1. Pisco
Land of the Pisco sour. Despite the 72 hour moratorium on alcohol due to the Federal Elections, we managed to find a few places that served. Lovin' Latin America! The drinks were strong, so strong I faded in and out of the Ballestas Islands tour the next day (they say it's the 'Poor Man's Galapagos', but I like Ecuador's' Poor Man's Galapagos' a bit better, Isla de la Plata.) That said, we did see pelicans, red-footed boobies, flamingos, sea lions and penguins. Another interesting thing about Pisco: No one finishes their houses here because once they do, the steep property tax kicks in. So you see a lot of roofless houses. Also some cool punch buggy-esque cars in bright colours toting around the small plaza. Gotta love the Peruvian honesty. En entertainer in the square was calling up volunteers, and he pointed at one boy: "Gordo (Fatso), queires participar?" And to the boy to his left: "Y tu! Aqui, al lado del Gordo!" (You, right here next to Fatso.)
2. Nazca Lines
The Nazca Lines...one of those great mysteries of the universe, compelling to me since studying them with my Grade Fives as part of Ancient Civilizations. Obviously, going to Peru meant flying over the Nazca Lines, but I was a little freaked out due to the huge disclaimer put out by Intrepid in their Trip Notes and the red-boxed warning on the Canadian Government's Travel Advisory. You see, the aircraft are not exactly up to par in a lot of cases. Many of the aircraft are over 50 years old and poorly maintained, leading to a number of fatal crashes. In April 2008, there was a plane crash in which 5 French tourists died (but the pilot survived!) They discovered that although they had blamed the crash on mechanical failure, there was actually no fuel on board, in a cost-saving measure (and I get peeved when Air Canada charges for snacks). They thought they would just glide back on the runway with the engine turned off. Then in February of 2010, there was another fatal crash with 4 Peruvians and 3 Chileans on-board, followed by yet another crash in October of that same year in which four 30-something Britons and their pilot died.
After all the crashes, some of which happened during the "zero tolerance" period (I know how well that works from my experience in inner-city schools), the government "really" buckled down and gave 7 out of dozens of planes permission to resume flights. They canned 10 air companies and only let Aero Diana, Aero Paracas, Alas Peruanas and Travel Air back up in the skies, with 7 operational planes between them.
So, I was a little leary about flying. On top of that, these are small Cessna planes that are nausea-inducing and swervy on the best of days. My best friend Sandy wrote me an admonitory email about her experiences over the Nazca Lines, which included being thrown up on by a man who decided spaghetti would make an appropriate pre-flight meal, followed by another email, the subject line being: DO NOT FLY OVER THE NAZCA LINES.
But despite all these warnings, I just had to see for myself. You can only really see the figures properly from up in the air, and some of them are 10 km long! I bit the bullet and took a Travel Air plane. My three flight partners did consume an inordinate amount of Gummy bears and Snickers bars pre-flight and the two in the back spent most of their flight over their sickie bags (really, who eats before boarding a Cessna!) but for me it was worth every penny and pound of panic to see the giant astronaut, monkey, condor and spider (my faves) etched into the rock over 500 years before the Incas even came. No one really knows why they were made...Nazca calendars mapping the summer and winter solstices, star maps, water maps...but they are technically and mathematically accurate and entrancing.
3. The Oasis of Huacachina
Here, we got to go sandbuggying over the dunes, doing donuts and sudden stops, and (yay!) more sandboarding, though only tummy-style this time. We did mini-comps to see who could skid the furthest and I placed third! Not too shabby.
4. The Cemetary of Chauchilla
This is a truly amazing cemetary deep in the desert where all the Nazca people are buried with colourful textiles and ceramics. They are positioned in their caverns in the fetal position, to return to the Next World as they entered it. The arid climate has naturally mummified the bodies for over 1500 years and their true hair stays long, strong and coiled around their bones, unweathered and intact. It is truly a site to see!
