surfers begin their session from. Waves start off unexpectedly fast spinning for 1.1 km until it reaches El Hombre section where the swell hits a cluster of rocks and sandbanks before speeding up again till the pier.
The long left-handed waves of Chicama were first spotted in 1967 by a Hawaiian Chuck Shipman while passing the area in a plane. Shipman soon informed his Peruvian pals about the discovery. Since then, Chicama is gradually becoming a hotspot among professionals as well as amateur surfers. The best season to visit Chicama is between March and October when S/SW swells hit Peru delivering consistent waves.
Despite its beautiful waves the place hasn’t attracted a swell of crowd, which is quite surprising. Chicama maintains its quaint small town charm with around a dozen surfers. Chicama surf resort and spa offers a luxurious stay with splendid views of the wave front. The resort houses a restaurant, bar, and spa and offers full-fledged professional support for surfing. They even provide boat service to take you back to the top of the point.
If you are looking for an economical stay with surfing support then Hostal El Hombre is the right place for you. The owner there has an incredible experience with surfing.
For surfers looking for more excitement, Pacasmayo located 25 miles north of Chicama, is another spot for long left waves with relatively bigger and consistent waves than Chicama.
]]>
At the headwaters of the Rio Madre de Dios east of the city of Cusco many jungle peoples were dedicated to hunting, fishing and collecting medicinal plants, for which boats were essential.
Small boats of up to five people called “cascos” (shells), were manufactured from a tree called “topa” was characterized by having llittle weight and being soft for carving. The length of this tree was approximately thirty meters making it possible to carve up to five hulls.
The tools used were bones of animals, such as the femur of the huangana (the white lipped peccary. They were sharpened on rough river stones and were transformed into chisels for gouging and carving. The teeth of the river crocodile made a tool for finishing the boats. They also used mallets or hammers and small chichihuaco wood stakes that had a weight and hardness similar to metal.
A shell was built by two people in approximately in fifteen days. Its size was approximately four meters long by eighty centimeters wide. Its construction began by choosing mature trees from fifteen to twenty years old. Once cut, the most laborious part, the carving, begins.
The whole tree was used since the branches were also used for the manufacture of oars. The process was to put the shell on two wooden rollers and was taken out in the sun by day and at night. With the rains this process lasted about a month.
This process was done so that the case becomes tough. This type of hardening was used so that when the boats entered the river they were feather light and yet hard like metal.
The shells were used to transport products such as bananas and cassava, for fishing, and for the transportation of the natives of this place.
]]>It is common to spot cute and furry little guinea pigs in kids’ bedrooms with all the love being showered on them. In Peru however you’ll find them served hot across restaurants and at street food corners. Let us take a look at how guinea pigs came to become so popular in Peru, and how they continue to be eaten with relish across the country.
Consumption
Guinea pigs known as cuyes among locals occupy an important place among Andean people. The rural community living in the Andes used to eat guinea pigs on special occasions. Gradually as Andean people migrated to Lima, guinea pigs percolated into mainstream Peruvian cuisine. Guinea pigs, fed on corn and alfalfa, have high nutritional value due to high protein and low fat content. No wonder over 65 million guinea pigs are consumed in Peru every year.
Historical significance
These brown and white critters have long been part of Peruvian cuisine ever since Inca Empire even though some archaeologists suggest their domestication as a food source dates back to as early as 5000 B.C. It is said that Incas used to sacrifice 1000 guinea pigs and 100 llamas every July to protect their crop from floods and famine. And common people used to dry out guinea pig skin to use it in soups and stews.
Rising demand
As the demand for guinea pigs is rising, many urban and rural farmers have started to farm guinea pigs leading them out of poverty. Apart from local demand, cuyes are in huge demand in various South American countries like Bolivia, Columbia, and Ecuador. Expats living in the US too are finding it hard to stay without their favorite cuyes. Today guinea pigs are exported to various South American restaurants across the US. Though most North Americans are hesitant to eat guinea pigs while their children play with them, it wouldn’t be long when that hesitation disappears.
