Nilesh's Posterous

Lima Pena Show - Traditional Dances of Peru

While I was in Lima, Lia took me to a Pena Show - a traditional show featuring the culture, dances and different costumes from all the different parts of Peru. I really enjoyed the show and the dances. At the end of the show, the MC went around and asked people where they were from and got representatives from each country present in the crowd on stage and got everybody a flag of their country.. but of course they would not have one for Mauritius.. Then, he asked to perform a dance featuring their traditional culture !! I told them that we don't dance in Mauritius.. but he insisted and got me to dance to some Brasilian tunes on stage :)

Food of Peru

Food is big in Peru. People love food and there's a huge variety of food to choose from. Each province of Peru have their own typical food that they are proud of and each is as varied and different from each other.

The most common ingredient in a lot of the food though is fish, potatoes (Peru has like maybe 100 different types of Potatoes) and fresh chili sauce served with any meal. Peruvians love their food hot and chili sauce is not something you usually ask. It's a basic condiment.

Amongst the different other types of cuisine in Peru, the common cuisine was Chinese Cuisine. It's called Chifa food in Peru and is a varietal of the common Chinese food that we typically know. It's a fusion between Chinese food and Peruvian Food. You can definitely taste the chinese in it, but at the same time find local Peruvian flavor to it.

In each region, the speciality is different such as in Cusco, the main typical dish is Cuy - Guinea Pig, in Arequipa Rocotto Relleno and Chupa de Camarones and in Lima, Cebiche. I tried all of these except for Cuy. It did not look too appetizing to me and I heard it's only bones and skin basically.

Food is also very cheap in Peru. Every day for lunch or dinner, they have fixed menus including in most cases an appetizer, a soup, a main dish, a desert and a drink. While in Cusco, I paid as cheap as 3 soles(USD $1) for a set meal, in Lima, it was around 10 soles (USD $2.5).

Apart from the traditional peruvian food, Lima is much polluted by American chain food - Mc Donalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Chilis, TGIF, KFC, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks etc..

Now that I am in Argentina where food choices are basically limited to Beef, Pasta and Pizza, I am really missing all that great variety of food I had in Peru.

Lima, Peru

I think Lima is the place that I stayed the most in one single place during this trip -  2 weeks. I did not do a lot of touristy things in Lima. Internet was the among the fastest I've found in my trip - So, I took the opportunity to stay in and do some work for a couple of clients in San Francisco, 1) to feel a bit more useful and not a total traveling bum and 2) to pay for the trip so far :) I stayed in Miraflores in a prime location - just in front of Parque Kennedy.Everything was walking distance and many bus lines passed just in front.

While in Lima, I met my university friend - Lia. She works for the United Nations in Lima. She was a great host to me during this visit to Lima. She brought me around to taste the different traditional dishes of Peru, including Anti-Cucho.. i had always seen people eat that on the streets and was grossed out by the odor of it.. but it's very famous in Peru and most traditional snacks - it smells because there are intestines and insides involved !! We also tried some good traditional Cebiche and other peruvian Goodies. On the first Saturday night I was there together with her sister, we went out to hang out in the Baranco neighborhood which is the hippy/bohemian neighborhood of Lima by the ocean. It was great and we ended up the night watching a a traditional Pena show - featuring all the dances, costumes and traditions of Peru. Her sister was also great. I stayed at her place when I initially got to Peru and drove me to the airport. Thanks a lot to both of you !!

One major thing I noticed in Lima as compared to all the countries/cities in this trip is that there were many many american chains. Within a couple of blocks of where my Hostel was (Pariwana Hostel), there was a Mc Donalds, a Burger King, a Dunkin Donuts, a Pizza Hut, a KFC and even a Starbucks ! I even later found a Chilis, a Tony Romas and TGIF (In the Larcomar mall). The Miraflores neighborhood is very modern and cosmopolitan as opposed to many of the other traditional neighborhoods of Lima. I almost felt I was in the US sometimes while in Miraflores. Once I went to the starbucks and everybody was speaking only in English even.

