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Lima City Tour with some culinary mischief from a mythical Andean character

Good morning viajeros. For this post, we have news about a special small-group Lima City Tour that Fertur Peru Travel has prepared for you with a mischievous culinary twist: lunch at the Restaurant Saqra.

This trendy new eatery in the heart of Miraflores derives its name from the Quechua language. Saqre means “little devil,” “naughty” or “mischief maker.”

It is also the name of one of the characters found in the festival of the Madonna of Carmen in the village of Paucartambo, Cusco. Here, this happy little devil wins the heart of the Madonna with his childish pranks and mischief making as he playfully dances around her in the procession. (Click here to learn more about the Saqra…)

The guided tour takes in the major landmarks and major cultural icons of Lima, revealing the history of this great Latin American Capital, the City of Kings. Visit the Larco Museum, San Francisco Church and the Church of Santo Domingo, and more. Read More »

Posted in Bargain offer, Destinations, Lima, Peruvian Cuisine, Restaurants | Tagged Lima City Tour, Museo Larco, Saqra | Leave a comment

Cuy is actually delicious, and it doesn’t have to be staring back at you from the plate

 

Archaeological evidence shows guinea pigs were domesticated in Peru as far back as 2500 B.C.

Here, in the land of the rodent’s birthplace, it remains a culinary delicacy, as well as a mainstay of Andean folk medicine and a common religious sacrifice to the gods. Read More »

Posted in Art & Culture, Peruvian Cuisine, Recipes, Superfoods, Tips | Tagged Andean dish, cuy, exotic cuisine, exotic food, guinea pig, Peruvian recipe | Leave a comment

TIPS FOR THE “FERTUR PERU TRAVELER” #101 & #102 :

Loss or theft of documents

Losing important documents during a South American vacation can be more than just a drag if you’re not prepared. Before leaving home, scan your identity documents and save them to a “PDF” format document.  Then send that as an attachment to your own email address or save it as a draft copy in your online email server. That way you can make copies if you need to.

Having quick access to a copy of your identification documents won’t only speed things up with authorities to get replacements, it can also help prevent fraud perpetrated with your stolen identity.

Internet Security

Even when we’re on vacation, many of us still have to mind personal and financial business back home. Conducting that business over open Internet channels is risky.

It’s even riskier still if done in an Internet cafe, airport lounge or hotel lobby.

Adding to the temptation to log on is the fact that Internet access is ubiquitous in Peru. More often than not, wireless WiFi is a free service for hotel guests. Bring along a router cable for your laptop and ask your hotel receptionist how you can hook directly into a router, either in your room or in the hotel’s business center.

As a matter of policy, Fertur Peru Travel strongly discourages clients from sending any sensitive personal information, such as scanned passports, visas, payment information, etc., as an attachment to an open email. For secure transfer of your sensitive data, there is an easy-to-use encrypted email provider, Hushmail.com.

It allows you to send messages and files over an encrypted server, converting your information into code that cannot be easily intercepted or deciphered by a third party.

(Hushmail has been featured on National Public Radio and well reviewed by Wired and PC magazines.)

Posted in Security, Travel Tips | Tagged Hushmail, Internet travel security, Peru travel documents, Peru travel tips | Leave a comment

Elvis spotted at Machu Picchu!

 

 

Elvis at Machu Picchu, really? Nahhh... but he would have loved it. So will you. Let Fertur Peru be your guide. (Special thanks to childhood friend Helena for the great photo!)

Click on image to view The King visiting Machu Picchu

Posted in Archaeological Sites, Cusco, Destinations, Machu Picchu, News | Tagged Elvis sighting, The King | Leave a comment

Aging in the ageless Moche portrait vessels

 

“Artistically, the Moche were the most remarkable civilization of the Americas. There’s no other civilization in the America’s that came up with the quality of sculpture and the recognizable portraits of individuals, the ability to create true portraiture … There are hundreds of portrait vessels that are so extraordinarily well made that you almost sense the individual personality of these people.”

— Christopher Donnan,  Professor Emeritus, Ph.D., UC Berkeley Archaeology


Among the 45,000 pieces in the collection of the Larco Museum in Lima are thousands of ceramic portraits crafted by the artisans of the Moche civilization (C.E. 100 to 800).

Amid these amazingly detailed works of art, one can discern not only individual features, but multiple portraits of the same subject at different stages of life.

That’s right, the same person getting older.

In his book Moche Portraits from Ancient Peru, renowned archaeologist Christopher B. Donnan concludes that these snapshot-like vessels depict high-ranking members of the elite in Moche society — from their youths within familial hierarchies, through later age as mature leaders. Read More »

Posted in Archaeological Sites, Art & Culture, Arts & Crafts, Chiclayo, Destinations, Lima, Trujillo | Tagged Chris Donnan, Huaca de la Luna, Museo Larco, senior travel to Peru | Leave a comment

1953: Peruvian doctors delve deep into ancient medical practices to perform brain surgery

Ritual battle with heavy clubs was a mainstay of ancient Peruvian cultures.


No surprise, then, that for centuries, right through the Inca era, blunt force head trauma was a common ailment.