Recipe
Cooked guinea pig often served whole grilled or deep fried with teeth and claws may seem repulsive at first sight. However, you’ll find Peruvians savor it. Locals love to experiment with it and come up with new recipes for people who find it difficult to bear the sight of whole cooked guinea pigs. One such recipe is where bones are removed before being extensively cooked and pressed for a couple of hours to give it a sweet juicy flavor with crispy skin.
If you come across guinea pigs served during your train journey on the way to Machu Pichu, go ahead and taste it.
]]>We need security guards with an AR-15 in every classroom of every American school. We don't need less guns snowflakes, we need more!
]]>We need security guards with an AR-15 in every classroom of every American school. We don't need less guns snowflakes, we need more!
]]>The post Back to Work 2018 appeared first on Wawas in Peru.
]]>My feelings are that of excitement and exhaustion at the same time. I was lazy and did not train Christopher to sleep well through the night. I nursed him whenever he woke up and now he is in the habit of waking up every three hours or so to eat or at least have something to suck on. It is not going to work when I have kids to teach during the day. I have introduced a pacifier though and he is getting used to having that to suck on when he goes to bed at night instead of falling asleep while nursing.
This month we have to get on the better sleep train. I am just not looking forward to the inevitable crying and screaming from him. Little by little. Worst case scenario, he is a difficult sleeper and I just stock up on coffee. Ha! I am feeling positive though. I have some tricks to try from the Baby Whisperer book and there is always Google. We might not get sleeping through the night completely for a while but getting down to one wake up would be amazing!!
In the meantime, I am excited to be back at work as I will have time to write more and get other projects done like photo books that I haven´t been able to work on. Oh yeah, and I will get some lesson planning and activities set up for my students as well. I am glad to have a bit of a social life with my colleagues as well since going out in the evenings to meet up with friends or do anything social right now is pretty much out of the picture. I am OK with it because it is temporary but if I didn´t have a job I might get a bit stir crazy.
I am also looking forward to a new year and seeing my first class graduate! I cannot believe that this is my 5th year teaching. The girls from my first class are going to be 4th graders this year! I can officially say that I know all the girls in primary school now.
I can´t deny that I feel the tug of wanting to be with my baby boy more so than I did with my daughter. I think part of it has to do with how much more time we spent together day in and day out up until now and the fact that I am not struggling with pre-kid life and post-kid life anymore. My life is post-kid now and there is nothing but acceptance and gratitude that I am in it now. I feel a bit guilty that I wasn´t more in the moment with my baby girl when she was smaller but it is not a problem anymore. I really look forward to spending time with both of my kids now and throwing myself into being present and loving. Believe me it is a work in progress.
However, this summer would have been so much more difficult if I had focused on all the difficult parts of parenting two kids but I really found a sweet spot and started enjoying all the tasks I had to do. My daughter talks more and is quite funny and seeing my son reach milestones knowing that he didn´t do it first at the nursery are things that I really enjoyed witnessing.
We also got out of the house to the club a fair amount to take Leah to her English workshop and ballet. I even had help for a little while from a girl who is planning on taking the exam to get into the Peruvian Army´s technical school. She was super helpful as both a cleaning lady and nanny. It made going to the club that much easier. She had to stop for a few weeks while she is getting everything together for the exam but she will be back this week to help out my mother in law who is taking care of the kiddies this month.
My mother in law is currently watching both the kids during the day and while she gets some respite during Leah´s workshops, it is a lot of work and I want to do something super special for her because it is not her responsibility to watch them and she could have easily said no. It´s a lot of work for me and I am the mom! She is truly an angel.
I prided myself on not having a nanny or cleaning lady (for some stupid reason) but after having one for a while I am dead set on getting someone to clean and cook in the afternoons. Three kids, a full-time job, meals to make and a house to clean is too much for anyone. I think we get it drilled into our heads as women that we have to do everything. It might be possible but it is HARD! My respects to everyone who is a parent of multiple children without extra help!
Time to get back to work!
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]]>Journalist and hotelier Richard McColl tells the story of his neighbors from hell which illustrates how the friendliness in Latin America is only skin deep.
]]>Journalist and hotelier Richard McColl tells the story of his neighbors from hell which illustrates how the friendliness in Latin America is only skin deep.
