Entradas
Dr Latitude: Incan city will leave you gobsmacked
5:00AM Saturday August 30, 2008
We are considering climbing Machu Picchu next year, and have mileage points with United Airlines/Star Alliance. How can we best use these? Alison Woodcock
The Qantas/Lan One World alliance is a popular combination for flights to South America, but travel agents should know the best combination of Star Alliance partners, which include Air New Zealand and United Airlines.
A visit to the lost Incan city of Machu Picchu has to be the highlight of any trip to Peru. The awe-inspiring site was never revealed to the Spaniards, and remained undiscovered until the early 20th century. Mystery still surrounds the site, but the quality of the stonework and ornamentation suggests the Incan citadel was an important ceremonial centre, abandoned during the Spanish conquest. For heaps of practical and historical information, visit www.machupicchu-inca.com.
The peak tourist season at Machu Picchu is late May to early September, and the ruins are open from dawn to dusk. The site is busiest from 10am to 2pm.
Sunday is probably the quietest day. Entry tickets ($57) must be bought in advance in either Aguas Calientes or Cuzco. There is no official visitor centre at Machu Picchu, as most visitors come as part of an organised tour or guided trek, but guides can be hired at the site for about $25.
Many visitors walk to Machu Picchu via the 33km Inca Trail, which winds its way from the Sacred Valley over three high Andean passes. The incredibly scenic three to four-day hike can be done only as part of an organised trek. The trail is closed in February. It's necessary to book several months ahead. A compromise could be a two-hour hike from Aguas Calientes. Alternatively, save energy by taking the bus up to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes (20 minutes; return $8).
Other recommendations include the fishing port of Pisco, on the coast south of Lima; the wildlife haven of Islas Ballestas, known as Peru's Galapagos; Nazca, with its mysterious Nazca Lines, best seen on a 30-minute tourist flight; the colonial city of Arequipa; Cuzcos ruins and colonial architecture; the archaeological sites of Pisac and Ollantaytambo; high-altitude Lake Titicaca; Huaraz, high in the Andes in the Cordillera Blanca; and, the vibrant capital, Lima.
Before departing, read the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade (MFAT) and Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) travel advisories for Peru at www.safetravel.govt.nz and www.smartraveller.gov.au respectively. There are some areas to avoid, while in others a high degree of caution is necessary.
Escaping English winter My husband and I will be in Britain during the northern winter. We aren't keen to spend the worst of the winter in England and wonder if you can suggest somewhere we could go during January and February. We are interested in perhaps Spain or Greece, and would like to rent a cottage by the coast, but not in a resort area. Anne Sherratt
Escaping the British winter is a national pastime with the cheap air fares and lure of the milder Mediterranean climate too appealing to resist. The Greek islands pretty much close for the winter, making Spain perhaps the better choice. While much of Spain suffers from the winter chill, the Mediterranean coast is usually a pleasant 12-20C during the winter months.
Valencia could be worth exploring. Spain's third largest city is home to paella and the Holy Grail. It's also blessed with great weather. As winter is the off season it will be much less expensive. You should be able to find a cottage suitable for two to four for about $750 a week. A few sites worth visiting for an idea of what's available are www.spain-holiday.com, www.holidaylets.net and www.holiday-rentals.co.uk.
One of Valencia's best attractions is the baroque Palacio del Marques de Dos Aguas, with its extravagantly sculpted facade and equally outrageous interiors. The Museo de Bellas Artes ranks among the country's best museums, with works by artists such as El Greco, Goya and Velazquez.
To the north of Valencia, along the Costa del Azahar (Orange Blossom Coast), you'll find a string of low-key resorts and the historic site of Sagunato. Southward, along the Costa Blanco (White Coast), stretch some of Spain's finest beaches, while heading inland the mountains buckle and castles crown the hilltops. For more detailed information, visit www.turisvalencia.es.
As with the above inquiry, read the MFAT and DFAT travel advisories for Spain.
Hot little destination My husband and I will be in Europe next month and a friend has invited us to visit him in Syria. We know little about the country and wonder if it's safe. We would also appreciate information regarding places of interest and the likely cost of travel from Britain. We are experienced travellers but in the older age group.John Sandiford
You'll find Syria an absolutely fascinating destination. Its historic sites rival those of its Middle Eastern neighbours, and it claims to the oldest continuously occupied city (Damascus vies for the title with Aleppo), the spunkiest Crusader castle (Crac des Chevaliers) and the best preserved Roman theatre (in Bosra).
Read the travel advisories for Syria, published by MFAT and DFAT, for the latest on the safety situation. Travellers should be aware of the high threat of terrorist attack.
Autumn (September to November) is ideal for visiting Syria as visitors avoid the intense heat. If you're heading to Palmyra or the northeast, you'll need a hat, sunscreen and water bottle.
September coincides with Ramadan. Visitors need to do a little extra planning and avoid eating and drinking around those fasting for Ramadan.
Syria has international airports near Aleppo and 35km southeast of Damascus. Both have regular connections to Europe. You should be able to book a cheap return flight from London for about $920.
Top attractions include the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. It's among Islam's most magnificent buildings, second only to the holy mosques of Mecca and Medina. Next on the list is Qalaat Samaan, also known as the Basilica of St Simeon and one of the most atmospheric of Syria's archaeological sites.
The remarkably well preserved basilica commemorates St Simeon Stylites, one of Syria's most eccentric early Christians, who ended his days living on top of an 18m pillar.
sábado, 30 de agosto de 2008
domingo, 24 de agosto de 2008
Recomiendan viaje de cuatro dias en Inca Trail de Cusco
Four-day journey to Machu Picchu is a trek of a lifetime
On a four-day journey to Machu Picchu, one couple embraces the remarkable, centuries-old Incan ruins, the beauty of the rain forest, and the 'roughing it’ camps in a race to the Sun Gate
By JASON CRANE and KARI CRANE
jcrane@star-telegram.com
It’s just past sunrise on the final day of our four-day trek along the Inca Trail, and we’re standing at the Sun Gate, the entrance to the sweeping, wondrous city of Machu Picchu. We still must descend another 45 minutes to get there, but it’s this first view, one we’d been dreaming of seeing, that we’ll remember forever.
We’d just finished a grueling 26-mile hike through Peru’s Andes Mountains, ascending 7,000 feet and crossing a 13,750-foot pass to arrive at the Incan empire’s greatest creation. This is the only way to see Machu Picchu: centuries-old ruins along the way, the stone path crafted without modern-day tools, mountain views hidden miles from civilization.
Many of our friends told us we were a little crazy to make this trek. Can you really call something a vacation when you have to do so much work? But we love the adventure, the outdoors, and we knew that previous hikes around the U.S. would never measure up to this once-in-a-lifetime experience. We had seen the photos and heard stories from family members who had visited the famed Incan site 30 years before. It was time we saw Machu Picchu for ourselves.
But like so many things, it wasn’t just that we had finally arrived at the Lost City of the Incas; it was about the journey, too.
Day 1
It’s 6:30 in the morning, and our bus is headed to the checkpoint where we’ll begin our trek. We may be halfway around the world, but we can’t escape the latest Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson gossip. Turns out a couple from near Romo’s hometown in Wisconsin and another couple from Dallas will be making the trek with us.
Our two Peruvian guides and 18 chasquis (what they called the Incan messengers who once ran the trails of this empire) will bring our group of 10 U.S. tourists to Machu Picchu. The first day’s hike is relatively slow and easy, as much of the 8.5 miles wind through a valley. But it gives us our first taste of hiking in altitude, and we spend most of the frequent rest stops gasping for air and gulping down water.
During our first break, surrounded by sweeping views of snow-capped Mount Veronica and the Urubamba River, our guides explained just how lucky we were to be there: We were 10 of only 200 tourists who could enter the trail that day. Recently enacted government regulations limit trail entrance to 200 tourists and 300 workers each day. The regulations help preserve the trail and historic ruins, threatened by an influx of tourists. Working conditions have also improved. Only five years ago, the chasquis were fed poorly, slept without shelter and were forced to carry almost 100 pounds. Now, the law limits their packs to only 45 pounds, but there is no doubt that many of the workers are still underpaid for their backbreaking work.
We set out on this trek expecting to rough it. We’d sleep in tents, use the trees for our bathroom and sweat all day without a shower at night. But nothing about lunch that first day said "roughing it." The dried food and granola bars we usually bring on backpacking trips were replaced by fresh salads and vegetables, rice, chicken and other dishes made with local (some exotic to us) ingredients. All of it would have been delicious under any circumstances, but we were in the mountains, already hours from civilization. This was the first of nine truly gourmet meals: avocados stuffed with cheese and vegetables, pumpkin soup, eggs and pancakes, and potatoes stuffed, wrapped and grilled any way you can imagine.
Day 2
The longest, hardest day on the trail began better than we could have hoped, with a hot glass of coca tea delivered to our tent. The locals swear by the coca leaf’s ability to cure altitude sickness, and today we would be hiking to the highest point of the four-day trek — Dead Woman’s Pass, at 13,775 feet.
It was a long, slow hike to the top; about every 30 feet we had to stop and humor our lungs, which were constantly screaming for more of the oxygen-depleted air. But the reward was worth it — clear views for miles and the satisfaction that we had made it up the toughest pass of the trip. The feeling didn’t last long. We would now be descending, fast, 2,624 feet over about 1 1/4 miles, with a 12,955-foot pass to cross after lunch.
We had a lucky distraction on the way back up, a spectacled bear (named for the rings around their eyes). These large, shy, herbivorous animals are a rare site: Our guide had been working on the trail for 13 years, and it was only the second time he had seen one. We weren’t lucky enough (or some would say we were lucky) to see a puma, another elusive resident of these forests. But white-tailed deer, foxes and plenty of llamas and alpacas were spotted by members of our group.
Day 3
This was the first day we walked on original Incan stones; the original trail to this point was destroyed as the Incas were fleeing the Spanish in the 1530s. We were also treated to another Incan specialty: steep, unforgiving stairs. More than 2,000 of them this morning.
Despite the hard descent, we were constantly reminded why we wanted to hike rather than take the train to Machu Picchu. The path took us through the rain forest, where we were treated to exotic orchids, bomarea, eucalyptus and dozens of other flowers and plants. One minute, we were walking along a ridge with incredible views of the valley below. Then, the ridge gave way to a colossal, 8-meter Incan tunnel carved from the mountainside. One minute we were seemingly deep in the forest, and the next, a city rose before us. It was these archeological marvels hidden in the mountains that really tell the story of Machu Picchu.
We were treated to two amazing such places on the third day. First was Phuyupatamarca, roughly translated as "city in the clouds." And indeed we were in the clouds, although they moved quickly, giving us some spectacular views. It was here that we caught our first glimpse of Machu Picchu Mountain. The end was in sight.
The day’s second Incan site, Winay Wayna, is almost beyond words. An entire mountainside was cut into terraces, and the stonework throughout the area is extraordinary. The masonry, with a series of magnificent fountains where residents worshiped water, are signs of the location’s religious importance. This exquisitely preserved site, more than any of the 10 or so others we saw along the way, excited us for what was to come at Machu Picchu.
Just about everyone spends the last night at the same campsite because it’s as close as you can get to Machu Picchu along the trail. Thanks to the Trekkers’ Hotel, this overcrowded site is somewhat of a bruise in the beautiful forest: dorms with concrete walls, buildings with tin roofs, and power lines running through the trees. But we weren’t complaining. Amid the ugliness, there was a shower and a bar. Cold beers in hand, we were able to relax with our group, celebrating how far we’d come and what we’d see in the morning.
Day 4
Our wake-up call came at 4 a.m., but with only about four miles between us and Machu Picchu, we were happy to put an early end to a sleepless night. We lined up at the trail’s last checkpoint, which opens at 5:30 a.m., to begin the mad dash to the Sun Gate. It’s still dark, and for the first time in four days we feel the trail is overrun with tourists. Dark quickly turned to dawn, and dawn to day, and the race began in earnest. The goal is to get to the Sun Gate, where hikers get their first glimpse of Machu Picchu as the sun peeks over the mountains.
Since the moment we landed in Peru, there was something we’d been wondering. This was a trip we’d been planning for months and dreaming of for years. Could anything live up to the expectations we’d placed upon Machu Picchu? But as we stood at the Sun Gate, breathless, we got our answer. Machu Picchu was bigger and more stunning than we ever could have imagined. Finally, this 600-year-old city, covered by jungle for so long and only reintroduced to the world a century ago, was within our reach.
Link: http://www.star-telegram.com/408/story/851130.html
On a four-day journey to Machu Picchu, one couple embraces the remarkable, centuries-old Incan ruins, the beauty of the rain forest, and the 'roughing it’ camps in a race to the Sun Gate
By JASON CRANE and KARI CRANE
jcrane@star-telegram.com
It’s just past sunrise on the final day of our four-day trek along the Inca Trail, and we’re standing at the Sun Gate, the entrance to the sweeping, wondrous city of Machu Picchu. We still must descend another 45 minutes to get there, but it’s this first view, one we’d been dreaming of seeing, that we’ll remember forever.
We’d just finished a grueling 26-mile hike through Peru’s Andes Mountains, ascending 7,000 feet and crossing a 13,750-foot pass to arrive at the Incan empire’s greatest creation. This is the only way to see Machu Picchu: centuries-old ruins along the way, the stone path crafted without modern-day tools, mountain views hidden miles from civilization.
Many of our friends told us we were a little crazy to make this trek. Can you really call something a vacation when you have to do so much work? But we love the adventure, the outdoors, and we knew that previous hikes around the U.S. would never measure up to this once-in-a-lifetime experience. We had seen the photos and heard stories from family members who had visited the famed Incan site 30 years before. It was time we saw Machu Picchu for ourselves.
But like so many things, it wasn’t just that we had finally arrived at the Lost City of the Incas; it was about the journey, too.
Day 1
It’s 6:30 in the morning, and our bus is headed to the checkpoint where we’ll begin our trek. We may be halfway around the world, but we can’t escape the latest Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson gossip. Turns out a couple from near Romo’s hometown in Wisconsin and another couple from Dallas will be making the trek with us.
Our two Peruvian guides and 18 chasquis (what they called the Incan messengers who once ran the trails of this empire) will bring our group of 10 U.S. tourists to Machu Picchu. The first day’s hike is relatively slow and easy, as much of the 8.5 miles wind through a valley. But it gives us our first taste of hiking in altitude, and we spend most of the frequent rest stops gasping for air and gulping down water.