5. Lake Titicaca
By far, one of my favorite places! Off the coast of Puno, it's the highest navigable lake in the world (3820 metres above sea level). But the coolest thing are the Uros floating islands. They are built completely from layers upon layers of totora reeds. When the reeds closest to the water start to rot, they just add more layers on top. Refresh and recycle. Repeat. They make everything on the island from reeds, including their houses and boats, which last up to 12 months. We went joyriding on one; they're like the Three Little Pigs' Viking boat, made from straw. They have solar-run TVs, and the islands are moored with ropes attached to sticks which they drive into the lake bottom. If need be, they can split the islands in half, and float them to another region of the lake (handy for sparring couples). The only sad thing is when an emergency happens. There were some small children caught in a fire on one of the islands, but by the time they rowed them in one of the totora boats, back to Puno, it was too late. They had already died from smoke inhalation.
6. Colca Canyon
Colca Canyon is a really marvelous place, about two times as big as the Grand Canyon and filled with majestic soaring condors. They look so effortlessly noble when they fly, hardly moving in the air at all. The Canyon is surrounded by Incan and pre-Incan terraces, so hiking is lovely, punctuated by the strong black and white stripes of the condors against a cerulean blue sky. We passed through Patapampa on our way to Colca, 4800 metres above sea level and flocked with llamas, alpacas and vicunas. We stocked up on Coca Tea (and Devil Balaclavas!) here, and after a day of prowling through the canyons, relaxed in the hot thermal baths under a terrific night sky. Nothing like hot coca tea in the belly and steaming vocanic water on the back!
7. Cuzco
We hit the continent's oldest, continuously inhabited city at just the right time. We arrived before the Inti Raymi (Festival of the Sun), and this year marks the 100th year of Macchu Pichu's discovery, so there were celebrations galore -- parades and dances all through the streets and in the Plaza de Armas. This was the home of the Incas for two centuries before the Spanish built their capital there, and as a result there are many Incan built walls in the snaking alleyways (which reek of pee!) Michael, in our Intrepid group, celebrated his 19th birthday here, and there were even more of those notorious Peruvian fireworks to inaugurate the festivities. I explored the Sacred Valley and Andean lifestyle just outside of Cuzco and we drove past the stone fortress of Sacsayhuaman (better known as 'Sexy Woman', said with a Spanish accent). They also had the best stuffed avocados here!
8. Lima
My first impression of Lima was of the permeating smell of fish, and short, stout brown-skinned people scurrying through the streets, women with babies tied to their backs in towels. (Perhaps because I had just spent two months among the very European-looking Portenos, the fashion mongers of Latin America, the contrast was more striking.) Miraflores is stunning with its bright red flower gardens salted and peppered with a myriad of black and white stray cats. Pirate taxis troll the streets looking for fares, especially now that tourists are afraid of express kidnappings, where the driver takes you to a remote location and demands your credit and debit cards and PIN numbers at gunpoint. (This is why the daily cash extraction limit at some ATMs is so low.) There is also no way to prove that you were robbed, so you can kiss that cash goodbye. Though some things are very lax in Peru, they mean business in their parks. I was admonished by two security guards in Miraflores' parks, one time for lying on a park bench on my stomach to read a book; another time for propping my foot on the bench to tie my shoe. And I saw one guard go awol on a five-year-old girl who dared to pick a flower.
The people are very, very friendly. I met a sweet little old lady on the public bus while en-route to the Gold Museum. She held my hand and wished me a good stay in Peru, and it wasn't even a ruse to rob me. I found this amazing fried chicken place on the corner of Angamos and Arequipa and always wrapped up half to take to the lady manning the convection stand on the corner. She was so elated to have hot food, and hugged me and gave me mini Sublime chocolates as a thank you. People on street corners have invited me out for a coffee and chitchatted away crossing the crosswalks.
I tried to see a theatre show while I was there, La Ex-Senorita, but the first night no one showed up because of the Federal Elections, the next night it was cancelled, and the third night I was the only one who showed up, so they asked me to come back with a group! I have to do my own marketing to see a play.