]]>The restaurant Maido has been awarded numerous distinctions beingon the lists of 50 best Latinamerican restaurants 2016 and also 50 best restaurants in the world 2017
Enjoy the video below:
]]>
My proposal to redraw the national borders of Latin America to eliminate shithole countries and city-states in order in favor of great, proud nations.
]]>My proposal to redraw the national borders of Latin America to eliminate shithole countries and city-states in order in favor of great, proud nations.
]]>The post Parque Kennedy appeared first on Lima: City of Kings.
]]>The post Parque Kennedy appeared first on Lima: City of Kings.
]]>The post Parque de la Reserva appeared first on Lima: City of Kings.
]]>The post Parque de la Reserva appeared first on Lima: City of Kings.
]]>Ecuador-based analyst Justin Perry offers his insight why the referendum to impose presidential term limits is not the good news it seems to be.
]]>Ecuador-based analyst Justin Perry offers his insight why the referendum to impose presidential term limits is not the good news it seems to be.
]]>For this expedition they took provisions among which fariña stood out. It is dried ground yuca ( a kind of manioc) and green plantain flour. These two products are typical of the jungle. When people eat it, they keep their stomachs full. The members of the expedition also brought dried bocachica fish as a kind of chalona or dried meat. It lasts for a long time despite the heat of the jungle. In order to make their way through the jungle, they took machetes since the forest had very lush vegetation. Along the way they drank water from paca fruit and coconut. These are natural sources of water since the rivers have been contaminated by the mining companies.
After three days of traveling, they camped near a native people called Guacamayo where they made a hut with palm leaves. They spent the night there and during the night they heard strange voices that seemed to be giant animals from their power and volume. With fear they lost their courage to go out so that to see what animals they were. At dawn they, continued their way through the thick vegetation. Suddenly, in front of them appeared a huatapuñoc (anaconda) that was approximately 10 meters long. It was rolled up in a tree. They were amazed because it was not very common to find this animal. According to myths it sleeps all year and wakes up only once. The miners passed very quietly because they knew it was asleep. In low voices they said, “God is with us”.
They increased their pace and reached the headlands of the Colorado River where they camped. Around midnight, a thunderstorm began to fall with lightning and thunder. The storm was strong and lightning struck a mahogany tree fifty meters from them, making a loud sound. From fear they did not dare to leave.
The next day at 5 am they approached the tree, which was now lying on the ground with its roots exposed. Out of curiosity they came to look at it closely. They were surprised to see that in the hole left by the roots were many nuggets of gold. They all were excited and began to gather them and place them in their packs. Each of them collected approximately four kilos of gold.
Happy with the gold they had found, while also and not being satisfied with it, they continued their journey until, on the 15th day, they camped by a qocha (lagoon) called Paña Qocha, in honor of a fish that abounds there called Paña.
When they were sleeping, around 11 pm, they heard the voice of a woman, a very thin and delicate voice, calling their names. They immediately woke up and got scared, because it seemed impossible that a woman was in the virgin jungle. It was totally desolate. They did not go out because they knew that in the jungle there was a bird called chullanchaki that was an evil bird. They spent the night in this place and the next day continued their way. Around 4pm they arrived at a waterfall approximately 80 meters high. On the edge of this waterfall they took out their pans to sift the sand and see if there was gold. Finding enough flakes of gold. In each sift they found some 100 flakes of gold. That meant they had finally found the source of gold, the vein they had been looking for. Past the waterfall, they saw a shining wall. Three of the miners risked entering the waterfall. When they entered the fall, they heard loud cries and because of that the fourth miner did not enter. He fled from the frightening place and ran to the last place where the 4 had camped. There he waited for 3 nights for his friends to return. They never came back so he decided to return to the city and told of this adventure in which he lost his 3 friends. Not even the gold he got could compensate for his loss.
]]>The post Taking Risks appeared first on Wawas in Peru.
]]>I think about that a lot actually because I also allow Leah to jump on the bed and be a little rough with her brother and not wear shoes sometimes in the house (because it is summer and the cold floor feels so good when it is hot outside). I let her have her feelings and try not to yell when she starts a tantrum because of something absolutely ridiculous.