During our first break, surrounded by sweeping views of snow-capped Mount Veronica and the Urubamba River, our guides explained just how lucky we were to be there: We were 10 of only 200 tourists who could enter the trail that day. Recently enacted government regulations limit trail entrance to 200 tourists and 300 workers each day. The regulations help preserve the trail and historic ruins, threatened by an influx of tourists. Working conditions have also improved. Only five years ago, the chasquis were fed poorly, slept without shelter and were forced to carry almost 100 pounds. Now, the law limits their packs to only 45 pounds, but there is no doubt that many of the workers are still underpaid for their backbreaking work.
We set out on this trek expecting to rough it. We’d sleep in tents, use the trees for our bathroom and sweat all day without a shower at night. But nothing about lunch that first day said "roughing it." The dried food and granola bars we usually bring on backpacking trips were replaced by fresh salads and vegetables, rice, chicken and other dishes made with local (some exotic to us) ingredients. All of it would have been delicious under any circumstances, but we were in the mountains, already hours from civilization. This was the first of nine truly gourmet meals: avocados stuffed with cheese and vegetables, pumpkin soup, eggs and pancakes, and potatoes stuffed, wrapped and grilled any way you can imagine.
Day 2
The longest, hardest day on the trail began better than we could have hoped, with a hot glass of coca tea delivered to our tent. The locals swear by the coca leaf’s ability to cure altitude sickness, and today we would be hiking to the highest point of the four-day trek — Dead Woman’s Pass, at 13,775 feet.
It was a long, slow hike to the top; about every 30 feet we had to stop and humor our lungs, which were constantly screaming for more of the oxygen-depleted air. But the reward was worth it — clear views for miles and the satisfaction that we had made it up the toughest pass of the trip. The feeling didn’t last long. We would now be descending, fast, 2,624 feet over about 1 1/4 miles, with a 12,955-foot pass to cross after lunch.
We had a lucky distraction on the way back up, a spectacled bear (named for the rings around their eyes). These large, shy, herbivorous animals are a rare site: Our guide had been working on the trail for 13 years, and it was only the second time he had seen one. We weren’t lucky enough (or some would say we were lucky) to see a puma, another elusive resident of these forests. But white-tailed deer, foxes and plenty of llamas and alpacas were spotted by members of our group.
Day 3
This was the first day we walked on original Incan stones; the original trail to this point was destroyed as the Incas were fleeing the Spanish in the 1530s. We were also treated to another Incan specialty: steep, unforgiving stairs. More than 2,000 of them this morning.
Despite the hard descent, we were constantly reminded why we wanted to hike rather than take the train to Machu Picchu. The path took us through the rain forest, where we were treated to exotic orchids, bomarea, eucalyptus and dozens of other flowers and plants. One minute, we were walking along a ridge with incredible views of the valley below. Then, the ridge gave way to a colossal, 8-meter Incan tunnel carved from the mountainside. One minute we were seemingly deep in the forest, and the next, a city rose before us. It was these archeological marvels hidden in the mountains that really tell the story of Machu Picchu.
We were treated to two amazing such places on the third day. First was Phuyupatamarca, roughly translated as "city in the clouds." And indeed we were in the clouds, although they moved quickly, giving us some spectacular views. It was here that we caught our first glimpse of Machu Picchu Mountain. The end was in sight.
The day’s second Incan site, Winay Wayna, is almost beyond words. An entire mountainside was cut into terraces, and the stonework throughout the area is extraordinary. The masonry, with a series of magnificent fountains where residents worshiped water, are signs of the location’s religious importance. This exquisitely preserved site, more than any of the 10 or so others we saw along the way, excited us for what was to come at Machu Picchu.
Just about everyone spends the last night at the same campsite because it’s as close as you can get to Machu Picchu along the trail. Thanks to the Trekkers’ Hotel, this overcrowded site is somewhat of a bruise in the beautiful forest: dorms with concrete walls, buildings with tin roofs, and power lines running through the trees. But we weren’t complaining. Amid the ugliness, there was a shower and a bar. Cold beers in hand, we were able to relax with our group, celebrating how far we’d come and what we’d see in the morning.
Day 4
Our wake-up call came at 4 a.m., but with only about four miles between us and Machu Picchu, we were happy to put an early end to a sleepless night. We lined up at the trail’s last checkpoint, which opens at 5:30 a.m., to begin the mad dash to the Sun Gate. It’s still dark, and for the first time in four days we feel the trail is overrun with tourists. Dark quickly turned to dawn, and dawn to day, and the race began in earnest. The goal is to get to the Sun Gate, where hikers get their first glimpse of Machu Picchu as the sun peeks over the mountains.
Since the moment we landed in Peru, there was something we’d been wondering. This was a trip we’d been planning for months and dreaming of for years. Could anything live up to the expectations we’d placed upon Machu Picchu? But as we stood at the Sun Gate, breathless, we got our answer. Machu Picchu was bigger and more stunning than we ever could have imagined. Finally, this 600-year-old city, covered by jungle for so long and only reintroduced to the world a century ago, was within our reach.
Link: http://www.star-telegram.com/408/story/851130.html
Juego "Art of Murder" los trae hasta Peru y Selva.
Art of Murder: FBI Confidential GC 2008 Screens and Trailer
20:12 August 23rd, 2008
A new trailer in mpg format and a few screens in our gallery
City Interactive has released more screenshots and a trailer from Art of Murder: FBI Confidential, a point & click adventure game in which the player takes on the role of an FBI agent, whose task is to solve a series of macabre murders of wealthy, well-to-do citizens. The victims are killed with an unknown device, and the murderer removes their hearts afterwards. The adventure begins in New York, but the clues will lead the player to, among others, the Peruvian city of Cusco, the ancient capitol of the Inca empire, and the verge of the Amazon jungle.
Link: http://www.gamershell.com/download_31424.shtml
20:12 August 23rd, 2008
A new trailer in mpg format and a few screens in our gallery
City Interactive has released more screenshots and a trailer from Art of Murder: FBI Confidential, a point & click adventure game in which the player takes on the role of an FBI agent, whose task is to solve a series of macabre murders of wealthy, well-to-do citizens. The victims are killed with an unknown device, and the murderer removes their hearts afterwards. The adventure begins in New York, but the clues will lead the player to, among others, the Peruvian city of Cusco, the ancient capitol of the Inca empire, and the verge of the Amazon jungle.
Link: http://www.gamershell.com/download_31424.shtml
viernes, 22 de agosto de 2008
Eco Turismo en Peru
Adventures in ecotourism
Published August 21st, 2008 in Earth, Human World and Science.
I try so hard to be friendly to the environment. So I know that one of the first big no-no’s of being eco-friendly is to get on a plane. But that’s exactly what I did in order to get to Cusco, Peru for my two weeks of vacation. (It was that or two weeks spent at the local botanical gardens, and I think I made a good choice.) Four flights and many tons of carbon emissions later, I landed in the beautiful center of the ancient Incan empire.
With an incredible diversity of ecosystems, and thousands of species of interesting-looking plants and animals, Peru thrives on what’s called ecotourism. Ecotourism has a glut of definitions, but it’s generally understood to mean a more responsible way of traveling that benefits the environment and the local people. But on top of my hypocritical airplane travel (couldn’t I have gone to the botanical gardens for two weeks instead?), I had to wonder if it’s possible for ecotourism to be eco-friendly.
Even though I was surrounded by natural beauty, I was constantly polluting by default. The fuels used in Peru are far less clean than those in America - something I experienced during a biking trip when I became engulfed in a cloud of noxious fumes and dust every time a car, truck, or “Ecological tourism” bus passed. 8 - 12 hours each way in a jungle-bound van added to my carbon footprint and my fear of death, as the road clung to steep mountain edges. There was limited recycling. In certain towns, there were cans labeled “Organic” and “Inorganic”, nothing marked what that meant. In the mountain towns, banks of small streams were littered with plastic, and everywhere, sewage emptied directly into the river.
Our guide in the Manu jungle was a former park ranger who had an excellent eye and knowledge about Manu’s flora and fauna, and gave small speeches about global warming. But I couldn’t help but feel that I was exacerbating the problem. And how did I know that my activities were benefiting the local environment and community, asides from providing jobs and foreign income?
It would be great if infrastructure improvements were made and attributed to Peru’s ecotourism industry - better roads, treatment facilities, more recycling, and cleaner fuels - things that would both benefit local communities and enhance tourism.
Traveling in Peru is cheap, and I often wondered how anyone made a profit, much less provided environmental and social benefits. A new study from the environmental group Oceana found that one group of ecotourists, scuba divers, would be willing to pay on average, $55.35 to see healthy coral reefs, $39.36 for healthy sharks, and $29.63 for healthy sea turtles.
The survey shows that sharks are cooler than turtles. It also shows that people are willing to pay more to benefit what they enjoy. Certainly, my eco-guilt wouldn’t be quite so great if I knew that somehow, my visit had helped Peru.
Link: http://blogs.earthsky.org/lindsaypatterson/science/0821166/adventures-in-ecotourism/
Published August 21st, 2008 in Earth, Human World and Science.
I try so hard to be friendly to the environment. So I know that one of the first big no-no’s of being eco-friendly is to get on a plane. But that’s exactly what I did in order to get to Cusco, Peru for my two weeks of vacation. (It was that or two weeks spent at the local botanical gardens, and I think I made a good choice.) Four flights and many tons of carbon emissions later, I landed in the beautiful center of the ancient Incan empire.
With an incredible diversity of ecosystems, and thousands of species of interesting-looking plants and animals, Peru thrives on what’s called ecotourism. Ecotourism has a glut of definitions, but it’s generally understood to mean a more responsible way of traveling that benefits the environment and the local people. But on top of my hypocritical airplane travel (couldn’t I have gone to the botanical gardens for two weeks instead?), I had to wonder if it’s possible for ecotourism to be eco-friendly.
Even though I was surrounded by natural beauty, I was constantly polluting by default. The fuels used in Peru are far less clean than those in America - something I experienced during a biking trip when I became engulfed in a cloud of noxious fumes and dust every time a car, truck, or “Ecological tourism” bus passed. 8 - 12 hours each way in a jungle-bound van added to my carbon footprint and my fear of death, as the road clung to steep mountain edges. There was limited recycling. In certain towns, there were cans labeled “Organic” and “Inorganic”, nothing marked what that meant. In the mountain towns, banks of small streams were littered with plastic, and everywhere, sewage emptied directly into the river.
Our guide in the Manu jungle was a former park ranger who had an excellent eye and knowledge about Manu’s flora and fauna, and gave small speeches about global warming. But I couldn’t help but feel that I was exacerbating the problem. And how did I know that my activities were benefiting the local environment and community, asides from providing jobs and foreign income?
It would be great if infrastructure improvements were made and attributed to Peru’s ecotourism industry - better roads, treatment facilities, more recycling, and cleaner fuels - things that would both benefit local communities and enhance tourism.
Traveling in Peru is cheap, and I often wondered how anyone made a profit, much less provided environmental and social benefits. A new study from the environmental group Oceana found that one group of ecotourists, scuba divers, would be willing to pay on average, $55.35 to see healthy coral reefs, $39.36 for healthy sharks, and $29.63 for healthy sea turtles.
The survey shows that sharks are cooler than turtles. It also shows that people are willing to pay more to benefit what they enjoy. Certainly, my eco-guilt wouldn’t be quite so great if I knew that somehow, my visit had helped Peru.
Link: http://blogs.earthsky.org/lindsaypatterson/science/0821166/adventures-in-ecotourism/
jueves, 21 de agosto de 2008
Duplican exportaciones de fibra de vicuña Peruana
Peru fuels boom in alpaca, llama fleece fashion
By Victoria Bekiempis
Associated Press Writer / August 19, 2008
AREQUIPA, Peru—In this Andean nation far from glamorous runways, some of the most fashionable residents have four legs: vicunas, alpacas and llamas.
Exports of the animals' fleecy coats have nearly doubled to more than $43 million in the past four years, as models strut catwalks from Paris to New York wearing fur from the long-necked animals in the form of pricey ponchos, pants and pea coats.
Fleece shorn from the three species -- known collectively as camelids -- is "really soft and luxurious," said New York-based designer Rachel Comey, who says she sold about $200,000 worth of alpaca knitwear last year, including hats, gloves and alpaca-lined boots.
Vicuna is the costliest, trimmed once every two years from the rarest of the three breeds, which roams the plateaued border region between Bolivia and Peru. A yard of the fabric sells for at least $3,000, while a basic stole starts at about $950 at the factory store.
A similar stole made of alpaca -- which is farm-raised and makes up 99 percent of camelid exports -- sells for about $47, while llama fleece is rarely commercially sold.
The warm, dyeable fibers, long used for sportswear fleece, are being recast as a sexier luxury thread, spun into casual clothes and evening wear to appeal to deep-pocketed young professionals. Demand is partly driven by the fleece's popularity with environmentally conscious designers, who want the softness of fur without the guilt, said Laird Borelli, a senior features editor at Style.com.
"If you have a fabric that can get as close to fur as that, it's an amazing thing," said New-York based designer Daryl Kerrigan, who has used alpaca to make coats.
The Incas once wore alpaca, carefully breeding the doe-eyed animals and weaving their fleece on delicate hand looms into soft cloth that local royalty draped as robes. But Spanish conquistadors replaced those techniques, spinning raw fibers into coarse thread with a more mechanical wheel.
Those rougher methods ensured alpaca was considered a sportsman's textile for much of the 20th century: warm but scratchy, it was relegated to rough sweaters bought in bulk by tourists, senior citizens and campers.
Yet designers and textile producers are finding ways to recreate Incan precision on a larger scale, and now use the fleece to weave softer fabrics that remind some of the world's finest furs, said Lima-based designer Jose Miguel Valdivia.
Peru's government is also boosting efforts to promote the fibers, sending local designers to Europe to lobby fashionistas. Nine traveled to Paris' famed ready-to-wear show last January on behalf of state-run trade group PromPeru, showing alpaca-made slacks, coats, dresses and jackets to journalists and potential buyers.
"I try to use what we're strong in ... (and) in Peru, what we're strong in is alpaca, cotton and silver," said Claudia Bertolero, one of the designers who brought her alpaca trapeze dresses, fringed ponchos and vests to Paris.
Andean breeders in still-poor parts of rural Peru are seeing an income boost, providing steady supply of top-grade fleece.