The Arts Scene is pretty interesting. I was painting shopping one day with my Intrepid mate, Andre, and we ended up finding this artist I was looking for crunched up into a tiny room with a wooden stool in a back, cobbled alleyway. His name is Javier Gonzalo Perez Silva and he does knock offs of famous artists like Botero. (For those of us who can't shell out $8000 for a painting, Silva paints us one for $60, with his "tendencies".) After purchasing my Silva-tendencied version of Botero's Baillerini, Andre and I went to a few more warehouses of paintings. I saw a haunting piece, all hues of blue and black, of houses up on stilts dripping their reflections into the lake of a bayou. It was disturbing, but unique. The vendor asked if I wanted to buy it and I asked about this great, green shrub incongruously (in my opinion) painted into the middle of the row of houses. The vendor, sensing my ambivalence to the tree, immediately clapped his hands, and called out to a man in the back, "Jorge! Jorge! She doesn't like the tree. You paint it out! Come!" Then, he turns to me, "Yes? You buy?" So must for artistic integrity!
9. Arequipa
Arequipa is a beautiful city, built out of pale volcanic rock, called sillar. It's called the White City, and it glistens in the sun, with its views of the snow-peaked mountains like El Misti in the distance. One really inspiring place we visited here was the Monasterio de Santa Catalina. It's a gorgeous monastery with vivid royal blues and striking oranges, surrounded by bright green cacti and magenta flowers. It was founded by a rich widow in the 16th century and only high-class Spanish families sent their daughters there. They paid a dowry to have her enter which was the equivalent of $50 000 USD today. That's the cost of my entire 360-day trip-around-the-world! The nuns had up to four servants each and had their own musicians and lavish parties, surrounded by silk rugs, silk curtains and fine china. A little different from the monastery where my Great-Aunt spends her days! However, they were enthroned though they were, they were still enclosured. Our guide showed us these beautiful paintings with mantras on them, that the nuns had to spend hours and hours memorizing. It was a beautiful place, but sad in that any place you can't leave, no matter how beautiful, is a prison. Arequipa is also the place I ate my first (and last) guinea pig meal at the local Picanteria.
10. The Amazon
I flew with my Intrepid Group up to Puerto Maldonado in Madre de Dios Territory. We stayed in beautiful eco-cabins with solar-heated showers in plastic curtains outlooking the wild. We hiked up tall towers overlooking the Amazon and met a few cool flora and fauna along the way, including the eponymous Penis Tree (which is a huge trunk sprouting many long wooden, uncircumsized penis-like growths) and the ubiquitous tarantula. This time around I wasn't nearly so nervous (there's nothing like the first time, is there?) and one day, when a tarantula ignominiously marched into the dining room where we have all our meals, I could actually appreciate its beauty. It's so sinewy and furry, like a cat stretching in the sun, only with eight legs to stretch, instead of two. At one point during our stay, our guide had us watch the David Suzuki film "The Real Avatar" which exposes avaricious Canadian oil companies who are invading and destroying the Amazon and royally pissing off the Awajun and Wampis peoples (never conquered by the Incas or Spanish, but now conquered by companies like Talisman and Petrolifera?) They feel sabotaged by these companies who promise to build them schools, but at the cost of their lifestyles. The people here have natural ways of hunting, like using a special home-brewed poison that paralyzes the fish, and scooping up only the ones they can kill to eat. After a few hours, the paralytic wears off and the fish can return to their natural habitats. However, the Canadian oilverlords and other interests are spoiling this way of life; they say 72% of the jungle is now owned by oil developers. Sad, considering we went on a tour of a Healing Sanctuary and witnessed the medicinal properties of these plants which cure everything from cancer, to grout, to impotence. These evil oilverlords may end up powerfully impotent one day. I had to hang my head in shame for the rest of the day amongst all the Aussies and Kiwis. The standalone evil Canadian. One great thing about the Amazon is hammock time. We had open cabins with no walls, and lovely hammocks swinging in the breeze exposing us to all the sounds and sights of nature, day or night!