I guess I am a bit of a risk taker as a person and as a parent.
I want my child to get dirty, as much as I hate having to scrub out dirt and grass stains from her pants. I want her to experience the world around her and not be stuck behind a screen. I want her to interact with other children and adults as well as plants and animals. I want to let her be a kid and while having some hard and fast rules is super important, it is also good to know that sometimes you can relax a bit and enjoy life. Kids get enough no’s throughout the day anyway.
I think what it comes down to is that I want my daughter to take risks and not be afraid to do so. If you don’t take risks you don’t really live a meaningful and exciting life. Heck, I took one hell of a risk moving to Peru and not knowing anyone. However, by doing so I ended up marrying a Peruvian and planting myself here for the foreseeable future! Making two pretty adorable kids is a pretty fantastic outcome of that move as well.
Think of how terribly boring the world would be if no one took risks. It is important to be smart and attentive in life but it is also important to put yourself our there and be willing to fall. I try and get her involved in as much as I possibly can because I want her to be a strong independent girl and that starts now as she is learning to do things on her own and growing her self-esteem and sense of accomplishment.
I noticed the other night as we were playing Go Fish that Leah did not want to lose. She also has this thing with winning when it comes to eating her food. I am pretty sure she picked that one up from the nursery. We explained to her that it is ok that we don’t win all the time. We just try again and maybe we will win the next time.
I remember visiting the house of my husband’s colleague and his daughter was so distraught when she lost a game she was playing on a cell phone. Mind you the girl was 2 years old and has yet to play lots of games with other children but I am convinced that because there is no one else playing the game with her it augments the feeling of loss and frustration. When kids see other people lose a game that is played by multiple people they see that there is a way to enjoy the activity and not just enjoy it if you win. I am sure some of it is temperament as well because most of us know someone who is super competitive and really dislikes losing.
Also, eating food is not about winning or beating someone else when it comes to finishing your plate. It is about putting nutrients in our body and taking care of ourselves.
I am by no means a perfect mom when it comes to food as I have used plenty a “you don’t get dessert if you don’t finish your food” with Leah. Most of the time it works but I also realize that by doing that it creates the idea that we deserve to eat sweets and things as a prize when really we should eat it in balance. At this point though, I am just happy she shoves all the vegetables and healthy food in her mouth before she scarfs down her jelly beans. (I give her one or two and thankfully she is content with it. She sucks on them so they last. Clever girl.)
I don’t really know what else my observations are making clear to me other than the fact that I am not a super strict rule keeper even though sometimes I want to be. I want my daughter and son to be courageous and yet obedient when necessary like myself. That is a tough one to instill in kids isn’t it? I also want to be a united force with my husband when it comes to rules in the house. I do try and enforce the things that he really doesn’t like her doing but jumping on the bed is such a kid thing to do and it makes my son laugh so hard. As long as I am there to spot everyone has a good time. Let’s just hope she keeps her word and only does it with mommy around…
P.S. Leah is a beast on the playground and I push her “very higher” and she says on the swings. More power to her. The more she practices the more comfortable she and I are with her traipsing around on everything. Falls and bruises are bound to happen but how else is she going to learn?
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]]>Due to its color and size it is very similar to a rabbit and because of the tail to a squirrel. It has thick hair all over its body, including the ears and tail. At adulthood it weighs about a pound and a half. Its food is based on herbs or fruits. In Peru, especially, it eats the wild grass “ichu” which is abundant in the high parts of the Andean world where the geography is formed by mountains of great size. This is exactly where they live. They use the gray mountain stones to camouflage themselves from possible predators since the color of their fur is dark gray.
In the Inca period, this animal was not domesticated. The viscacha was always kept wild. It was common to hunt them and to spin their fur in order to vary the colors and tetures of the fabrics that were made then. Nowadays the viscacha skin is very valuable in the black market of different places, especially in Argentina. Per week, they harvest more than 10 tons of viscacha pelts used to make coats, purses, and more.
It is very common to see viscachas in the citadel of Machupicchu. They live hidden among the rocks where they make their nests. You see them when they go out to sun themselves on top of the rocks. However, to see them you have to have an eagle vision because their skin color blends with the stone and they scurry very fast when they hear noise. For this reason it is a bit difficult to take a picture.