Breeders and textile companies are trying to improve their techniques for separating coarser, cheaper fibers, shorn from alpacas' necks and hoof-areas, from longer, more delicate flank hair.
They're looking for a scientific way to boost fleece quality, too.
In 1995, Michell & CIA S.A. -- the world's largest alpaca fleece producer -- opened a breeding center in Peru's southern Puno province to isolate traits responsible for finer fleece. Now, its scientists breed alpaca, teaching their methods to small farmers who independently raise most of Peru's stock and sell the fleece to big weavers. Michell's competitor Grupo Inca does the same.
The idea is simple: the finer the fleece, the lighter, more sought-after and expensive it is.
But rising popularity has brought a familiar problem -- counterfeiting -- which threatens to dissuade buyers. Peru's government has failed to regulate the fleece with quality controls, so many popular alpaca scarves, for example, are in fact made from synthetic fibers, said Edita Vilcapoma, a researcher with the Lima-based Association of Peruvian Consumers and Users.
Still, exports are booming. About 3,863 tons of alpaca, vicuna and llama fleece were sold in 2006, the last year for which figures were available -- mostly to Italy, the U.K. and China, as ready-made clothing and yarn.
The fleece still fills a tiny niche in an already-small luxury fiber market. About 46 percent of textiles sold worldwide last year were polyester, 39 percent were cotton and 2 percent wool -- leaving little room for other fibers.
For now, that gives alpaca an advantage, insulating it from big-time competition and giving smaller breeders, weavers and designers time to grow, said Jeffrey Silberman, chair of the textile and marketing department at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology.
Back in Lima, the decision to start stitching a hometown fiber into high-fashion has been easy.
"It's a great romance," designer Valdivia said of his work. "I really think it's more like alpaca chose me."
Link: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/fashion/articles/2008/08/19/peru_fuels_boom_in_alpaca_llama_fleece_fashion/
By Victoria Bekiempis
Associated Press Writer / August 19, 2008
AREQUIPA, Peru—In this Andean nation far from glamorous runways, some of the most fashionable residents have four legs: vicunas, alpacas and llamas.
Exports of the animals' fleecy coats have nearly doubled to more than $43 million in the past four years, as models strut catwalks from Paris to New York wearing fur from the long-necked animals in the form of pricey ponchos, pants and pea coats.
Fleece shorn from the three species -- known collectively as camelids -- is "really soft and luxurious," said New York-based designer Rachel Comey, who says she sold about $200,000 worth of alpaca knitwear last year, including hats, gloves and alpaca-lined boots.
Vicuna is the costliest, trimmed once every two years from the rarest of the three breeds, which roams the plateaued border region between Bolivia and Peru. A yard of the fabric sells for at least $3,000, while a basic stole starts at about $950 at the factory store.
A similar stole made of alpaca -- which is farm-raised and makes up 99 percent of camelid exports -- sells for about $47, while llama fleece is rarely commercially sold.
The warm, dyeable fibers, long used for sportswear fleece, are being recast as a sexier luxury thread, spun into casual clothes and evening wear to appeal to deep-pocketed young professionals. Demand is partly driven by the fleece's popularity with environmentally conscious designers, who want the softness of fur without the guilt, said Laird Borelli, a senior features editor at Style.com.
"If you have a fabric that can get as close to fur as that, it's an amazing thing," said New-York based designer Daryl Kerrigan, who has used alpaca to make coats.
The Incas once wore alpaca, carefully breeding the doe-eyed animals and weaving their fleece on delicate hand looms into soft cloth that local royalty draped as robes. But Spanish conquistadors replaced those techniques, spinning raw fibers into coarse thread with a more mechanical wheel.
Those rougher methods ensured alpaca was considered a sportsman's textile for much of the 20th century: warm but scratchy, it was relegated to rough sweaters bought in bulk by tourists, senior citizens and campers.
Yet designers and textile producers are finding ways to recreate Incan precision on a larger scale, and now use the fleece to weave softer fabrics that remind some of the world's finest furs, said Lima-based designer Jose Miguel Valdivia.
Peru's government is also boosting efforts to promote the fibers, sending local designers to Europe to lobby fashionistas. Nine traveled to Paris' famed ready-to-wear show last January on behalf of state-run trade group PromPeru, showing alpaca-made slacks, coats, dresses and jackets to journalists and potential buyers.
"I try to use what we're strong in ... (and) in Peru, what we're strong in is alpaca, cotton and silver," said Claudia Bertolero, one of the designers who brought her alpaca trapeze dresses, fringed ponchos and vests to Paris.
Andean breeders in still-poor parts of rural Peru are seeing an income boost, providing steady supply of top-grade fleece.
Breeders and textile companies are trying to improve their techniques for separating coarser, cheaper fibers, shorn from alpacas' necks and hoof-areas, from longer, more delicate flank hair.
They're looking for a scientific way to boost fleece quality, too.
In 1995, Michell & CIA S.A. -- the world's largest alpaca fleece producer -- opened a breeding center in Peru's southern Puno province to isolate traits responsible for finer fleece. Now, its scientists breed alpaca, teaching their methods to small farmers who independently raise most of Peru's stock and sell the fleece to big weavers. Michell's competitor Grupo Inca does the same.
The idea is simple: the finer the fleece, the lighter, more sought-after and expensive it is.
But rising popularity has brought a familiar problem -- counterfeiting -- which threatens to dissuade buyers. Peru's government has failed to regulate the fleece with quality controls, so many popular alpaca scarves, for example, are in fact made from synthetic fibers, said Edita Vilcapoma, a researcher with the Lima-based Association of Peruvian Consumers and Users.
Still, exports are booming. About 3,863 tons of alpaca, vicuna and llama fleece were sold in 2006, the last year for which figures were available -- mostly to Italy, the U.K. and China, as ready-made clothing and yarn.
The fleece still fills a tiny niche in an already-small luxury fiber market. About 46 percent of textiles sold worldwide last year were polyester, 39 percent were cotton and 2 percent wool -- leaving little room for other fibers.
For now, that gives alpaca an advantage, insulating it from big-time competition and giving smaller breeders, weavers and designers time to grow, said Jeffrey Silberman, chair of the textile and marketing department at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology.
Back in Lima, the decision to start stitching a hometown fiber into high-fashion has been easy.
"It's a great romance," designer Valdivia said of his work. "I really think it's more like alpaca chose me."
Link: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/fashion/articles/2008/08/19/peru_fuels_boom_in_alpaca_llama_fleece_fashion/
miércoles, 20 de agosto de 2008
Viaje en el Rio Amazonas
Down the Amazon and into another world
By KARL SICKAFUS, Special to the Local News
08/17/2008
Well, you get a week full of experiences, images and memories that could never be adequately put in words.Two companies -- Overseas Adventure Travel (www.oattravel.com) of Cambridge, Mass., and Jungle Expeditions (www.junglex.com) of Iquitos, Peru -- teamed up to expedite our week in the Amazon basin.We boarded our boat in Iquitos. Most of us knew nothing of the Amazon basin other than what Hollywood movies we had seen. Our tour companies provided us with a guide and a naturalist, both from the local region. They tried to find villages to explore that had never before been visited by their boat.Our guides reminded us many times they would not be able to tell us what we would see or experience, as every voyage is different. They spot different wildlife with every group they take down the river. They also encouraged us to be flexible, as schedules could change at a moment's notice.It will rain. You must be willing to get up early and stay up late to enjoy the various excursions. You will get bitten by mosquitoes. Bring malaria pills. Cameras stop working from the heat and humidity. You may get sick -- as about a third of our group did. Don't drink the water.Our first landing introduced us to San Fernando, a small village of nearly 30 people. The children at the school were quite entertained by these strange pelacara ("face peelers") from the States. They had never before seen a bald person. One gentleman in our group, sporting a gray beard and gray hair, was thought to be Santa Claus. Back in Iquitos, we purchased school supplies and other items to give to the villages we would visit.After sharing the supplies with the children of San Fernando, our guide presented a gift to the village elder. In the Amazon rain forests, the machete is the most important item anyone can own. The machete that the village elder was using had no handle, as it had long ago broken away, along with much of the blade. Many tears were shed as we exchanged machetes.When our boat turned west and headed up the Rio Maranon, we prepared for our first jungle hike. Preparing means donning snake gaiters, long clothing and mosquito repellent. Snake gaiters are the equivalent of wrapping a tall piece of leather around your ankle and shin. A few weeks prior to our visit, our guides had hired two local families to bushwhack a trail into the rain forest. Our small excursion boat pulled up to a spot on the edge of the river. There, two men stood next to a log staircase they had just finished building. The staircase led up the muddy bank to the beginning of the trail.This walk took us deep into the rain forest. We found the fer-de-lance snake, the most dangerous snake of Central and South America. Our digital cameras captured the dead leaf-mimic frog, bullet ants, wolf spiders, cane toads, silk spiders, 6-inch centipedes, and a three-toed sloth with its baby.We boarded our small excursion boat and headed up the Cano Creek, near Nauta. This was a special excursion for the hearty birdwatchers in our group. By the end of the week, this small group had logged more than 120 bird species.Later that afternoon, we visited a shaman. Many of the villages along the Amazon have a local shaman, or medicine person. He or she practices medicine through the use of herbs, roots, concoctions and conjuring up spirits.The shaman we saw had a young apprentice who was training to become an herbalist so she could help the people of her village. The shaman and assistant performed a short spiritual ritual for the benefit of our health.The next day's jungle walk allowed us to see not only the beauty of the Amazon basin, but also the ugliness. We rounded a corner to be shocked by the scene before us. Stretching for what seemed like a mile was an area that had recently been illegally cleared by a foreign company's bulldozers. All of the lumber had been stripped away, and nothing was left but an ugly scar.We learned that the log poachers were caught in the act, their equipment was seized and the loggers were jailed. But the damage is done. Our tour company tries to symbolically help the local villagers revitalize this area by having each tour group plant some trees. We participated, but it seemed like too little, too late.Our next experience was to cross a canopy rope bridge. This was actually a series of rope bridges, totaling nearly a half-mile. The bridges were strung from tree to tree, more than 100 feet off the jungle floor at their highest point. It was not for those with a fear of heights. But it netted another slew of bird species for those keeping count.That afternoon, we tied up our excursion boat at the village of Monte Alegre. There, we split into two smaller groups and headed off to have lunch with two host families in their homes. We spent a good bit of time talking with them through our interpreter.They were astonished to see bald heads and facial hair. They asked if we had oil refineries in our towns. We talked politics and asked how they vote for their leaders. We then assisted our hosts in preparing for the meal. We laid fresh-cut banana leaves on the floor as others arranged the dishes and food on the leaves. We all sat on the floor, accompanied by our hosts, and shared one of the most memorable meals of a lifetime.We had patarasch (Tiger Catfish), yuca cocida (boiled tapioca root), maduro asado (grilled plantain), sajino asado (roasted peccary) and macambo tostada (roasted macambo seed). We drank te de hierva luisa (lemon grass tea) and cocona juice (yellow tomato juice). After our meal, we went to another village very close to Monte Alegre. There, our guides had arranged for more than 20 villagers to bring their boats and dugout canoes to the edge of the river. The villagers allowed us to paddle away in their canoes to enjoy a small tributary called San Regis Creek.Late that evening, we boarded our excursion craft, accompanied by some high-powered spotlights, and headed off into the night. We went up the Pucate River to find nocturnal wildlife. We saw large fishing bats, an Amazon tree boa and a young caiman, which our naturalist brought on board for a closer look before releasing it. Early the next morning, we packed a picnic breakfast and toured the Rio Yanayacu de Pucate. We were looking for the fresh-water river dolphin. We found a nice shady place along the bank to have breakfast while watching the dolphins playing in the river.On our way back to the main boat, we stopped to participate in piranha fishing. Each member of our party had a stick with a string, hook and raw chicken.As soon as the chicken hit the water, piranha by the dozens took the bait. Catching them required no skill, as you basically snag them.Eating them is another story. For those of you who enjoy picking at blue crab for an hour, only to harvest a thimble full of meat, you should enjoy piranha.After lunching on our fried piranha, we went back out to the middle of the river and jumped in for a nice swim. Yes, we were somewhat anxious. Some of us felt fish -- or something -- touching our ankles and toes. Later that afternoon, we sent a party of ambassadors from our boat into a small village and invited them to visit. They brought back two families who were somewhat anxious to board the big boat. We gave them a tour and then sat with them in a large circle of chairs.The custom when introducing yourself to a stranger is to give your name, age, and then how many children you have. As each member of our group introduced themselves, it was clear that our visitors could not believe the number of people who did not have any children. They thought we might have medical problems.As our guide was translating an exchange between one of the village men, he suddenly buried his bright red face in his hands, saying he didn't know how to interpret the last statement. The man, genuinely concerned about our lack of children, indicated his village had a local tea to help men father children. He was more than happy to bring us some. When we asked what they called this concoction, our guide said, "Well, loosely translated, it means underwear ripper."On our last full day on the boat, we visited the city of Nauta. This city has a large outdoor market where many Riberenos ("river people") come to sell their harvests and wares.Live turtles were turned over on their shells to prevent escape as they were sold. Piles of fish innards littered the ground as vultures and dogs scavenged for the morsels. We found a man who had a pet rhinoceros beetle, one of the largest beetles in the world. There were tables piled high with fresh chicken sitting out in the heat and humidity. Stacks of beautiful brown eggs were piled high.We found a dark and dusty bar with a dirt floor, where we enjoyed a nice local beer.Yes, we brought home some trinkets, but we also brought back memories that will last forever.