Land of the Pisco sour. Despite the 72 hour moratorium on alcohol due to the Federal Elections, we managed to find a few places that served. Lovin' Latin America! The drinks were strong, so strong I faded in and out of the Ballestas Islands tour the next day (they say it's the 'Poor Man's Galapagos', but I like Ecuador's' Poor Man's Galapagos' a bit better, Isla de la Plata.) That said, we did see pelicans, red-footed boobies, flamingos, sea lions and penguins. Another interesting thing about Pisco: No one finishes their houses here because once they do, the steep property tax kicks in. So you see a lot of roofless houses. Also some cool punch buggy-esque cars in bright colours toting around the small plaza. Gotta love the Peruvian honesty. En entertainer in the square was calling up volunteers, and he pointed at one boy: "Gordo (Fatso), queires participar?" And to the boy to his left: "Y tu! Aqui, al lado del Gordo!" (You, right here next to Fatso.)
2. Nazca Lines
The Nazca Lines...one of those great mysteries of the universe, compelling to me since studying them with my Grade Fives as part of Ancient Civilizations. Obviously, going to Peru meant flying over the Nazca Lines, but I was a little freaked out due to the huge disclaimer put out by Intrepid in their Trip Notes and the red-boxed warning on the Canadian Government's Travel Advisory. You see, the aircraft are not exactly up to par in a lot of cases. Many of the aircraft are over 50 years old and poorly maintained, leading to a number of fatal crashes. In April 2008, there was a plane crash in which 5 French tourists died (but the pilot survived!) They discovered that although they had blamed the crash on mechanical failure, there was actually no fuel on board, in a cost-saving measure (and I get peeved when Air Canada charges for snacks). They thought they would just glide back on the runway with the engine turned off. Then in February of 2010, there was another fatal crash with 4 Peruvians and 3 Chileans on-board, followed by yet another crash in October of that same year in which four 30-something Britons and their pilot died.
After all the crashes, some of which happened during the "zero tolerance" period (I know how well that works from my experience in inner-city schools), the government "really" buckled down and gave 7 out of dozens of planes permission to resume flights. They canned 10 air companies and only let Aero Diana, Aero Paracas, Alas Peruanas and Travel Air back up in the skies, with 7 operational planes between them.
So, I was a little leary about flying. On top of that, these are small Cessna planes that are nausea-inducing and swervy on the best of days. My best friend Sandy wrote me an admonitory email about her experiences over the Nazca Lines, which included being thrown up on by a man who decided spaghetti would make an appropriate pre-flight meal, followed by another email, the subject line being: DO NOT FLY OVER THE NAZCA LINES.
But despite all these warnings, I just had to see for myself. You can only really see the figures properly from up in the air, and some of them are 10 km long! I bit the bullet and took a Travel Air plane. My three flight partners did consume an inordinate amount of Gummy bears and Snickers bars pre-flight and the two in the back spent most of their flight over their sickie bags (really, who eats before boarding a Cessna!) but for me it was worth every penny and pound of panic to see the giant astronaut, monkey, condor and spider (my faves) etched into the rock over 500 years before the Incas even came. No one really knows why they were made...Nazca calendars mapping the summer and winter solstices, star maps, water maps...but they are technically and mathematically accurate and entrancing.
3. The Oasis of Huacachina
Here, we got to go sandbuggying over the dunes, doing donuts and sudden stops, and (yay!) more sandboarding, though only tummy-style this time. We did mini-comps to see who could skid the furthest and I placed third! Not too shabby.
4. The Cemetary of Chauchilla
This is a truly amazing cemetary deep in the desert where all the Nazca people are buried with colourful textiles and ceramics. They are positioned in their caverns in the fetal position, to return to the Next World as they entered it. The arid climate has naturally mummified the bodies for over 1500 years and their true hair stays long, strong and coiled around their bones, unweathered and intact. It is truly a site to see!