These rodents have a gestation period of 120 to 135 days. They live in groups of up to 50 and make tunnels under the rock formations. These have several entrances because if they escape they can enter by any of the entrances so they can avoid being easy prey for predators.
Another factor that leads people to hunt this rodent is the delicious meat they have. The inhabitants of the Peruvian Andes and Argentina hunt it. You can find a variety of dishes based on the viscacha. They are also hunted by farmer since viscachas often eat the seeds and the plants the farmers sow.
In my opinion the viscacha should stay as an undomesticated wild animal, a free animal. We have another rodent we have in Peru that we have domesticated and eat, the cuy (guinea pig). It has delicious and protein rich meat. It is raised by our people and its consumption should be encouraged consumption. Not so for the viscacha since it is a wonderful species and lives in a natural state. It is one of the attractions within the sanctuary of Machupicchu, a wonder of the world. Therefore we must take care of it and not extinguish it.
]]>The post 5 Month Update appeared first on Wawas in Peru.
]]>You are 5 months old today and you feel like 8 months. You are a big boy and while I don’t think you weigh more than Leah did at this age, I definitely carry you more than I carried her. Part of that had a lot to do with the fact that she was already at the nursery full-time by the time she was 5 months old.
You are just so delicious though and you smile more and more and laugh even more these days. Mostly you laugh at your sister but I get a decent amount of smiles. You are not afraid to give your smiles to everyone you meet when we go to the club. Everyone is enamored with you and rightfully so.
You grab everything now and try to put it in your mouth. That means we have to make sure what we give you is ok to suck on. You have also started grabbing at your hair and it is a little worrisome as you are creating a bit of a bald spot. Eek! I hope it is a passing phase.
I apologize for not getting your on your tummy more. I am afraid the lack of tummy time has made tummy time a bit more frustrating for you than it would be at this point but I am working on it and I definitely want to get your crawling before walking.
I also want to apologize for letting your head getting kind of flat. I am convinced it happened because you slept in the same position pretty much every night for the first three months of your life and your head is super squishy still so it formed a little flat spot. On the bright side, you did not have an issue with SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and you will have a head shaped like daddy’s! (It doesn’t affect intelligence so you are good to go!)
Sleep is not an issue for you but it is for me these days. I have gotten you into the bad habit of needing a to be nursed in order to go back to sleep when you wake up at night. I have to get you a pacifier ASAP!
You have become my little companion this past month while Leah goes to her workshops at the military club. You typically take a nap but if you don’t we sit and play in the shade.
I look forward to getting up in the morning because I know that I am going to get a smile from you. I also know we are going to get lots of kisses and hugs from your sister too.
I am looking forward to going back to work in another week but I am also a bit sad. I have truly enjoyed having more time to watch you grow and the time has passed so quickly this time around. I think it is because I know there will be no more siblings after you and so I am trying to soak up the little moments as much as possible. You have given me perspective and I am trying to soak up the moments with your sister as well. You will soon be walking and talking and bopping around like her. I need to take advantage and get in all the hugs and cuddles I can before you wriggle away from me and respond with a “mooooom, I’m busy”.
Love you to the Sun,
Mommy
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]]>An anecdote illustrating the vengeful pettiness in Peruvian politics from the municipal governments of Surco and Chorrillos in Lima, Peru.
]]>An anecdote illustrating the vengeful pettiness in Peruvian politics from the municipal governments of Surco and Chorrillos in Lima, Peru.
]]>Today in all neighborhoods of Cusco, as a joke, it is a local custom to hang a doll that satirizes a prominent compadre–a godfather or man since almost everyone is a godfather in this city–in the social, political and entertainment world of Cusco. In places, the yunzas, or cortamontes—the tree cutters—are set up.
These are the main attraction of this fiesta that consists of play with water, talcum powder, and confetti.
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]]>The post Heart Street Market App Review appeared first on Wawas in Peru.