By KARL SICKAFUS, Special to the Local News
08/17/2008
Well, you get a week full of experiences, images and memories that could never be adequately put in words.Two companies -- Overseas Adventure Travel (www.oattravel.com) of Cambridge, Mass., and Jungle Expeditions (www.junglex.com) of Iquitos, Peru -- teamed up to expedite our week in the Amazon basin.We boarded our boat in Iquitos. Most of us knew nothing of the Amazon basin other than what Hollywood movies we had seen. Our tour companies provided us with a guide and a naturalist, both from the local region. They tried to find villages to explore that had never before been visited by their boat.Our guides reminded us many times they would not be able to tell us what we would see or experience, as every voyage is different. They spot different wildlife with every group they take down the river. They also encouraged us to be flexible, as schedules could change at a moment's notice.It will rain. You must be willing to get up early and stay up late to enjoy the various excursions. You will get bitten by mosquitoes. Bring malaria pills. Cameras stop working from the heat and humidity. You may get sick -- as about a third of our group did. Don't drink the water.Our first landing introduced us to San Fernando, a small village of nearly 30 people. The children at the school were quite entertained by these strange pelacara ("face peelers") from the States. They had never before seen a bald person. One gentleman in our group, sporting a gray beard and gray hair, was thought to be Santa Claus. Back in Iquitos, we purchased school supplies and other items to give to the villages we would visit.After sharing the supplies with the children of San Fernando, our guide presented a gift to the village elder. In the Amazon rain forests, the machete is the most important item anyone can own. The machete that the village elder was using had no handle, as it had long ago broken away, along with much of the blade. Many tears were shed as we exchanged machetes.When our boat turned west and headed up the Rio Maranon, we prepared for our first jungle hike. Preparing means donning snake gaiters, long clothing and mosquito repellent. Snake gaiters are the equivalent of wrapping a tall piece of leather around your ankle and shin. A few weeks prior to our visit, our guides had hired two local families to bushwhack a trail into the rain forest. Our small excursion boat pulled up to a spot on the edge of the river. There, two men stood next to a log staircase they had just finished building. The staircase led up the muddy bank to the beginning of the trail.This walk took us deep into the rain forest. We found the fer-de-lance snake, the most dangerous snake of Central and South America. Our digital cameras captured the dead leaf-mimic frog, bullet ants, wolf spiders, cane toads, silk spiders, 6-inch centipedes, and a three-toed sloth with its baby.We boarded our small excursion boat and headed up the Cano Creek, near Nauta. This was a special excursion for the hearty birdwatchers in our group. By the end of the week, this small group had logged more than 120 bird species.Later that afternoon, we visited a shaman. Many of the villages along the Amazon have a local shaman, or medicine person. He or she practices medicine through the use of herbs, roots, concoctions and conjuring up spirits.The shaman we saw had a young apprentice who was training to become an herbalist so she could help the people of her village. The shaman and assistant performed a short spiritual ritual for the benefit of our health.The next day's jungle walk allowed us to see not only the beauty of the Amazon basin, but also the ugliness. We rounded a corner to be shocked by the scene before us. Stretching for what seemed like a mile was an area that had recently been illegally cleared by a foreign company's bulldozers. All of the lumber had been stripped away, and nothing was left but an ugly scar.We learned that the log poachers were caught in the act, their equipment was seized and the loggers were jailed. But the damage is done. Our tour company tries to symbolically help the local villagers revitalize this area by having each tour group plant some trees. We participated, but it seemed like too little, too late.Our next experience was to cross a canopy rope bridge. This was actually a series of rope bridges, totaling nearly a half-mile. The bridges were strung from tree to tree, more than 100 feet off the jungle floor at their highest point. It was not for those with a fear of heights. But it netted another slew of bird species for those keeping count.That afternoon, we tied up our excursion boat at the village of Monte Alegre. There, we split into two smaller groups and headed off to have lunch with two host families in their homes. We spent a good bit of time talking with them through our interpreter.They were astonished to see bald heads and facial hair. They asked if we had oil refineries in our towns. We talked politics and asked how they vote for their leaders. We then assisted our hosts in preparing for the meal. We laid fresh-cut banana leaves on the floor as others arranged the dishes and food on the leaves. We all sat on the floor, accompanied by our hosts, and shared one of the most memorable meals of a lifetime.We had patarasch (Tiger Catfish), yuca cocida (boiled tapioca root), maduro asado (grilled plantain), sajino asado (roasted peccary) and macambo tostada (roasted macambo seed). We drank te de hierva luisa (lemon grass tea) and cocona juice (yellow tomato juice). After our meal, we went to another village very close to Monte Alegre. There, our guides had arranged for more than 20 villagers to bring their boats and dugout canoes to the edge of the river. The villagers allowed us to paddle away in their canoes to enjoy a small tributary called San Regis Creek.Late that evening, we boarded our excursion craft, accompanied by some high-powered spotlights, and headed off into the night. We went up the Pucate River to find nocturnal wildlife. We saw large fishing bats, an Amazon tree boa and a young caiman, which our naturalist brought on board for a closer look before releasing it. Early the next morning, we packed a picnic breakfast and toured the Rio Yanayacu de Pucate. We were looking for the fresh-water river dolphin. We found a nice shady place along the bank to have breakfast while watching the dolphins playing in the river.On our way back to the main boat, we stopped to participate in piranha fishing. Each member of our party had a stick with a string, hook and raw chicken.As soon as the chicken hit the water, piranha by the dozens took the bait. Catching them required no skill, as you basically snag them.Eating them is another story. For those of you who enjoy picking at blue crab for an hour, only to harvest a thimble full of meat, you should enjoy piranha.After lunching on our fried piranha, we went back out to the middle of the river and jumped in for a nice swim. Yes, we were somewhat anxious. Some of us felt fish -- or something -- touching our ankles and toes. Later that afternoon, we sent a party of ambassadors from our boat into a small village and invited them to visit. They brought back two families who were somewhat anxious to board the big boat. We gave them a tour and then sat with them in a large circle of chairs.The custom when introducing yourself to a stranger is to give your name, age, and then how many children you have. As each member of our group introduced themselves, it was clear that our visitors could not believe the number of people who did not have any children. They thought we might have medical problems.As our guide was translating an exchange between one of the village men, he suddenly buried his bright red face in his hands, saying he didn't know how to interpret the last statement. The man, genuinely concerned about our lack of children, indicated his village had a local tea to help men father children. He was more than happy to bring us some. When we asked what they called this concoction, our guide said, "Well, loosely translated, it means underwear ripper."On our last full day on the boat, we visited the city of Nauta. This city has a large outdoor market where many Riberenos ("river people") come to sell their harvests and wares.Live turtles were turned over on their shells to prevent escape as they were sold. Piles of fish innards littered the ground as vultures and dogs scavenged for the morsels. We found a man who had a pet rhinoceros beetle, one of the largest beetles in the world. There were tables piled high with fresh chicken sitting out in the heat and humidity. Stacks of beautiful brown eggs were piled high.We found a dark and dusty bar with a dirt floor, where we enjoyed a nice local beer.Yes, we brought home some trinkets, but we also brought back memories that will last forever.
Peru quiere saber si alli se acunaron monedas encontradas en barco hundido
Peru wants to know origin of shipwrecked treasure
By CHRISTINE ARMARIO – 5 hours ago
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Peru's government wants to know if 17 tons of silver coins recovered from a shipwreck in the Atlantic Ocean last year were made there, complicating the legal quest to determine who rightfully owns the multimillion-dollar treasure.
Peru filed a claim Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Tampa to determine where the coins originated, entering the fray over the $500 million loot found on a sunken ship by Tampa-based Odyssey Marine Exploration. Odyssey has been fighting the Spanish government for ownership of the ship and its contents.
Peruvian consumer rights advocates contend the coins were made with Peruvian metals and minted in Lima. When Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes y las Animas sank west of Portugal with more than 200 people on board in 1804, Peru was still a Spanish colony.
"Probably every colonial Spanish shipwreck that has ever been discovered has had coins that originated in Peru," Greg Stemm, Odyssey Marine Exploration's chief executive officer, wrote in an e-mail. "So it will be interesting to see how successful they are in getting other governments and shipwreck explorers to recognize their interest."
Peru's claim states that it is entitled to any property that originated there and was produced by its people. An official at the Peruvian embassy in Washington, D.C., declined to comment.
Charles M. Davis, a maritime lawyer and author in Washington, said he couldn't recall another salvage case involving a former colony. Because technology such as submersible robots used by deep-sea explorers to find treasure is still new, he said, "There's a surprising dearth of law on high seas salvage." The case has been closely watched because similar disputes could become more common as more treasures are found on the ocean floor.
Odyssey officials have argued they're entitled to the booty because they found it. Spain has argued it technically never abandoned any of its ships lost at sea. Officials there want any artifacts returned because of their historical and cultural significance, and some in Spain have portrayed Odyssey as 21st-century pirates.
A message left with an attorney representing Spain was not immediately returned Wednesday afternoon.
Peru is not the only country seeking ownership of its antiquities. Greece is trying to reclaim illegally exported antiquities from museums and art dealers as part of an effort to recover the Parthenon sculptures from the British Museum in London.
By CHRISTINE ARMARIO – 5 hours ago
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Peru's government wants to know if 17 tons of silver coins recovered from a shipwreck in the Atlantic Ocean last year were made there, complicating the legal quest to determine who rightfully owns the multimillion-dollar treasure.
Peru filed a claim Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Tampa to determine where the coins originated, entering the fray over the $500 million loot found on a sunken ship by Tampa-based Odyssey Marine Exploration. Odyssey has been fighting the Spanish government for ownership of the ship and its contents.
Peruvian consumer rights advocates contend the coins were made with Peruvian metals and minted in Lima. When Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes y las Animas sank west of Portugal with more than 200 people on board in 1804, Peru was still a Spanish colony.
"Probably every colonial Spanish shipwreck that has ever been discovered has had coins that originated in Peru," Greg Stemm, Odyssey Marine Exploration's chief executive officer, wrote in an e-mail. "So it will be interesting to see how successful they are in getting other governments and shipwreck explorers to recognize their interest."
Peru's claim states that it is entitled to any property that originated there and was produced by its people. An official at the Peruvian embassy in Washington, D.C., declined to comment.
Charles M. Davis, a maritime lawyer and author in Washington, said he couldn't recall another salvage case involving a former colony. Because technology such as submersible robots used by deep-sea explorers to find treasure is still new, he said, "There's a surprising dearth of law on high seas salvage." The case has been closely watched because similar disputes could become more common as more treasures are found on the ocean floor.
Odyssey officials have argued they're entitled to the booty because they found it. Spain has argued it technically never abandoned any of its ships lost at sea. Officials there want any artifacts returned because of their historical and cultural significance, and some in Spain have portrayed Odyssey as 21st-century pirates.
A message left with an attorney representing Spain was not immediately returned Wednesday afternoon.
Peru is not the only country seeking ownership of its antiquities. Greece is trying to reclaim illegally exported antiquities from museums and art dealers as part of an effort to recover the Parthenon sculptures from the British Museum in London.
Firma de Colorado compra empresa de Ingenieria Peruana
Broomfield engineering firm buys Peruvian company
By John Aguilar (Contact)Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Broomfield-based MWH, an environmental engineering firm, announced Wednesday that it has acquired Ground Water International S.A., a hydrogeological consulting firm headquartered in Lima, Peru.
GWI, one of the largest ground water consultancies in Peru, provides ground water and related environmental consulting services to mining clients across South America.
The transaction will allow MWH to increase its presence in South America and strengthen its array of water resources and mining services, according to a company press release.
MWH has 10 offices in South America that provide engineering services to the hydropower, mining, water management and industrial sectors.
By John Aguilar (Contact)Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Broomfield-based MWH, an environmental engineering firm, announced Wednesday that it has acquired Ground Water International S.A., a hydrogeological consulting firm headquartered in Lima, Peru.
GWI, one of the largest ground water consultancies in Peru, provides ground water and related environmental consulting services to mining clients across South America.
The transaction will allow MWH to increase its presence in South America and strengthen its array of water resources and mining services, according to a company press release.
MWH has 10 offices in South America that provide engineering services to the hydropower, mining, water management and industrial sectors.
Visitas a Machu Picchu continuan creciendo
Peru: Tourism to Machu Picchu to continue strong growth throughout the year
The influx of visitors to the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu will continue its strong growth throughout the year, as seen since its designation as one of the new seven wonders of the world on July 7 2007, said Peru's National Institute for Culture (INC).The deputy director of INC-Cusco, Jorge Prado, said there are no longer specific crowded days at Machu Picchu because several visitors arrive at this archaeological site almost all year long. He mentioned that between 1,100 and 1,800 tourists visited Machu Picchu everyday before being named among the seven wonders of the world and that the number of visitors had increased to some 2,500 daily after its election.When asked about media reports that state there are extended opening hours to visit Machu Picchu, Prado clarified that the sanctuary continues to be open from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.Machu Picchu (Quechua: Machu Picchu, "Old mountain") is a pre-Columbian Inca site located 2,400 meters (7,875 ft) above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is 80 km (50 miles) northwest of Cusco.
News source: ANDINA
The influx of visitors to the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu will continue its strong growth throughout the year, as seen since its designation as one of the new seven wonders of the world on July 7 2007, said Peru's National Institute for Culture (INC).The deputy director of INC-Cusco, Jorge Prado, said there are no longer specific crowded days at Machu Picchu because several visitors arrive at this archaeological site almost all year long. He mentioned that between 1,100 and 1,800 tourists visited Machu Picchu everyday before being named among the seven wonders of the world and that the number of visitors had increased to some 2,500 daily after its election.When asked about media reports that state there are extended opening hours to visit Machu Picchu, Prado clarified that the sanctuary continues to be open from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.Machu Picchu (Quechua: Machu Picchu, "Old mountain") is a pre-Columbian Inca site located 2,400 meters (7,875 ft) above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is 80 km (50 miles) northwest of Cusco.
News source: ANDINA
sábado, 16 de agosto de 2008
Entrevista a Mario Testino
Mad for Marc and Mario
The Recap From Monday Night's Many Fêtes
SCOOP
For Love of Country"I wanted to do a book about Peru that wasn't about llamas and mountains," said Mario Testino at the V Man-hosted launch party for his new tome, Lima Peru. With bare-chested male models parading copies around the Bowery Hotel, guests like Mischa Barton, Demi Moore, and Margherita Missoni had trouble concentrating on its contents—the Testino-edited work of more than 100 Peruvian artists. "Isn't it great that [Visionaire founder] Stephen Gan got them to show off the book in their bathing suits?" said the super-snapper. "Actually, I'd prefer them with nothing on," interjected Vanity Fair's Elizabeth Saltzman Walker. Between Pisco Sour cocktails and a performance of the marinera, the traditional Peruvian courtship dance, the crowd, which doubled with late arrivals from the Marc Jacobs show, discussed the famous Testino touch. "Life is 90 percent perception and 10 percent reality," said Courtney Love. "And Mario gets that."