Lima is a big city with many neighborhoods. Each neighborhood is like a mini town in itself. While I stayed mostly in Miraflores, I did venture out to the Barios Chino, which is their version of a Chinatown and as in every chinatown, there were the traditional Peking Duck hanging out in the windows and dim sums and all the good chinese food available. The chinatown is close to Downtown. Lima's downtown is old with many ancient buildings, churches, walking streets and Balconies (yes, Lia pointed out to me to check them out and indeed the downtown area had some neat balconies).

While in Lima, I even got to meet another Mauritian. In fact, Lia's office had a seminar and the speaker who was flying in to give the seminar was Mauritian. So we all met for dinner and it was nice meeting up another Mauritian down here. Mauritians are a pretty rare breed in South America :)

I was supposed to stay only 1 week in Lima. I had a flight out after that week. I headed to the airport, but was not allowed to board my flight to Buenos Aires, because my visa was expired even before it was used !! So I had to come back to Lima and try to figure out how to get a new visa. Went to the argentinean consulate and it took me about 1 week to secure the visa. Fortunately, the ticket I had purchased had a no penalty policy for changes etc..

Sand Surfing on the Sand Dunes of Huacachina, Ica, Peru

One of the main attractions of Huacachina is Sand Surfing the vast Sand Dunes available out there. Unlike snowboarding/skiing, where there are lifts to go up the slopes, here, we go up the slopes in Sand Buggies and it's such an awesome ride on it's own riding in the sand buggies on the dunes. Once we got up the slopes, they handed us our boards and wax (just regular candle broken into pieces). We have to rub it well on our board if we want it to slide. Once the wax is gone, the board kind of sinks in the sand. The entire trip was only $12. So much worth it !! If you just want to board on your own and climb up the dunes, you can rent a board and wax for some $2. Cheap Thrill !

Check out the two videos -

Video 1 : The first one is me going belly down on the board on one of the slopes. That's the alternative way to go down if you don't want to do it on your feet like a snowboard. First rides are always more easy like that :)

Video 2 : The second video is one of us in the sand buggy... pretty rough ride !!

Huacachina Desert Oasis, Ica, Peru

The smallest town I have been to is definitely Huacachina in Peru. It's basically only 3 streets around a lake in the middle of the desert. It's a desert oasis. The town is surrounded by enormous sand dunes. There is not much to do in the town apart from Sand Buggy Riding and Sand Surfing on the Sand Dunes. Will be posting the Sand Dunes pictures in another entry.

Colca Canyon People, Colca Valley, Peru

On our way to Colca Canyon, we stopped in a few small villages along the way and it was amazing to see all the culture, the people still living in their traditional ways, the great colorful dresses and symbolism. Always humbles me to see how all these people are so happy with so little and yet, in the "modern" society, we have so much and yet want more and are not satisfied ever. Anyways, here are a few pictures of the people living in the Colca Canyon.

Colca Canyon, the deepest Canyon in the world, Peru

Colca Canyon is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the USA at 4160 metres deep and thought to be the deepest Canyon in the world. It's not too far from Arequipa and one of the destinations, one can go from Arequipa. Colca Valley has been known by different names: The Lost Valley of the Incas, The Valley of Wonders, The Valley of Fire and The Territory of the Condor.

On the way to Colca Canyon, we pass through a few small villages, where the people are still living the traditional way as they used to live in the Inca and pre-Inca days. Each village still wear their traditional dresses and each has a particular style to know which village they are from. One particularity in the dresses is that the hats indicate whether a person is single or not. E.g in this one village, one flower only one side of the hat means you are single and two flowers, mean you are married.

We also visited the Toro Muerto cemetery of the Wari Indians. The cemetry is built high up in the cliffs and usually the bodies were put in fetal positions. We could still see some remains and skeletons. One particularity about the skeletons were the elongated skull formations. The guide told us that people in these days used to modify the shape of their head - the more elongated head, the more closeness to God.