]]>Hearts for Hearts Girls are multicultural dolls that represent girls from around the world. There are currently 6 dolls available (on Amazon at least) from Laos, the US, Mexico, Ethiopia, and India. They recently created an app called Heart Street Market in which users can play games in each country to make money to buy things from the market and help construct neighborhoods for each girl, play dress up and learn about their cultures.
Each girl’s neighborhood is under construction. Play one of the two games to make money and help build it up.
The four girls are Nahji from India, Dell from the US (Appalachia), Consuelo from Mexico, and Rahel from Ethiopia. There is an option to choose a girl from a map of the world and when you enter you learn about the girl and her home while waiting for the games to load.
There are two games per girl (8 games in total) and they include making skeletons pick up artifacts in Mexico (day of the dead reference), filling up jars with rain drops in Ethiopia, running around to pick up yarn needed to make clothes in the US, and moving a frog around a lotus flower garden to catch all the flowers.
There are fun games and the ones that require linking three or more objects together are the most addicting of course. Once you finish a level you receive money that can then be used to buy things in the market. Each girl has missions that require specific items from the market. Sometimes it is difficult to find which stand you need to get to but I like that you don’t have to wait a really long time to get a new mission.
It takes some time to figure out where to buy each item. Missions for what to buy are found in the lower right corner.
There is also the option of dressing up the girls with different clothing. It is in this section that users can spend real money and buy clothes for the dolls. I would never waste money on buying digital clothes for the girls but some people are really into that. I understand from a business perspective that the company has to make money somehow considering the app is only $3.99.
What I liked: I really like the idea behind this game and teaching users a bit about different cultures and shows girls in an empowering way. Girls working towards constructing a better world and home for themselves and their families is a fantastic message.
I am not a huge fan of apps that are games because I find that they are often incredibly mindless but this one is a good mixture.
The music is fantastic and not annoying like a lot of game music can be. The artwork is also really nice.
As a side note, my daughter found this app on my phone and immediately wanted to play it. She is three years old and the games were a bit too difficult for her to maneuver. I recommend that users be at least 4 – 5 years old in order to play the games without getting frustrated.
What I did not like: It was really difficult to maneuver the skeletons and the ducks in their games and I really wanted the girls to be able to run faster in the running games. It was also difficult to maneuver the items when browsing the stalls in the market. Often I would have try three or four taps to get it to move.
Overall I give the app 4 out of 5 stars.
For more information about the dolls and the app check out the Facebook site here https://www.facebook.com/HeartsForHeartsGirls/
Note: I was compensated for a review but the opinions are my own and based on my experience with the application.
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]]>The best places to get baked in in Lima, Peru: Pantanos de Villa, La Punta del Callao, Magic Water Circuit, Malecon of Miraflores and Cerro San Cristobal in Rimac.
]]>The best places to get baked in in Lima, Peru: Pantanos de Villa, La Punta del Callao, Magic Water Circuit, Malecon of Miraflores and Cerro San Cristobal in Rimac.
]]>In the rooms of the American Institute of Art of Cusco (IAA) have kept since 1937 more than 2 thousand pieces classified as images, crafts, silverware, textiles, polychrome ceramics, wax, and others. The most important thing is that all were born in the hands of Cusco’s children , such as Santiago Rojas, sculptor of the masks and paucartambinas works, the Child Manuel by Antonio Olave, the grotesque sculptures of the master Edilberto Mérida, and the manger scenes of Hilario Mendivil, characterized by long necks .
The Qosqo Center for Native Art is a Primary Organization of Peru and its purpose is the conservation and collection of Folk Music and Dance of Cusco and Peru. At the moment, it has in its repertoire 50 dances, a hundred melodies of Cusco, a great collection of traditional costumes and musical instruments.
The Qosqo Center presents every day performances of folk music and dance from the various provinces, districts and communities of Cusco, as well as a museum of traditional costumes and musical instruments.
This January 29, 2018 in a meeting with the board of the committee of integral cultural tourism services of Cusco, COSUTUC, and the mayor of Cusco , Carlos Moscoso, both institutions once again became part of the tourist ticket.
Beginning next week you can visit these two institutions with the tourist ticket. OnFebruary 1 and 2, 2018, the Qosqo Native Arts Center will give free dance performances to the public in Cusco. And, the American Institute of Art will exhibit its pieces of art in the Plaza Mayor of Cusco, the Plaza Espinar and the Calle Marques.