The Recap From Monday Night's Many Fêtes
SCOOP
For Love of Country"I wanted to do a book about Peru that wasn't about llamas and mountains," said Mario Testino at the V Man-hosted launch party for his new tome, Lima Peru. With bare-chested male models parading copies around the Bowery Hotel, guests like Mischa Barton, Demi Moore, and Margherita Missoni had trouble concentrating on its contents—the Testino-edited work of more than 100 Peruvian artists. "Isn't it great that [Visionaire founder] Stephen Gan got them to show off the book in their bathing suits?" said the super-snapper. "Actually, I'd prefer them with nothing on," interjected Vanity Fair's Elizabeth Saltzman Walker. Between Pisco Sour cocktails and a performance of the marinera, the traditional Peruvian courtship dance, the crowd, which doubled with late arrivals from the Marc Jacobs show, discussed the famous Testino touch. "Life is 90 percent perception and 10 percent reality," said Courtney Love. "And Mario gets that."
Ensalada de Papa Peruana
Recipe: Traditional Peruvian potato salad
August 16, 2008
Here's a Peruvian recipe you can make at home:Wash but do not peel 2 pounds of waxy potatoes. Place in saucepan of water and bring to boil for 5 minutes. Add salt and simmer until cooked. Strain potatoes and remove skin while still hot. Shell 2 hard-boiled eggs, add to potatoes and refrigerate for one hour. When cool, cut eggs and potatoes into large slices and place on plate. In a bowl, mix 1 chopped white medium onion and sprig of parsley. Add half-cup olive oil, 3 tablespoons of vinegar and pinch of salt. Mix well, then pour over potatoes and eggs. Add 2 cans of shredded tuna, 7 ounces of seedless black olives and mix well. Serve chilled.
SOURCE: UN International Year of the Potato
August 16, 2008
Here's a Peruvian recipe you can make at home:Wash but do not peel 2 pounds of waxy potatoes. Place in saucepan of water and bring to boil for 5 minutes. Add salt and simmer until cooked. Strain potatoes and remove skin while still hot. Shell 2 hard-boiled eggs, add to potatoes and refrigerate for one hour. When cool, cut eggs and potatoes into large slices and place on plate. In a bowl, mix 1 chopped white medium onion and sprig of parsley. Add half-cup olive oil, 3 tablespoons of vinegar and pinch of salt. Mix well, then pour over potatoes and eggs. Add 2 cans of shredded tuna, 7 ounces of seedless black olives and mix well. Serve chilled.
SOURCE: UN International Year of the Potato
Turistas australianos hacen trekking en Cusco
August 16, 2008
Page 1 of 3 Single page
Lee Mylne leaves a little of her heart in the Andes after a high-altitude spell of work experience with a difference.
Under a clear blue sky, as we marvel at the fortune bestowed upon us by the weather gods, our trekking guide Javier imparts a piece of wisdom.
"There is an old Peruvian saying," he says solemnly but with a repressed twinkle in his eye. "Never trust a woman's tears, a dog who limps or an Andean sky."
We are optimists, however, and our second day's trek continues in brilliant sunshine, just like the first. It is a day later that we wake and find that the adage might have some foundation after all: our tents are cloaked in overnight snow.
It is just one of the many rewards on an Andean adventure that never fails to exceed my expectations.
Our trek has started in the ancient town of Ollantaytambo, in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. I am part of a group of 15 undertaking this trip to provide the labour and finance to build a small footbridge and a pipeline to bring fresh water to some of the households in a remote Andean village inaccessible by road.
Part of the cost of our 14-day World Expeditions trip - which includes sightseeing in the historic city of Cusco and a visit to the fabled Machu Picchu - will buy the materials and we will work alongside the villagers to complete the projects.
The first day of trekking at higher altitudes than my body is used to proves harder than I'd anticipated. The pace is slow but my heart rate is increasing. I quickly learn that trekking is not for the unfit or the faint-hearted.
"If I stop puffing, turn around and check that I'm still behind you," I tell the trekker plodding in front of me. Despite a few days in Cusco to acclimatise to living at above 2500 metres, I'm finding the going tough.
Vincente, the 12-year-old son of one of the porters, keeps pace with me for a while, smiling shyly and silently, then trots ahead, well used to the conditions and the altitude. Vincente and the porters are from Qelqanqa, a village of about 80 families in Peru's Urubamba region and our ultimate destination.
Our three-day trek takes us over mountain passes up to 4670 metres and through sweeping valleys punctuated by lakes and scattered with tiny wildflowers. It is wild and barren, starkly beautiful and full of small surprises.
As we walk, we slowly get to know each other. It's a mixed group, mostly Australians with a few Britons and Americans. The youngest is Jenny, 15, from Oregon, who is travelling with her mother, Joan; the oldest is Evan from Pennsylvania who is "72 years and three months" and leaves some younger walkers - including me - far in his wake on the trail.
At our first camp, the tent flap opens to a view of the sun's last rays on the snow-capped tip of Mount Veronica, also known, says Javier, as "the holy teardrop".
Each day we rise at 6am and after breakfast and packing up we're soon overtaken by the porters and llama carrying our tents, the kitchen tent and its contents and all the other gear. I'm acutely conscious of how ridiculously small and light my day pack must seem to them.
I become used to looking out for the large kettle - carried by hand - passing by on its way to the designated lunch or camping spot. By the time we arrive, our camp cook, Enier, his kitchen tent adorned with a Peruvian flag, has already produced a midday meal.
Enier is a widower with three children. Each day, with the help of his assistant, Carlos, he creates meals for our trekking party, three guides and a team of 20 porters, all from a one-burner gas stove inside a small tent. The meals are, without exception, nutritious and delectable.
On the morning we wake in snow, we don wet-weather gear and gratefully down hot porridge and coffee, and are off again. The snow cover adds another dimension to the trail and we barely notice the cold. A ghostly herd of wild horses appears through the mist; we pause to shelter at a pass in a tiny stone chapel adorned with simple crosses. Some high-spirited snowball fights punctuate the walk.
As we approach Qelqanqa, we are greeted by the eerie blast of a conch shell and a party including the village head man, schoolchildren and their teachers welcomes us with flowers, confetti and unexpected hugs. I look at the others and see some eyes are moist with tears. There are speeches, music and dancing and an escort of villagers as we walk for the last hour to the village.
The houses, like others we have passed in these valleys, are stone with thatched roofs. Toddlers peek shyly from doorways, pigs snuffle behind stone fences and dogs race around in circles. Everyone wears colourful traditional dress and headgear but it's not for our benefit; this is everyday life.
On arrival, we camp on the school football field and explore the work sites. Split into two teams, we will spend two days working on our projects. I'm on the bridge, a river-stone-and-cement construction designed to allow some of the children to reach school safely when the river rises. The other group will work on replacing the water reservoir and extending the pipeline.
At the site for the bridge, the river has been diverted into another channel to allow us to build the rock ramparts and, over the course of the first day, it gradually and miraculously takes shape as we hand-haul rocks alongside the locals, including an 80-year-old grandfather who soon becomes a favourite with us.
We've donned disposable blue overalls, rubber gloves and woolly hats to keep out the cold. We're keen to get stuck in and get dirty and that wish is very soon fulfilled.
We work human-chain style, with pots or buckets of rocks or sizeable boulders, passing them along as a bridge takes shape before our eyes. In the afternoons, the mist swirls around us, streaming up the valley from the Cloud Forest.
The second phase of the bridge-building is the concreting. It is hand-mixed on the river bank, the cement relayed short distances to the bridge. The plastic bucket soon splits and is replaced by battered cooking pots brought by smiling children who gather on the banks to satisfy their curiosity about the strangers in their midst.
Communication with the locals is limited. There is lots of pointing and laughter. Freddie, the only one who speaks Spanish, English and the local dialect, is our go-between.
Our fellow trekkers have toiled to build a reservoir about three kilometres from the village, while the villagers dug trenches for the pipeline. By the time we leave, water has been delivered to the nearest house where a concrete "fountain" with a tap, decorated with streamers, is ceremonially turned on to delighted cheers.
On the last night, we celebrate with a feast; a traditional pacha manca, cooked in three stone and earth ovens built on the hillside behind our campsite during the afternoon. We dine on two alpacas and two sheep, marinated in garlic, lemon, salt and pepper, and several varieties of potato, one of Peru's staples. The whole village turns out for it and the women take the chance to sell some of their colourful woven work.
Replete, we sit around in lamplight and hear stories of the Andes from Javier and his assistants, Jairo and Admil.
It has been an unforgettable experience. As we prepare for the walk out of Qelqanqa, we all believe what Javier has told us as we started out: we are "trekkers, not tourists" and that, along with our names written in wet concrete, a little bit of us all will be left here under the Andean skies.
Page 1 of 3 Single page
Lee Mylne leaves a little of her heart in the Andes after a high-altitude spell of work experience with a difference.
Under a clear blue sky, as we marvel at the fortune bestowed upon us by the weather gods, our trekking guide Javier imparts a piece of wisdom.
"There is an old Peruvian saying," he says solemnly but with a repressed twinkle in his eye. "Never trust a woman's tears, a dog who limps or an Andean sky."
We are optimists, however, and our second day's trek continues in brilliant sunshine, just like the first. It is a day later that we wake and find that the adage might have some foundation after all: our tents are cloaked in overnight snow.
It is just one of the many rewards on an Andean adventure that never fails to exceed my expectations.
Our trek has started in the ancient town of Ollantaytambo, in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. I am part of a group of 15 undertaking this trip to provide the labour and finance to build a small footbridge and a pipeline to bring fresh water to some of the households in a remote Andean village inaccessible by road.
Part of the cost of our 14-day World Expeditions trip - which includes sightseeing in the historic city of Cusco and a visit to the fabled Machu Picchu - will buy the materials and we will work alongside the villagers to complete the projects.
The first day of trekking at higher altitudes than my body is used to proves harder than I'd anticipated. The pace is slow but my heart rate is increasing. I quickly learn that trekking is not for the unfit or the faint-hearted.
"If I stop puffing, turn around and check that I'm still behind you," I tell the trekker plodding in front of me. Despite a few days in Cusco to acclimatise to living at above 2500 metres, I'm finding the going tough.
Vincente, the 12-year-old son of one of the porters, keeps pace with me for a while, smiling shyly and silently, then trots ahead, well used to the conditions and the altitude. Vincente and the porters are from Qelqanqa, a village of about 80 families in Peru's Urubamba region and our ultimate destination.
Our three-day trek takes us over mountain passes up to 4670 metres and through sweeping valleys punctuated by lakes and scattered with tiny wildflowers. It is wild and barren, starkly beautiful and full of small surprises.
As we walk, we slowly get to know each other. It's a mixed group, mostly Australians with a few Britons and Americans. The youngest is Jenny, 15, from Oregon, who is travelling with her mother, Joan; the oldest is Evan from Pennsylvania who is "72 years and three months" and leaves some younger walkers - including me - far in his wake on the trail.
At our first camp, the tent flap opens to a view of the sun's last rays on the snow-capped tip of Mount Veronica, also known, says Javier, as "the holy teardrop".
Each day we rise at 6am and after breakfast and packing up we're soon overtaken by the porters and llama carrying our tents, the kitchen tent and its contents and all the other gear. I'm acutely conscious of how ridiculously small and light my day pack must seem to them.
I become used to looking out for the large kettle - carried by hand - passing by on its way to the designated lunch or camping spot. By the time we arrive, our camp cook, Enier, his kitchen tent adorned with a Peruvian flag, has already produced a midday meal.
Enier is a widower with three children. Each day, with the help of his assistant, Carlos, he creates meals for our trekking party, three guides and a team of 20 porters, all from a one-burner gas stove inside a small tent. The meals are, without exception, nutritious and delectable.
On the morning we wake in snow, we don wet-weather gear and gratefully down hot porridge and coffee, and are off again. The snow cover adds another dimension to the trail and we barely notice the cold. A ghostly herd of wild horses appears through the mist; we pause to shelter at a pass in a tiny stone chapel adorned with simple crosses. Some high-spirited snowball fights punctuate the walk.
As we approach Qelqanqa, we are greeted by the eerie blast of a conch shell and a party including the village head man, schoolchildren and their teachers welcomes us with flowers, confetti and unexpected hugs. I look at the others and see some eyes are moist with tears. There are speeches, music and dancing and an escort of villagers as we walk for the last hour to the village.
The houses, like others we have passed in these valleys, are stone with thatched roofs. Toddlers peek shyly from doorways, pigs snuffle behind stone fences and dogs race around in circles. Everyone wears colourful traditional dress and headgear but it's not for our benefit; this is everyday life.
On arrival, we camp on the school football field and explore the work sites. Split into two teams, we will spend two days working on our projects. I'm on the bridge, a river-stone-and-cement construction designed to allow some of the children to reach school safely when the river rises. The other group will work on replacing the water reservoir and extending the pipeline.
At the site for the bridge, the river has been diverted into another channel to allow us to build the rock ramparts and, over the course of the first day, it gradually and miraculously takes shape as we hand-haul rocks alongside the locals, including an 80-year-old grandfather who soon becomes a favourite with us.
We've donned disposable blue overalls, rubber gloves and woolly hats to keep out the cold. We're keen to get stuck in and get dirty and that wish is very soon fulfilled.
We work human-chain style, with pots or buckets of rocks or sizeable boulders, passing them along as a bridge takes shape before our eyes. In the afternoons, the mist swirls around us, streaming up the valley from the Cloud Forest.
The second phase of the bridge-building is the concreting. It is hand-mixed on the river bank, the cement relayed short distances to the bridge. The plastic bucket soon splits and is replaced by battered cooking pots brought by smiling children who gather on the banks to satisfy their curiosity about the strangers in their midst.
Communication with the locals is limited. There is lots of pointing and laughter. Freddie, the only one who speaks Spanish, English and the local dialect, is our go-between.
Our fellow trekkers have toiled to build a reservoir about three kilometres from the village, while the villagers dug trenches for the pipeline. By the time we leave, water has been delivered to the nearest house where a concrete "fountain" with a tap, decorated with streamers, is ceremonially turned on to delighted cheers.
On the last night, we celebrate with a feast; a traditional pacha manca, cooked in three stone and earth ovens built on the hillside behind our campsite during the afternoon. We dine on two alpacas and two sheep, marinated in garlic, lemon, salt and pepper, and several varieties of potato, one of Peru's staples. The whole village turns out for it and the women take the chance to sell some of their colourful woven work.
Replete, we sit around in lamplight and hear stories of the Andes from Javier and his assistants, Jairo and Admil.