5. Lake Titicaca
By far, one of my favorite places! Off the coast of Puno, it's the highest navigable lake in the world (3820 metres above sea level). But the coolest thing are the Uros floating islands. They are built completely from layers upon layers of totora reeds. When the reeds closest to the water start to rot, they just add more layers on top. Refresh and recycle. Repeat. They make everything on the island from reeds, including their houses and boats, which last up to 12 months. We went joyriding on one; they're like the Three Little Pigs' Viking boat, made from straw. They have solar-run TVs, and the islands are moored with ropes attached to sticks which they drive into the lake bottom. If need be, they can split the islands in half, and float them to another region of the lake (handy for sparring couples). The only sad thing is when an emergency happens. There were some small children caught in a fire on one of the islands, but by the time they rowed them in one of the totora boats, back to Puno, it was too late. They had already died from smoke inhalation.
6. Colca Canyon
Colca Canyon is a really marvelous place, about two times as big as the Grand Canyon and filled with majestic soaring condors. They look so effortlessly noble when they fly, hardly moving in the air at all. The Canyon is surrounded by Incan and pre-Incan terraces, so hiking is lovely, punctuated by the strong black and white stripes of the condors against a cerulean blue sky. We passed through Patapampa on our way to Colca, 4800 metres above sea level and flocked with llamas, alpacas and vicunas. We stocked up on Coca Tea (and Devil Balaclavas!) here, and after a day of prowling through the canyons, relaxed in the hot thermal baths under a terrific night sky. Nothing like hot coca tea in the belly and steaming vocanic water on the back!
7. Cuzco
We hit the continent's oldest, continuously inhabited city at just the right time. We arrived before the Inti Raymi (Festival of the Sun), and this year marks the 100th year of Macchu Pichu's discovery, so there were celebrations galore -- parades and dances all through the streets and in the Plaza de Armas. This was the home of the Incas for two centuries before the Spanish built their capital there, and as a result there are many Incan built walls in the snaking alleyways (which reek of pee!) Michael, in our Intrepid group, celebrated his 19th birthday here, and there were even more of those notorious Peruvian fireworks to inaugurate the festivities. I explored the Sacred Valley and Andean lifestyle just outside of Cuzco and we drove past the stone fortress of Sacsayhuaman (better known as 'Sexy Woman', said with a Spanish accent). They also had the best stuffed avocados here!
8. Lima
My first impression of Lima was of the permeating smell of fish, and short, stout brown-skinned people scurrying through the streets, women with babies tied to their backs in towels. (Perhaps because I had just spent two months among the very European-looking Portenos, the fashion mongers of Latin America, the contrast was more striking.) Miraflores is stunning with its bright red flower gardens salted and peppered with a myriad of black and white stray cats. Pirate taxis troll the streets looking for fares, especially now that tourists are afraid of express kidnappings, where the driver takes you to a remote location and demands your credit and debit cards and PIN numbers at gunpoint. (This is why the daily cash extraction limit at some ATMs is so low.) There is also no way to prove that you were robbed, so you can kiss that cash goodbye. Though some things are very lax in Peru, they mean business in their parks. I was admonished by two security guards in Miraflores' parks, one time for lying on a park bench on my stomach to read a book; another time for propping my foot on the bench to tie my shoe. And I saw one guard go awol on a five-year-old girl who dared to pick a flower.
The people are very, very friendly. I met a sweet little old lady on the public bus while en-route to the Gold Museum. She held my hand and wished me a good stay in Peru, and it wasn't even a ruse to rob me. I found this amazing fried chicken place on the corner of Angamos and Arequipa and always wrapped up half to take to the lady manning the convection stand on the corner. She was so elated to have hot food, and hugged me and gave me mini Sublime chocolates as a thank you. People on street corners have invited me out for a coffee and chitchatted away crossing the crosswalks.
I tried to see a theatre show while I was there, La Ex-Senorita, but the first night no one showed up because of the Federal Elections, the next night it was cancelled, and the third night I was the only one who showed up, so they asked me to come back with a group! I have to do my own marketing to see a play.