Many parts of the Colca canyon are habitable, with pre-Colombian terraced fields still supporting agriculture. All along the Canyons, the cliffs had been terraced, with irrigation lines and used extensively for agriculture. Also, another use of the cliffs is as storage, in fact, the temperatures are so cold up there, that they have dug holes inside the cliff to keep their food for reserve for winter times.

The highlight of the tour though was the stop at the Cruz del Condor to wait for the Condors to wake up and have a view at their magnificence. We got at the Cruz del Condor quite early and there were already many other tourists waiting. We stayed there for about 1 1/2 hour waiting for the Condors to show up, as apparently that's their feeding grounds. The wait paid off and we got to see 4 majestic condors rise up of the Canyon and fly over us at very close range. These birds are just magnificent - their wingspan can be over 3 metres long !! I have never seen such a great creature. In Hinduism, Vishnu's vehicle is suppose to be Garuda - a mythical bird. I bet in this part of the world, it'd have been a Condor.

Monasterio de Santa Catalina in Arequipa, Peru

The Monasterio de Santa Catalina, built in 1580 is an old convent converted into a tourist attraction in Arequipa. It features Mudejar style architecture and very vivid wall colors. This is an extract taken from Wikipedia about the history of the place.

"The founder of the monastery was a rich widow, Maria de Guzman. The tradition of the time indicated that the second son or daughter of a family would enter religious service, and the convent accepted only women from high-class Spanish families. Each nun at Santa Catalina had between one and four servants or slaves, and the nuns invited musicians to perform in the convent, gave parties and generally lived a lavish lifestyle. Each family paid a dowry at their daughter's entrance to the convent, and the dowry owed to gain the highest status, indicated by wearing a black veil, was 2,400 silver coins, equivalent to US$50,000 today. The nuns were also required to bring 25 listed items, including a statue, a painting, a lamp and clothes. The wealthiest nuns may have brought fine English china and silk curtains and rugs. Although it was possible for poorer nuns to enter the convent without paying a dowry, it can be seen from the cells that most of the nuns were very wealthy."

Arequipa, Peru

Arequipa is the city that I liked the best in Peru. It's in middle altitude and surrounded by three snow-capped impressive volcanoes. In fact, many buildings in Arequipa a are built of sillar, a white stone and hance the city nicknamed the white city (la ciudad blanca). This rock was quarried from the many volcanoes solidified lava/ash that surround the city. The city is very pretty and while it's a big city, it has a small city feel to it. It's also feels very safe and laid back. There is not many touristic activities as such to do in Arequipa apart from the Convento de Santa Catalina, but the city has got a certain charm that made me stay for over 1 week. Arequipa is also the starting point to go to Colca Canyon, one of the deepest Canyons in this part of the world and natural habitat of the Condors.

Arequipa food is very rich and spicy. The typical Arequipean dishes are Rocotto Relleno, a stuffed hot pepper with meat and amply covered with lots of cheese and Chupe de Camarones, a rich creamy soup made of Big River Shrimps.  

I stayed at the Casona de Jerusalem. I paid only 20 soles for a single room with shared bathroom but the two available such rooms were taken. So, instead they gave me a big room with 3 beds, private bathroom and even cable TV. It was the best room I've stayed during my entire stay and they did not even move me out when the other room became available. 

While in Arequipa, I also took some more spanish lessons and the hostel found me a private teacher for $6 an hour. But as she has a very little baby, I had to go to her home for my classes and it was nice to experience taking the local buses and seeing another part of town and seeing a typical peruvian household.

Majestic Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca is the largest Lake in South America and is shared between Peru and Bolivia. It is the highest navigable lake in the world at 3,812 m (12,500 ft) above sea level. Lake Titicaca is fed by rainfall and meltwater from glaciers on the sierras that abut the Altiplano. The lake has 41 islands among which many are inhabited and densely populated and also has floating artificial islands (Los Uros).

The origin of the name Titicaca is unknown. It has been translated as "Rock Puma ", allegedly because of its resemblance to the shape of a puma hunting a rabbit, combining words from the local languages Quechua and Aymara. But translated in Mauritian creole, TitiCaca means "Shit that smells"..