It has been an unforgettable experience. As we prepare for the walk out of Qelqanqa, we all believe what Javier has told us as we started out: we are "trekkers, not tourists" and that, along with our names written in wet concrete, a little bit of us all will be left here under the Andean skies.
Comer un ceviche en Lima
Eat Ceviche in Lima
Grab a Cuzqueña and get comfortable. As Nicholas Gill explains, a trip to a Peruvian cevichería can be an all-day immersion in good conversation and raw seafood.
The situation: It’s Sunday, and after a night out in Lima, Peru, you’ve found yourself in a cevichería. It’s more, you discover, than a mere place to order ceviche. It’s a cultural institution where lime juice abounds, and the events and misadventures from the previous night are discussed, reenacted and celebrated. Here’s your primer.
When to go: While most cevicherías are open daily, Sunday is traditionally their busiest day and visiting one is a weekly ritual for many Limeños. After partying until dawn the night before in Lima’s discos, you might rest for a few hours but still feel like the bottom of your shoe. The act of going to a cevichería is something that can both refresh and revive; a combination of hair of the dog and raw seafood. The experience begins in the late morning and typically lasts all day; the overindulgence may, on a good day, eclipse that of the night before.
The basics: Early, crude forms of ceviche began to appear in pre-Colombian times in the coastal civilizations of South America where fish was “cooked” with a fruit called tumbo. Later the Incas ate salted fish marinated in chicha, a fermented corn drink, and when the Spanish arrived, they added limes and onions to the mix.
Ceviche preparations vary from place to place—in Mexico, finely diced fish in lemon juice is served with crackers and Tabasco; in Ecuador, ceviche includes tomatoes and is much soupier; in the Andes, chefs use trout—but it’s the Peruvian version that’s recently caught on outside Latin America.
In Peru, ceviche is eaten as a first course or appetizer. The dish requires fresh, quality ingredients; precise and lightning-fast execution; and a basic understanding of spices and acidity. The chef tosses fresh chunks of any firm white fish, such as flounder or sea bass, with onions, bits of Peruvian ají peppers, seasoning and—most importantly—lime juice only minutes before serving. Ceviche isn’t exactly raw like sashimi is raw, though. The acid in the lime actually cooks the fish just before you eat it, resulting in an explosion of taste and texture. In the same dish you’ll find a slice of sweet potato, a few sticks of boiled yucca and a small piece of corn on the cob.
Where to go: Pick up Lima’s restaurant guide, “Guia Gastronomica,” for suggestions, or head to the seaside districts of Barranco and Chorrillos, and look for the crowds spilling into the street from restaurants like Punta Arenas or La Canta Rana. For a step up in price and quality, check out dining options in the Miraflores district such as Caplina or the trendster hot spot La Mar, owned by Lima’s outspoken TV chef Gastón Acurio. At either you’ll find local celebrities and wealthy Limeños sipping on pisco-infused cocktails and noshing on Novo Andino (New Andean) foods, including a lineup of ceviches and tiraditos.
Still, the best cevicherías are a bit out of the way. Sonia, a ceviche shack near the Chorrillos fish market that has grown a fanatic following, is tucked away in a far corner of the city. Sankuay, aka Chez Wong, sits in an unpretentious part of Lima, but the loyal ensemble of BMWs and Mercedes outside give it away as a culinary gem. Inside, chef Javier Wong takes a look at you and decides what you are going to eat. If you don’t like it, then leave.
Order like an expert: To begin, pick at the toasted, salted corn kernels called cancha serrana already on the table, and make your first order. Start with something to drink, say, Leche de Tigre, aka Tiger’s Milk. It’s like a kick in the face. More clearly defined, it’s the tangy juice left over at the bottom of the ceviche bowl served in a tall shot glass. Sometimes it’s mixed with a shot of pisco, a white brandy that is Peru’s national spirit. Throw in a few 32-ounce beers (always Pilsen or Cuzqueña) for everyone to share. If dining after a rough night, opt for a pisco sour. Better yet, make it a double.
Next, move on to the goods: ceviche or tiradito. Ceviche comes in many forms: clásico (the traditional mix), mixto (with fish, squid, octopus and scallops), camarón (with crayfish), black conch (said to increase your sexual prowess), pato (with duck), and champiñones (with mushrooms). Tiradito is the modish, young cousin of ceviche. Created by Nikkei (Japanese) chefs in Lima, it relies on the tradition of dousing raw fish in lime juice, but the slices are paper thin and its makers add a spicy ají-based sauce.
Once you’ve finished your ceviche—another round of drinks, by the way, has likely been put on the table without your asking—you can order the rest of your meal. Your second course will be something hearty, and typically served with rice.
Need more starch? Try tacu-tacu de mariscos: day-old rice and beans refried and stuffed with seafood. Something more filling? Lenguado a la macho: flounder in a zesty sauce of onion, garlic, paprika, cilantro and rocoto peppers. Something unusual? Arroz negro: rice cooked in squid ink with sautéed squid, scallops and crayfish. Something multinational? Camarón saltado: a variation of Peru’s favorite Chinese fusion dish with shrimp instead of chicken.
Bask in the benefits: Die-hard connoisseurs will try to sell you the health attributes of ceviche like a can of snake oil—it will prevent sleepwalking, cure a hangover, and even increase your sex drive. While there may be some truth to their words, a visit to a cevicheria will at the very least guarantee good times and a full belly. Buon Provecho!
Grab a Cuzqueña and get comfortable. As Nicholas Gill explains, a trip to a Peruvian cevichería can be an all-day immersion in good conversation and raw seafood.
The situation: It’s Sunday, and after a night out in Lima, Peru, you’ve found yourself in a cevichería. It’s more, you discover, than a mere place to order ceviche. It’s a cultural institution where lime juice abounds, and the events and misadventures from the previous night are discussed, reenacted and celebrated. Here’s your primer.
When to go: While most cevicherías are open daily, Sunday is traditionally their busiest day and visiting one is a weekly ritual for many Limeños. After partying until dawn the night before in Lima’s discos, you might rest for a few hours but still feel like the bottom of your shoe. The act of going to a cevichería is something that can both refresh and revive; a combination of hair of the dog and raw seafood. The experience begins in the late morning and typically lasts all day; the overindulgence may, on a good day, eclipse that of the night before.
The basics: Early, crude forms of ceviche began to appear in pre-Colombian times in the coastal civilizations of South America where fish was “cooked” with a fruit called tumbo. Later the Incas ate salted fish marinated in chicha, a fermented corn drink, and when the Spanish arrived, they added limes and onions to the mix.
Ceviche preparations vary from place to place—in Mexico, finely diced fish in lemon juice is served with crackers and Tabasco; in Ecuador, ceviche includes tomatoes and is much soupier; in the Andes, chefs use trout—but it’s the Peruvian version that’s recently caught on outside Latin America.
In Peru, ceviche is eaten as a first course or appetizer. The dish requires fresh, quality ingredients; precise and lightning-fast execution; and a basic understanding of spices and acidity. The chef tosses fresh chunks of any firm white fish, such as flounder or sea bass, with onions, bits of Peruvian ají peppers, seasoning and—most importantly—lime juice only minutes before serving. Ceviche isn’t exactly raw like sashimi is raw, though. The acid in the lime actually cooks the fish just before you eat it, resulting in an explosion of taste and texture. In the same dish you’ll find a slice of sweet potato, a few sticks of boiled yucca and a small piece of corn on the cob.
Where to go: Pick up Lima’s restaurant guide, “Guia Gastronomica,” for suggestions, or head to the seaside districts of Barranco and Chorrillos, and look for the crowds spilling into the street from restaurants like Punta Arenas or La Canta Rana. For a step up in price and quality, check out dining options in the Miraflores district such as Caplina or the trendster hot spot La Mar, owned by Lima’s outspoken TV chef Gastón Acurio. At either you’ll find local celebrities and wealthy Limeños sipping on pisco-infused cocktails and noshing on Novo Andino (New Andean) foods, including a lineup of ceviches and tiraditos.
Still, the best cevicherías are a bit out of the way. Sonia, a ceviche shack near the Chorrillos fish market that has grown a fanatic following, is tucked away in a far corner of the city. Sankuay, aka Chez Wong, sits in an unpretentious part of Lima, but the loyal ensemble of BMWs and Mercedes outside give it away as a culinary gem. Inside, chef Javier Wong takes a look at you and decides what you are going to eat. If you don’t like it, then leave.
Order like an expert: To begin, pick at the toasted, salted corn kernels called cancha serrana already on the table, and make your first order. Start with something to drink, say, Leche de Tigre, aka Tiger’s Milk. It’s like a kick in the face. More clearly defined, it’s the tangy juice left over at the bottom of the ceviche bowl served in a tall shot glass. Sometimes it’s mixed with a shot of pisco, a white brandy that is Peru’s national spirit. Throw in a few 32-ounce beers (always Pilsen or Cuzqueña) for everyone to share. If dining after a rough night, opt for a pisco sour. Better yet, make it a double.
Next, move on to the goods: ceviche or tiradito. Ceviche comes in many forms: clásico (the traditional mix), mixto (with fish, squid, octopus and scallops), camarón (with crayfish), black conch (said to increase your sexual prowess), pato (with duck), and champiñones (with mushrooms). Tiradito is the modish, young cousin of ceviche. Created by Nikkei (Japanese) chefs in Lima, it relies on the tradition of dousing raw fish in lime juice, but the slices are paper thin and its makers add a spicy ají-based sauce.
Once you’ve finished your ceviche—another round of drinks, by the way, has likely been put on the table without your asking—you can order the rest of your meal. Your second course will be something hearty, and typically served with rice.
Need more starch? Try tacu-tacu de mariscos: day-old rice and beans refried and stuffed with seafood. Something more filling? Lenguado a la macho: flounder in a zesty sauce of onion, garlic, paprika, cilantro and rocoto peppers. Something unusual? Arroz negro: rice cooked in squid ink with sautéed squid, scallops and crayfish. Something multinational? Camarón saltado: a variation of Peru’s favorite Chinese fusion dish with shrimp instead of chicken.
Bask in the benefits: Die-hard connoisseurs will try to sell you the health attributes of ceviche like a can of snake oil—it will prevent sleepwalking, cure a hangover, and even increase your sex drive. While there may be some truth to their words, a visit to a cevicheria will at the very least guarantee good times and a full belly. Buon Provecho!
martes, 12 de agosto de 2008
Joven Canadiense ayuda Peruanos a traves del Internet
Designing for a good cause
Student helping to design website for Peru weavers
Posted By JENNY POTTER, THE NUGGET
Updated 1 day ago
Jeff Kielman is taking his design skills to a new level and another world.
The 23-year-old design student is taking his knowledge of multimedia design and using it to help weavers in rural Peru sell their goods online.
In two weeks, Kielman will fly to South America with 10 other students from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD.)With the help of a translator, they will learn the process the villagers use to make textiles and document it through photographs, video and text that will go into the multimedia site.
Right now they take their goods into the city and sell it to a man who sells it to North America," said Kielman. This way they can eliminate the middle man and get fair trade for their work."
Kielman said the majority of weavers are women and children, be-cause most men work in the city. The women make blankets, hats and shawls by weaving wool from alpacas, sheep and llamas. The tradition of weaving is passed down to children at a young age.
They are trying to keep their textile tradition alive and well," said Kielman. Not only are the students helping to create a direct source of income for the villagers they are preserving and sharing their culture with the world.
This is Kielman's first time on a trip like this. After three years in Canadore's design program and two years at NSCAD, Kielman knew he wanted to use his skills for more than corporate work.
Inspired by an instructor, Kielman and his classmates wanted to do something more meaningful.
Why just make posters for a cause when we can do something huge," he said.
Kielman and other students have been preparing for the trip by practising the language, though they will have a translator because in remote areas, a mix of Spanish and Incan languages are often spoken.
The students also have been doing research and creating prototypes of the web page. One of their textile instructors travelled in Peru and showed them pictures, giving them an idea of what to expect.
Kielman sees this trip not just as a cause, but a continuing commitment. Once the students have created the site, workers from a non-government organization will teach the villagers to operate it and sell their works.
Kielman wants to continue using his design skills to help charities and hopes this trip will give him some experience and memories.
I had never really thought about using my design skills to do something like this," he said.
Student helping to design website for Peru weavers
Posted By JENNY POTTER, THE NUGGET
Updated 1 day ago
Jeff Kielman is taking his design skills to a new level and another world.
The 23-year-old design student is taking his knowledge of multimedia design and using it to help weavers in rural Peru sell their goods online.
In two weeks, Kielman will fly to South America with 10 other students from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD.)With the help of a translator, they will learn the process the villagers use to make textiles and document it through photographs, video and text that will go into the multimedia site.
Right now they take their goods into the city and sell it to a man who sells it to North America," said Kielman. This way they can eliminate the middle man and get fair trade for their work."
Kielman said the majority of weavers are women and children, be-cause most men work in the city. The women make blankets, hats and shawls by weaving wool from alpacas, sheep and llamas. The tradition of weaving is passed down to children at a young age.
They are trying to keep their textile tradition alive and well," said Kielman. Not only are the students helping to create a direct source of income for the villagers they are preserving and sharing their culture with the world.
This is Kielman's first time on a trip like this. After three years in Canadore's design program and two years at NSCAD, Kielman knew he wanted to use his skills for more than corporate work.
Inspired by an instructor, Kielman and his classmates wanted to do something more meaningful.
Why just make posters for a cause when we can do something huge," he said.
Kielman and other students have been preparing for the trip by practising the language, though they will have a translator because in remote areas, a mix of Spanish and Incan languages are often spoken.
The students also have been doing research and creating prototypes of the web page. One of their textile instructors travelled in Peru and showed them pictures, giving them an idea of what to expect.
Kielman sees this trip not just as a cause, but a continuing commitment. Once the students have created the site, workers from a non-government organization will teach the villagers to operate it and sell their works.
Kielman wants to continue using his design skills to help charities and hopes this trip will give him some experience and memories.