The Arts Scene is pretty interesting. I was painting shopping one day with my Intrepid mate, Andre, and we ended up finding this artist I was looking for crunched up into a tiny room with a wooden stool in a back, cobbled alleyway. His name is Javier Gonzalo Perez Silva and he does knock offs of famous artists like Botero. (For those of us who can't shell out $8000 for a painting, Silva paints us one for $60, with his "tendencies".) After purchasing my Silva-tendencied version of Botero's Baillerini, Andre and I went to a few more warehouses of paintings. I saw a haunting piece, all hues of blue and black, of houses up on stilts dripping their reflections into the lake of a bayou. It was disturbing, but unique. The vendor asked if I wanted to buy it and I asked about this great, green shrub incongruously (in my opinion) painted into the middle of the row of houses. The vendor, sensing my ambivalence to the tree, immediately clapped his hands, and called out to a man in the back, "Jorge! Jorge! She doesn't like the tree. You paint it out! Come!" Then, he turns to me, "Yes? You buy?" So must for artistic integrity!
9. Arequipa
Arequipa is a beautiful city, built out of pale volcanic rock, called sillar. It's called the White City, and it glistens in the sun, with its views of the snow-peaked mountains like El Misti in the distance. One really inspiring place we visited here was the Monasterio de Santa Catalina. It's a gorgeous monastery with vivid royal blues and striking oranges, surrounded by bright green cacti and magenta flowers. It was founded by a rich widow in the 16th century and only high-class Spanish families sent their daughters there. They paid a dowry to have her enter which was the equivalent of $50 000 USD today. That's the cost of my entire 360-day trip-around-the-world! The nuns had up to four servants each and had their own musicians and lavish parties, surrounded by silk rugs, silk curtains and fine china. A little different from the monastery where my Great-Aunt spends her days! However, they were enthroned though they were, they were still enclosured. Our guide showed us these beautiful paintings with mantras on them, that the nuns had to spend hours and hours memorizing. It was a beautiful place, but sad in that any place you can't leave, no matter how beautiful, is a prison. Arequipa is also the place I ate my first (and last) guinea pig meal at the local Picanteria.
10. The Amazon
I flew with my Intrepid Group up to Puerto Maldonado in Madre de Dios Territory. We stayed in beautiful eco-cabins with solar-heated showers in plastic curtains outlooking the wild. We hiked up tall towers overlooking the Amazon and met a few cool flora and fauna along the way, including the eponymous Penis Tree (which is a huge trunk sprouting many long wooden, uncircumsized penis-like growths) and the ubiquitous tarantula. This time around I wasn't nearly so nervous (there's nothing like the first time, is there?) and one day, when a tarantula ignominiously marched into the dining room where we have all our meals, I could actually appreciate its beauty. It's so sinewy and furry, like a cat stretching in the sun, only with eight legs to stretch, instead of two. At one point during our stay, our guide had us watch the David Suzuki film "The Real Avatar" which exposes avaricious Canadian oil companies who are invading and destroying the Amazon and royally pissing off the Awajun and Wampis peoples (never conquered by the Incas or Spanish, but now conquered by companies like Talisman and Petrolifera?) They feel sabotaged by these companies who promise to build them schools, but at the cost of their lifestyles. The people here have natural ways of hunting, like using a special home-brewed poison that paralyzes the fish, and scooping up only the ones they can kill to eat. After a few hours, the paralytic wears off and the fish can return to their natural habitats. However, the Canadian oilverlords and other interests are spoiling this way of life; they say 72% of the jungle is now owned by oil developers. Sad, considering we went on a tour of a Healing Sanctuary and witnessed the medicinal properties of these plants which cure everything from cancer, to grout, to impotence. These evil oilverlords may end up powerfully impotent one day. I had to hang my head in shame for the rest of the day amongst all the Aussies and Kiwis. The standalone evil Canadian. One great thing about the Amazon is hammock time. We had open cabins with no walls, and lovely hammocks swinging in the breeze exposing us to all the sounds and sights of nature, day or night!
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