In this way, these cultural institutions will make known to visitors an important part of our Art and Folklore which forms our identity.
]]>"Another Ultimate Expat-Immigrant Test" is a second test to see whether you are an "expat" or an "immigrant" -- and why race has nothing to do with it.
]]>"Another Ultimate Expat-Immigrant Test" is a second test to see whether you are an "expat" or an "immigrant" -- and why race has nothing to do with it.
]]>Every dish requires different potatoes. For example, mashed potatoes require the most floury potato which is named the yellow potato. This one is also used to thicken soups and any type of stew such as locro with meat.
Besides accompanying most main dishes, potatoes also delight as a snack before you eat lunch. In the streets, people savor a portion of potato with egg or a rocoto pepper stuffed with potato to satisfy the hunger of the moment.
In our homes, potatoes are also prepared with aji peppers to satisfy the hunger that appears between ten and eleven in the morning. Our moms and wives quickly wash potatoes and set them to boil. The especially cook up the macttillo potato which grows in the puna, the high grasslands. Then they make a traditional green pepper sauce and to please the family using the typical phrase that is: “guys come and eat your potatoes with aji to kill your hunger because lunch will be late.”
When young people are on school holidays this snack is made constantly. The pleasant combination of the potato with hot pepper sauce captivates the youngest members of the household.
Whether served with cheese, avocado, eggs, peppers or other things, the boiled potato is always pleasant to taste and to share with all those around us.
]]>As explained by an 8 year old. Nr. 4 is my favorite: “I love the ocean because it’s by the beach”
]]>The post Pantanos de Villa: Birdwatching in Chorrillos appeared first on Lima: City of Kings.
]]>The post Pantanos de Villa: Birdwatching in Chorrillos appeared first on Lima: City of Kings.
]]>The first months of the year in the city of Cusco rain is clearly visible. Mornings, the sun has a little presence, the sky becomes cloudy and rain begins.
Farmers await for the rainy season desiring the growth of the crops in their fields. They hope to provide staples, such as potatoes and corn, to the big markets that supply the city.
Houses that have roofs of tile and straw are prepared for the rainy season by simply changing in the tiles that are broken, putting a new layer of straw down, and cleaning the gutters so that the water cannot pool up.
In remote towns and communities they have important and basic activities to do in order to pass the rainy season like the collection of firewood. They store firewood and foods for both humans and animals.
Tourism goes down during this season since it can be difficult to visit our tourist attractions in rain. For this reason, many do not plan to visit the city during the rains. The Inca Trail closes in February for repairs and to prevent accidents due to weather conditions.
The rivers rise and destinations such as the route to Quillabamba often suffer landslides. Drivers that are from “Caña Brava”, that bring products from the jungle or the coast as well as buses that travel from region to region suffer most from the inclement weather. Happily every year the authorities try to pave more roads and secure the major ones.
For this rainy season be prepared, secure your home, and take precautions if you make a trip.
]]>It is said that the goblins and Machu live in the huacas or caves where they protect their treasures.
50 years ago, people could build anywhere, whether it was on soft or rocky soil. It was enough to have a little bit of gunpowder and dynamite to be able to break up rocks and start with construction.
People found hidden riches under the rocks, though all this came with curses. Those who found these riches did not live long to enjoy them. It was more their children and their families who benefited.
It is said that the Bernardo was a common and ordinary villager who was engaged in agriculture along with his two sons and his wife. As is tradition every so often there were fiestas where you could enjoy food and drink.
The whole town was in a fiesta and, after drinking a lot, Bernardo wanted to go to the bathroom. They just did it in the open air. One of Bernardo’s friends left the party and went to a rock to urinate.
After a moment Bernardo so left and was surprised to see that his friend was being dragged to the bottom of a hole that had opened on earth. He did not hesitate to help.
He Pulled with all his strength to help his friend and finally managed to get him out when suddenly the earth closed.
He returned with his friend to the party and left him to rest. They did not tell the other people anything so they would not panic. Bernardo went out again to see what it was exactly.