I had never really thought about using my design skills to do something like this," he said.
sábado, 9 de agosto de 2008
Australia reconoce Pisco Peruano
Peru: Pisco is not exclusively a Chilean product says Australia
According to Australia's ambassador to Chile Crispin Conroy, Australia has not recognized Pisco as an exclusive product of Chile in the recently-signed free trade agreement between both countries, the Peruvian Foreign Ministry said today."Australian ambassador Crispin Conroy called me this morning to clarify that the information reported by some Chilean media has been a manipulation of the bilateral agreement with Chile," said Peruvian deputy foreign minister, Gonzalo Gutierrez.Therefore, Gutierrez pointed out that in the coming hours the Australian government will issue a written statement clarifying this issue.Gutierrez explained that Chilean liquor company, Capel, wanted to surprise the public by stating that the trade agreement signed between Australia and Chile recognizes only the "pisco" denomination as a beverage of Chilean origin.Capel general manager, Roberto Salinas, said yesterday that the signing of the free trade agreement authorizes only the sale of Pisco produced in Chile.“According to the Australian ambassador's explanation, this information is absolutely false, since the Chile-Australia bilateral agreement establishes that Chileans are able to sell in Australia a product that is specifically called "Chilean pisco", said Gutierrez.
News source: ANDINA
According to Australia's ambassador to Chile Crispin Conroy, Australia has not recognized Pisco as an exclusive product of Chile in the recently-signed free trade agreement between both countries, the Peruvian Foreign Ministry said today."Australian ambassador Crispin Conroy called me this morning to clarify that the information reported by some Chilean media has been a manipulation of the bilateral agreement with Chile," said Peruvian deputy foreign minister, Gonzalo Gutierrez.Therefore, Gutierrez pointed out that in the coming hours the Australian government will issue a written statement clarifying this issue.Gutierrez explained that Chilean liquor company, Capel, wanted to surprise the public by stating that the trade agreement signed between Australia and Chile recognizes only the "pisco" denomination as a beverage of Chilean origin.Capel general manager, Roberto Salinas, said yesterday that the signing of the free trade agreement authorizes only the sale of Pisco produced in Chile.“According to the Australian ambassador's explanation, this information is absolutely false, since the Chile-Australia bilateral agreement establishes that Chileans are able to sell in Australia a product that is specifically called "Chilean pisco", said Gutierrez.
News source: ANDINA
lunes, 4 de agosto de 2008
Comida peruana en EEUU
Saturday in Downtown Hollywood: Chocolates, Cusqueña, and Cancha
Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 07:51:44 AM
After catching a midday play in Hollywood, my girlfriend and I spent Saturday afternoon in downtown, lounging on the sidewalk, eating, and drinking beers. Not a bad life, eh?
So have you been to Downtown Hollywood? For some reason, this place has a bit of a mar on it. Maybe it's the large portion of storefronts that are empty, maybe it's all the mess (unpaid grants, etc) credited by many to former Mayor Mara Giulianti. But Downtown along Hollywood Blvd. (and Harrison, too) is actually a pretty cool place to spend a Saturday. It's got interesting shops, places where you can buy vintage close or life crystals, and lots of cute, European style eateries where you can sit along the Boulevard.
We had wanted to eat at Lola's, actually, but we got to Downtown a little before 5 p.m., and Lola's doesn't open until 6. (I thought this was strange at the time to open so late on a Saturday, but at 5 downtown was pretty much dead, so makes sense for sure.) So we decided we'd pass the time until Lola's opened by drinking beers at a quaint Peruvian restaurant along the Boulevard called Delicias Peruanas.
It was really hot out Saturday, but the beer was cold and the cancha salty. Here's a tease:
Hit the jump for more descriptions and money shots...
Nothing refreshes you on a hot day like a cold, crisp, beer, and Cusqueña fits that bill perfectly. It's a light Peruvian lager brewed in Cusco, very similar to other sharp Latin American lagers like Club Colombia and Cristal. It's perfect with cancha, the salted, toasted kernels of large Peruvian corn that get served with any meal as something to nibble on.
Cancha basically tastes like those unpopped kernels of pop corn that sit at the bottom of the bag, only way less likely to chip your teeth (or stick in them). It has a crunchy exterior covered in kosher salt that gives way easily to the soft, mealy meat inside the kernel. When you bite into one your mouth gets very dry and very salty, which in turn leads you to more beer. So it does it's job. They're also pretty addictive.
We also ordered a plate of yuca a la huancaina (seen in the top picture) - fried yuca (the menu said steamed, but this was definitely fried) served with a bowl of the classic Peruvian cheese sauce to dip in. Delicias' huancaina was extremely smooth and mild, probably because it had very little aji amarillo (the traditional Peruvian pepper) mixed in. Even though I like my huancaina a little spicier, the mild nature wasn't a problem since it was served with a little bowl of pureed spicy peppers that you can douse everything with. A dab of pepper sauce, a smear of huanc, a bite of cancha, a sip of beer to wash it down... it's this kind of simple food that's hard to beat.
All told, 3 beers, huancaina, cancha, and a lovely hour on the Boulevard: $25 after tax and tip. Not too shabby.
I won't say much about Lola's other than it was a very solid meal. There's been a lot of people coming out and bashing the place lately, saying the food is overspiced or overdone, and I can't say I agree with that. But it's also not mindblowing. I will say the portions are very generous for what you pay - my girlfriend and I each saved half of our meals and had a sizable dinner the next night.
For dessert we hit up Chocolada. Just look at the picture... this place is great. It's a little bakery and cafe (with fab lunch specials, I might add) that makes all its own confections. Everything in their display cases, from the towers of mouse and fudge to the adorable chocolate penguins, looks amazing - like edible toys.
I mean, look at these penguins! How can you not want to bite one of those deliciously cute heads off?
We ended up with a triple layer stack of vanilla mousse, chocolate cake, and lemon mousse (Dantela, if I remember) and another with chopped nuts, chocolate mousse, and chocolate cake (Richard, I think). Chocolada's mousse is great stuff - fluffy yet holds its shape, extremely rich, perfectly smooth. $6 exactly, another great deal.
A play, some beers, some great food, and chocolate to boot. Maybe downtown Hollywood isn't so bad after all. What do you think about dining down there?
-- John Linn
Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 07:51:44 AM
After catching a midday play in Hollywood, my girlfriend and I spent Saturday afternoon in downtown, lounging on the sidewalk, eating, and drinking beers. Not a bad life, eh?
So have you been to Downtown Hollywood? For some reason, this place has a bit of a mar on it. Maybe it's the large portion of storefronts that are empty, maybe it's all the mess (unpaid grants, etc) credited by many to former Mayor Mara Giulianti. But Downtown along Hollywood Blvd. (and Harrison, too) is actually a pretty cool place to spend a Saturday. It's got interesting shops, places where you can buy vintage close or life crystals, and lots of cute, European style eateries where you can sit along the Boulevard.
We had wanted to eat at Lola's, actually, but we got to Downtown a little before 5 p.m., and Lola's doesn't open until 6. (I thought this was strange at the time to open so late on a Saturday, but at 5 downtown was pretty much dead, so makes sense for sure.) So we decided we'd pass the time until Lola's opened by drinking beers at a quaint Peruvian restaurant along the Boulevard called Delicias Peruanas.
It was really hot out Saturday, but the beer was cold and the cancha salty. Here's a tease:
Hit the jump for more descriptions and money shots...
Nothing refreshes you on a hot day like a cold, crisp, beer, and Cusqueña fits that bill perfectly. It's a light Peruvian lager brewed in Cusco, very similar to other sharp Latin American lagers like Club Colombia and Cristal. It's perfect with cancha, the salted, toasted kernels of large Peruvian corn that get served with any meal as something to nibble on.
Cancha basically tastes like those unpopped kernels of pop corn that sit at the bottom of the bag, only way less likely to chip your teeth (or stick in them). It has a crunchy exterior covered in kosher salt that gives way easily to the soft, mealy meat inside the kernel. When you bite into one your mouth gets very dry and very salty, which in turn leads you to more beer. So it does it's job. They're also pretty addictive.
We also ordered a plate of yuca a la huancaina (seen in the top picture) - fried yuca (the menu said steamed, but this was definitely fried) served with a bowl of the classic Peruvian cheese sauce to dip in. Delicias' huancaina was extremely smooth and mild, probably because it had very little aji amarillo (the traditional Peruvian pepper) mixed in. Even though I like my huancaina a little spicier, the mild nature wasn't a problem since it was served with a little bowl of pureed spicy peppers that you can douse everything with. A dab of pepper sauce, a smear of huanc, a bite of cancha, a sip of beer to wash it down... it's this kind of simple food that's hard to beat.
All told, 3 beers, huancaina, cancha, and a lovely hour on the Boulevard: $25 after tax and tip. Not too shabby.
I won't say much about Lola's other than it was a very solid meal. There's been a lot of people coming out and bashing the place lately, saying the food is overspiced or overdone, and I can't say I agree with that. But it's also not mindblowing. I will say the portions are very generous for what you pay - my girlfriend and I each saved half of our meals and had a sizable dinner the next night.
For dessert we hit up Chocolada. Just look at the picture... this place is great. It's a little bakery and cafe (with fab lunch specials, I might add) that makes all its own confections. Everything in their display cases, from the towers of mouse and fudge to the adorable chocolate penguins, looks amazing - like edible toys.
I mean, look at these penguins! How can you not want to bite one of those deliciously cute heads off?
We ended up with a triple layer stack of vanilla mousse, chocolate cake, and lemon mousse (Dantela, if I remember) and another with chopped nuts, chocolate mousse, and chocolate cake (Richard, I think). Chocolada's mousse is great stuff - fluffy yet holds its shape, extremely rich, perfectly smooth. $6 exactly, another great deal.
A play, some beers, some great food, and chocolate to boot. Maybe downtown Hollywood isn't so bad after all. What do you think about dining down there?
-- John Linn
Givenchy inspirado en el Peru
Riccardo Tisci’s Givenchy vs. Ancient Peru
By
Alexandra Stielow
August 04, 2008
The discipline of haute couture in Paris boasts the highest embodiment of craftsmanship in fashion. The exclusive couture houses see to it that the finest and priciest silks, wools, and chiffons are woven into elaborate fantasies for their most illustrious clientele. But far from the City of Lights, the overlooked countries of Latin America have yet to make their mark in the fashion industry. At Givenchy's fall 2008 couture show, Riccardo Tisci took us by surprise in trading European society muses to excavate the luxury of ancient Peruvian royalty. Likewise at New York's Metropolitan Museum, a special exhibition -- "Radiance from the Rainforest: Featherwork in Ancient Peru" -- eclipses neighboring European sculptures with a display of perhaps the finest featherwork in existence.
Tisci’s collection dares to tweak Paris, sending heavily blanketed, warrior-like women in tobacco browns and bone ivories down a runway of woodchips. The ideology of the Incas reflects Latin America’s humble passion for naturalism—a heavy burden for Tisci to bear when dealing with Parisian materialism. As the Incas built houses of stone and mud and hand-wove garments of cotton, feathers, alpaca, and llama, Tisci too aims for a comparable degree of excellence in arts and crafts, evident in his impeccable tailoring and precision despite such ponderous fabrics. Through playful items like fur pieces and leather gaucho boots, Tisci is able to unite the sophisticated Givenchy lady with her machismo spirit, suiting her for the rugged terrain of the Andes’ empire.
At the Met exhibit, great craftsmanship of the Incas zeroes in on featherwork from the 7th to 16th centuries. Feathers were greatly valued for their ”magnificent color and silken texture.” In a selective process, less than 2% of all bird species were used. Giant tabards hang like tapestries in geometric patterns and colors that reflect macaws and parrots, not excluding the brown and whites visible in Tisci’s folkloric ponchos. At a time when royalty glorified barbarism, it’s no surprise that the clothing was large, heavy, and built as protective armor. Yet the true craftsmanship shows in the Inca’s manipulation of such a delicate and precious material. “The gloss, splendor, and sheen of this feather cloth is of such exceptional beauty that it must be seen to be appreciated,” wrote Europeans who arrived in Peru in the early 16th century. Amid the 70 pieces on display are also crowns, ceremonial headdresses, and neckpieces.
With the spotlight on Latin America, it’s natural to review today’s concept of luxury. Whereas a luxury fashion brand manifests a romantic idea with boundless imagination to an exclusive patron, it tries to recycle and thus eternalize itself. What Tisci does, despite adding signature black leather and lace of Givenchy, is throw the luxury consumer from her comfort zone and suggest that more powerful and timeless than a brand is the transfiguration upon its use. The marvelous feather garments, long before couture and capitalism, transformed Latin American Indians into kings and queens of the highest wealth and status. Latin America may be catching up to the world of luxury, but in all its rawness, there’s certainly something to be learned from the accessibility of a garment so finely built.
By
Alexandra Stielow
August 04, 2008
The discipline of haute couture in Paris boasts the highest embodiment of craftsmanship in fashion. The exclusive couture houses see to it that the finest and priciest silks, wools, and chiffons are woven into elaborate fantasies for their most illustrious clientele. But far from the City of Lights, the overlooked countries of Latin America have yet to make their mark in the fashion industry. At Givenchy's fall 2008 couture show, Riccardo Tisci took us by surprise in trading European society muses to excavate the luxury of ancient Peruvian royalty. Likewise at New York's Metropolitan Museum, a special exhibition -- "Radiance from the Rainforest: Featherwork in Ancient Peru" -- eclipses neighboring European sculptures with a display of perhaps the finest featherwork in existence.
Tisci’s collection dares to tweak Paris, sending heavily blanketed, warrior-like women in tobacco browns and bone ivories down a runway of woodchips. The ideology of the Incas reflects Latin America’s humble passion for naturalism—a heavy burden for Tisci to bear when dealing with Parisian materialism. As the Incas built houses of stone and mud and hand-wove garments of cotton, feathers, alpaca, and llama, Tisci too aims for a comparable degree of excellence in arts and crafts, evident in his impeccable tailoring and precision despite such ponderous fabrics. Through playful items like fur pieces and leather gaucho boots, Tisci is able to unite the sophisticated Givenchy lady with her machismo spirit, suiting her for the rugged terrain of the Andes’ empire.
At the Met exhibit, great craftsmanship of the Incas zeroes in on featherwork from the 7th to 16th centuries. Feathers were greatly valued for their ”magnificent color and silken texture.” In a selective process, less than 2% of all bird species were used. Giant tabards hang like tapestries in geometric patterns and colors that reflect macaws and parrots, not excluding the brown and whites visible in Tisci’s folkloric ponchos. At a time when royalty glorified barbarism, it’s no surprise that the clothing was large, heavy, and built as protective armor. Yet the true craftsmanship shows in the Inca’s manipulation of such a delicate and precious material. “The gloss, splendor, and sheen of this feather cloth is of such exceptional beauty that it must be seen to be appreciated,” wrote Europeans who arrived in Peru in the early 16th century. Amid the 70 pieces on display are also crowns, ceremonial headdresses, and neckpieces.