To deal with the problem, ancient societies practiced and perfected skull trepanation — a surgical procedure employed to eliminate hematomas or remove pieces of bone from skulls which were probably fractured during ritual combat or fighting between warriors.

There are hundreds of Peruvian trepanned skulls in museums. Scientists have noted that a disproportionate number of the skulls show damage in the frontal or parietal region. Significantly more trepan holes are found on the left side of the head, consistent with blows delivered by right-handed adversaries during combat.

But just how advanced were the skills of these ancient surgeons?

Fast forward to 1953… to a sterile hospital ward in the Peruvian capital, Lima.

There, two of Peru’s most prominent neurosurgeons, Dr. Francisco Graña Reyes, a founder of the Peruvian Academy of Surgery, and his close colleague, Dr. Esteban Rocca Costa, were about to put years of research to the test.

On the operating table lay a 31-year-old patient. The man, a humble cabinet maker, had suffered a blow to the head, causing a debilitating blood clot, which pressed against his brain, robbing him of his power of speech. Read More »

Posted in History, Nostalgia | Tagged ancient Inca surgery, pre-hispanic medicine, Trepanation | Leave a comment

Quechua by the numbers (some travel advice, a book recommendation and a helpful chart)

 

English-speaking travelers to Peru routinely brush up on their Spanish in preparation for their journey.

What about the other widely spoken mother tongue that came before Spanish — the one spoken in the Andean epicenter of the once-mighty Inca Empire?

Whether it be asking directions while roaming a village in the Sacred Valley or haggling in the indigenous market in Cuzco, your experience can be greatly enriched if you try to communicate with some phrases in Quechua.

There are some places in the world where local people are unappreciative of foreigners who make the effort to speak their language. Nothing could be further from the truth, however, in the Peruvian sierra. Quechua is a living symbol of ethnic identity and cultural pride, and showing an interest in learning it is almost always perceived as a compliment.

One very good, inexpensive resource is the small paperback Quechua (Lonely Planet Phrasebooks 2nd Edition) by Serafin M. Coronel-Molina.  It costs under $10. Consider picking up a copy and keeping it handy during your journey. There are more than two dozen dialects of Quechua spoken throughout the Andes. Coronel-Molina’s handbook focuses on the dialect predominate in the southern highlands, including Cuzco. Read More »

Posted in Tips, Travel Tips, What to Pack | Tagged Indigenous language, Runasimi | Leave a comment

Top 10 Peruvian Superstitions for the Savvy Traveler

Superstitions, every country has them — irrational and supernatural beliefs of things to come, borne of myth, tradition and necessity. But few places offer as wondrous a collection of these foreboding, mystical and cheerful maxims as Peru.

Here, as in many other countries, Friday the 13th is considered a day of  potential pitfalls at every turn.

So today, being one of those fateful Fridays, we offer this small sampling of supersticiones Peruanas:

1. Women beware: if you’re camping out on the Inca Trail — or any outdoor setting, for that matter — do not allow yourself to become  “enchanted” by the mythical spirit snake “Tiracha,” which is able to impregnate unsuspecting females sleeping in the open air. Read More »

Posted in Art & Culture, Travel Tips | Tagged superstitious beliefs | Leave a comment

Bargain fares with TACA to Trujillo, Chiclayo, Piura & Tarapoto

Fertur Perú Travel Flash: Taca Airlines is doing it again with extra special fares for their Lima routes  to Trujillo, Chiclayo, Piura and Tarapoto.

From US$72.00 or  S/.194.00

This offer is valid only until tomorrow (Friday, April 13). All tickets are round trip and include taxes. Travel dates must fall between May 1 and Sept. 30, 2012.

Call one of Fertur Perú Travel’s offices for details:
Miraflores: (51-1) 242-1900
Historic Downtown Lima: (51-1) 427-2626

Or send us a message via the Internet… Read More »

Posted in Bargain offer, Chiclayo, Piura, Tarapoto, Trujillo | Leave a comment

Want to be part in the largest Afro-Peruano Cajón jam session ever?

 

Afro-Peruano drum fest 2012 in Lima’s historic Plaza de Armas
Saturday, April 14, from 10 a.m.

Wanted: Cajón players to help the festival best its own Guinness World Record, set in 2009, by convening the largest-ever Cajón Afro-peruano jam session.

 

Registration: send an email to: cajoneada@cajonfestival.com, including your full name, age, a contact email and, if you have one, your DNI or CE number… With that, you’re subscribed!!!

If you are part of a school band, club, parish, etc., send only one email with the name of your group, with the list of participants who will be coming on Saturday. The inscription is automatic. No reconfirmation is necessary.

 

See you Saturday, April 14, starting at 10 a.m. in the Historic Plaza de Armas de Lima.

Don’t forget to bring your Cajón!!!

www.cajonfestival.com

Posted in Art & Culture, Events, Festivals, Lima, News | Tagged Afro-Peruvain rhythm, Afro-Peruvian, Afro-Peruvian drum, Afroperuvian percussion, Cajon | Leave a comment