From afar he saw a creature that looked like a human. It was an enraged goblin who was now caught since he was now being watched. The duende suddenly turned around and ran into Bernardo. A hole opened in the ground and the goblin escaped, leaving behind his treasure.
What happened was in that rock lived a goblin and when the man urinated on it, the goblin had become enraged and wanted to take to his cave to that person who had done such an action. Bernardo was left with the treasure and never heard of the goblin again.
In this way many people fear encountering these figures and take care that no one harms the huacas and stones they possess in their villages.
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]]>I remember my grandmother saying that when a person is going to die family members, friends, and neighbors dream of red meat or that their teeth fall out. These two dreams are almost always fulfilled. For this reason when someone has this kind of dream, he begins to comment to others saying, “yesterday I had a very ugly dream. Someone is going to die.” People start to mutter this in their houses and this idea grows larger when at night the dogs begin to howl and thus confirm that someone is going to die. The days go by and someone dies. Then, those who had those dreams say, “that’s why I dreamed meat, that’s why I dreamed of pulling my teeth out.”
When someone dies it is believed that the soul does not immediately leave the body. For a few more days it goes to all the places it visited when it was alive. My grandmother said that one day her friend from the neighborhood died. All got together in the parish home to sit with the body. One of the relatives did not go; he stayed looking after the house all night and this was the worst night of his life. When he was in a room that was on the second floor, he began to hear that someone was walking in the corral. All the chickens made sounds as if someone was herding them. He was very scared. He did not want to go out and see who was there. Suddenly, the chickens fell silent and a rooster started to crow. In his whole life he had never heard a cock crow at night. This scared him a lot. He covered himself with blankets and began to pray, when suddenly someone made strange sounds in the kitchen, opening and closing the water faucet and turning the radio on and off.
It was something inexplicable because there was nobody in the house but him. When everything calmed down, the hours passed but he could not sleep. Suddenly he heard footsteps approaching the room he was in when the door flew open and a very cold wind came in.
He spoke loudly in the manner of shouts. “What do you want? Get out of here”.
The steps felt like they were leaving the room and going down the stairs. From then on everything was calm until the next day, very early the morning when the family returned from sitting with the body.
When they all heard the experience of the man who stayed to take care of the house, they were not surprised. They know that the dead wander a few days on earth collecting their tracks and visiting friends to say goodbye even if they are in the most distant places, or they ppear in dreams. They make steps or footsteps on the floors of the houses they visit.
After the person is dead, the first thing that is done is to dress him in his best clothes and the shoes. Since when yiu dream you close your eyes people close their eyelids. They think that if they are not well closed, when the dead person is underground their eyes will shine.
When the dead person is buried and you notice that there is not enough dirt to cover the hole, people get scared because they believe that very soon someone else will die.
If you hear someone call your name and you answer, but then you realize that there is no one around, you have the belief that they are already calling you from beyond. When your ear suddenly buzzes, you quickly cross your ear three times because it is believed that death passes through there and making the three crosses guarantees that she will not pass by your side again.
All these beliefs are part of our daily experience and although we say that they are beliefs or superstitions, they are almost always fulfilled.
]]>In the nearby Sacred Valley of the Incas they grow the best corn on the cob for this dish with its large kernels and delicate flavor.
As the grandparents say, the fresh corn season comes to Cuzco and we wake up to this delight of the Incas.
Corn, called sara in Quechua, was the sacred plant of ancient Peru. It belonged to what they called Hanac Pacha, the earth above or the sky. They say it accompanied the dead on their journey since ancient times.
An ear of corn was considered sacred and was also an important food in the time of the Incas. They, in their wisdom, considered corn a great wonder.
In the city of Cusco corn with cheese is offered in most restaurants between the months of January and March when it is its season. It is a delight that has caught the attention of the people who visit us. We can also buy it in traditional Cusco markets.
Preparing corn with cheese is the easiest. You first need fresh corn on the cob. We peel off the husk and then boil the corn in a pot with water in which we put aniseed to give a touch of unique flavor. The cheese we buy from out favorite vendor in the market. Those cheeses that are so good you want to even luck your fingers. Combined with corn it makes one of the best dishes we have in Cusco.
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