With the spotlight on Latin America, it’s natural to review today’s concept of luxury. Whereas a luxury fashion brand manifests a romantic idea with boundless imagination to an exclusive patron, it tries to recycle and thus eternalize itself. What Tisci does, despite adding signature black leather and lace of Givenchy, is throw the luxury consumer from her comfort zone and suggest that more powerful and timeless than a brand is the transfiguration upon its use. The marvelous feather garments, long before couture and capitalism, transformed Latin American Indians into kings and queens of the highest wealth and status. Latin America may be catching up to the world of luxury, but in all its rawness, there’s certainly something to be learned from the accessibility of a garment so finely built.
Cusco es incluida en paquete Turistico de Disney del 2009!
Adventures by Disney Announces Eight New Itineraries for 2009
- South Africa, Alaska, Galapagos Islands among the exciting new destinations -
Last update: 10:15 a.m. EDT Aug. 4, 2008
BURBANK, Calif., Aug 04, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Adventures by Disney announced it will be adding eight new destinations to their list of trips, giving their guests a total of 23 destinations to chose from in 2009. The new destinations feature some of the most exotic and remote locations in the world -- including an exotic African safari, an astonishing expedition to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, and an exploration of Alaska.
Since 2005, Adventures by Disney has created family friendly adventures in places around the world. Each vacation includes VIP experiences, exclusive moments and unique itineraries specifically designed for families. Beginning in the spring of 2009, families will be able to enjoy these eight destinations as well as 15 returning trips: The eight new itineraries for 2009 are:
* Alpine Magic -- Italy and Switzerland: Stresa, Zermatt and Lake Lucerne
* Beantown & The Big Apple -- Boston, Newport, New York City
* Bella Italia -- Central Italy: Sorrento and Florence
* Gateway to the Galapagos -- Ecuador and Galapagos Islands
* Golden Path to Yosemite -- Lake Tahoe, Yosemite National Park and San
Francisco
* Rocky Trails and Mountie Tales -- Montana and Alberta, Canada: Glacier
National Park and Banff National Park
* Safari to South Africa -- South Africa: Capetown, The Garden Route and
Kapama Game Reserve
* Taming the Last Frontier -- Alaska: Fairbanks, Denali National Park and
Kenai Peninsula
"In 2009, we will continue to be innovators in the family and group travel business. By offering 23 destinations, we are giving our guests the opportunity to enjoy authentic experiences and magical moments only Disney could create in more places than ever before," said Ed Baklor, senior vice President, Adventures by Disney. "Wherever we go, two specially trained Adventure Guides, along with a host of local experts, allow families to see, hear, touch and taste the history and cultures of destinations around the globe and in our own backyard."
Also new in 2009 will be the introduction of Adventures by Disney Signature Trips. Specified departure dates on the Safari to South Africa and Golden Path to Yosemite itineraries will be identified as Signature Trips. On these departures guest will enjoy an enhanced travel experience including upgraded accommodations, special amenities and events not offered on standard departures.
Amenities on the signature Safari to South Africa trip include upgraded accommodations in Cape Town's Cape Grace Hotel and upgraded accommodations in the Main Lodge at Kapama Game Reserve. Other Signature enhancements include uniquely African VIP gifts, special evening entertainment, an exclusive spa treatment with a view of the African bush and a privately hosted dinner where elephants are up-close-and-personal at the Knysna's Elephant Lounge.
On the signature departures of Golden Path to Yosemite, guests discover rock climbing at the birthplace of modern mountaineering and view Yosemite the way Ansel Adams did -- through a camera -- on an expertly guided camera walk of the valley. Guests also enjoy upgraded accommodations at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite and at the St. Regis in San Francisco including in-room gift baskets.
Adventures by Disney's 2009 destinations will also include 15 returning trips. The trips families will continue to enjoy are: North America
* Spirit of America -- Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Williamsburg,
Va.
* Quest for the West -- Jackson Hole, Wyo., Yellowstone and Grand Teton
National Parks
* Southwest Splendors -- Sedona, Grand Canyon and Moab
* Backstage Magic -- Hollywood and Disneyland Resort
Southern Europe
* Viva Italia -- Italy: Rome, Tuscany and Venice
* Treasures of Spain (Previously Grande Espana) -- Spain: Barcelona,
Seville and Madrid
British Isles & Europe
* The Emerald Isle -- Ireland: Dublin, Killarney and Shannon
* Cities of Knights and Lights -- England and France: London and Paris
* Once Upon a Fairytale -- Germany: Heidelberg, Trendelburg, Rothenburg
and Munich
* Flavors of France -- France: Provence and Paris
* Storybook Kingdoms (Formerly Imperial Cities) -- Czech Republic and
Austria: Prague, Salzburg and Vienna
Latin America
* Path to Pura Vida -- Costa Rica: San Jose, Arenal and Manuel Antonio
National Park
* Sacred Valleys and Incan Cities -- Peru: Lima, Sacred Valley and Cusco
Asia & Pacific
* Enchanted China -- China: Beijing, Chengdu, Guilin, Shanghai and Hong
Kong
* Discovery Down Under -- Australia: North Queensland, Ayers Rock and
Sydney
The Disney Difference
When traveling with Adventures by Disney, there is a difference, the Disney Difference. Each itinerary features two Disney-trained Adventure Guides who are experts on their destination. The guides lead families throughout the trip and provide unparalleled service for truly hassle-free travel. Having two guides allows guests to spend time making memories instead of worrying about the details. Each Adventures by Disney trip also features local experts and historians who provide an "insider's" perspective along the way.
Every Adventures by Disney itinerary is developed with families in mind. Kids become Junior Adventurers and enjoy activities and surprises just for them. Whether the groups are riding camels in the Australian outback or whale-watching in Alaska; learning archery in Germany or kayaking under the Pont du Gard in France; getting to know exotic animals in Ecuador or taking a jeep ride through the African bush, there is something of interest for everyone in the family. From a pasta-making class in historic Como, Italy, to scavenger hunts through world-famous sites like The Louvre, families experience hidden wonders of the world on a vacation specifically designed so that adults and children can make lasting memories.
Families traveling with Adventures by Disney experience a vast array of activities showcasing the culture and colorful history of each area. Whether meeting historical characters in cities like Boston, Philadelphia and Colonial Williamsburg, or private tile-making and flamenco-dancing lessons in Spain -- it's the special Disney touches that set each and every trip apart from the rest.
"Expert storytelling and excellent guest service are hallmarks of the Disney experience," Baklor said. "In 2009, each of the 23 Adventures by Disney trips will continue to be filled with magical moments and authentic stories, so that families can create memories and stories of their own."
About Adventures by Disney
As Disney Cruise Line revolutionized -- and in some ways defined -- the family cruise vacation, Adventures by Disney is re-creating the way families think about vacationing together.
Launched in 2005, Adventures by Disney in 2009 provides immersive, hassle-free and exhilarating guided family vacation experiences to destinations in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia. Families traveling with Adventures by Disney receive exceptional service while taking part in extraordinary experiences from Prague to Paris, Yellowstone to Costa Rica, the ruins of Pompeii to the ruins of Machu Picchu, the Great Barrier Reef to the Great Wall of China, and more.
With Disney-trained Adventure Guides, engaging activities, VIP experiences and personal touches throughout, Adventures by Disney excites and delights every member of the family. Guests wanting more information about Adventures by Disney can visit www.AdventuresbyDisney.com, call 877/728-7282, or contact their travel agent.
SOURCE Adventures by Disney http://www.AdventuresbyDisney.com
- South Africa, Alaska, Galapagos Islands among the exciting new destinations -
Last update: 10:15 a.m. EDT Aug. 4, 2008
BURBANK, Calif., Aug 04, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Adventures by Disney announced it will be adding eight new destinations to their list of trips, giving their guests a total of 23 destinations to chose from in 2009. The new destinations feature some of the most exotic and remote locations in the world -- including an exotic African safari, an astonishing expedition to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, and an exploration of Alaska.
Since 2005, Adventures by Disney has created family friendly adventures in places around the world. Each vacation includes VIP experiences, exclusive moments and unique itineraries specifically designed for families. Beginning in the spring of 2009, families will be able to enjoy these eight destinations as well as 15 returning trips: The eight new itineraries for 2009 are:
* Alpine Magic -- Italy and Switzerland: Stresa, Zermatt and Lake Lucerne
* Beantown & The Big Apple -- Boston, Newport, New York City
* Bella Italia -- Central Italy: Sorrento and Florence
* Gateway to the Galapagos -- Ecuador and Galapagos Islands
* Golden Path to Yosemite -- Lake Tahoe, Yosemite National Park and San
Francisco
* Rocky Trails and Mountie Tales -- Montana and Alberta, Canada: Glacier
National Park and Banff National Park
* Safari to South Africa -- South Africa: Capetown, The Garden Route and
Kapama Game Reserve
* Taming the Last Frontier -- Alaska: Fairbanks, Denali National Park and
Kenai Peninsula
"In 2009, we will continue to be innovators in the family and group travel business. By offering 23 destinations, we are giving our guests the opportunity to enjoy authentic experiences and magical moments only Disney could create in more places than ever before," said Ed Baklor, senior vice President, Adventures by Disney. "Wherever we go, two specially trained Adventure Guides, along with a host of local experts, allow families to see, hear, touch and taste the history and cultures of destinations around the globe and in our own backyard."
Also new in 2009 will be the introduction of Adventures by Disney Signature Trips. Specified departure dates on the Safari to South Africa and Golden Path to Yosemite itineraries will be identified as Signature Trips. On these departures guest will enjoy an enhanced travel experience including upgraded accommodations, special amenities and events not offered on standard departures.
Amenities on the signature Safari to South Africa trip include upgraded accommodations in Cape Town's Cape Grace Hotel and upgraded accommodations in the Main Lodge at Kapama Game Reserve. Other Signature enhancements include uniquely African VIP gifts, special evening entertainment, an exclusive spa treatment with a view of the African bush and a privately hosted dinner where elephants are up-close-and-personal at the Knysna's Elephant Lounge.
On the signature departures of Golden Path to Yosemite, guests discover rock climbing at the birthplace of modern mountaineering and view Yosemite the way Ansel Adams did -- through a camera -- on an expertly guided camera walk of the valley. Guests also enjoy upgraded accommodations at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite and at the St. Regis in San Francisco including in-room gift baskets.
Adventures by Disney's 2009 destinations will also include 15 returning trips. The trips families will continue to enjoy are: North America
* Spirit of America -- Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Williamsburg,
Va.
* Quest for the West -- Jackson Hole, Wyo., Yellowstone and Grand Teton
National Parks
* Southwest Splendors -- Sedona, Grand Canyon and Moab
* Backstage Magic -- Hollywood and Disneyland Resort
Southern Europe
* Viva Italia -- Italy: Rome, Tuscany and Venice
* Treasures of Spain (Previously Grande Espana) -- Spain: Barcelona,
Seville and Madrid
British Isles & Europe
* The Emerald Isle -- Ireland: Dublin, Killarney and Shannon
* Cities of Knights and Lights -- England and France: London and Paris
* Once Upon a Fairytale -- Germany: Heidelberg, Trendelburg, Rothenburg
and Munich
* Flavors of France -- France: Provence and Paris
* Storybook Kingdoms (Formerly Imperial Cities) -- Czech Republic and
Austria: Prague, Salzburg and Vienna
Latin America
* Path to Pura Vida -- Costa Rica: San Jose, Arenal and Manuel Antonio
National Park
* Sacred Valleys and Incan Cities -- Peru: Lima, Sacred Valley and Cusco
Asia & Pacific
* Enchanted China -- China: Beijing, Chengdu, Guilin, Shanghai and Hong
Kong
* Discovery Down Under -- Australia: North Queensland, Ayers Rock and
Sydney
The Disney Difference
When traveling with Adventures by Disney, there is a difference, the Disney Difference. Each itinerary features two Disney-trained Adventure Guides who are experts on their destination. The guides lead families throughout the trip and provide unparalleled service for truly hassle-free travel. Having two guides allows guests to spend time making memories instead of worrying about the details. Each Adventures by Disney trip also features local experts and historians who provide an "insider's" perspective along the way.
Every Adventures by Disney itinerary is developed with families in mind. Kids become Junior Adventurers and enjoy activities and surprises just for them. Whether the groups are riding camels in the Australian outback or whale-watching in Alaska; learning archery in Germany or kayaking under the Pont du Gard in France; getting to know exotic animals in Ecuador or taking a jeep ride through the African bush, there is something of interest for everyone in the family. From a pasta-making class in historic Como, Italy, to scavenger hunts through world-famous sites like The Louvre, families experience hidden wonders of the world on a vacation specifically designed so that adults and children can make lasting memories.
Families traveling with Adventures by Disney experience a vast array of activities showcasing the culture and colorful history of each area. Whether meeting historical characters in cities like Boston, Philadelphia and Colonial Williamsburg, or private tile-making and flamenco-dancing lessons in Spain -- it's the special Disney touches that set each and every trip apart from the rest.
"Expert storytelling and excellent guest service are hallmarks of the Disney experience," Baklor said. "In 2009, each of the 23 Adventures by Disney trips will continue to be filled with magical moments and authentic stories, so that families can create memories and stories of their own."
About Adventures by Disney
As Disney Cruise Line revolutionized -- and in some ways defined -- the family cruise vacation, Adventures by Disney is re-creating the way families think about vacationing together.
Launched in 2005, Adventures by Disney in 2009 provides immersive, hassle-free and exhilarating guided family vacation experiences to destinations in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia. Families traveling with Adventures by Disney receive exceptional service while taking part in extraordinary experiences from Prague to Paris, Yellowstone to Costa Rica, the ruins of Pompeii to the ruins of Machu Picchu, the Great Barrier Reef to the Great Wall of China, and more.
With Disney-trained Adventure Guides, engaging activities, VIP experiences and personal touches throughout, Adventures by Disney excites and delights every member of the family. Guests wanting more information about Adventures by Disney can visit www.AdventuresbyDisney.com, call 877/728-7282, or contact their travel agent.
SOURCE Adventures by Disney http://www.AdventuresbyDisney.com
Suscribirse a:
Entradas (Atom)
