Jockey Plaza, Lima’s massive shopping Mecca, was packed full of Peruvians starting their Christmas shopping. Last minute Christmas shopping is seen throughout the world, but here it seems to be more frantic. The normal pristine Ripley department store has clothes strew across the floor.
Category: "Life"
Banco Central de Reserva del Peru
I decided to wander off through the busy noisy streets of central Lima.
My main aim was to visit the Banco Central de Reserva del Peru, to which Annett’s father and I had tried to enter last time we had came here – but failed – we had been walking past on the one day of the week it was closed, and even if it was open we were a few minutes too late. I decided I had to come back to visit some day in the future.
Ojotas Peruanas – why waste good rubber?
These ojotas, or rubber sandals, are constructed from used tyres that have been cut to shape, bent to shape or even woven from fine strips. Lasting many many years, even decades longer than other shoes and costing next to nothing, you will see them in markets in small towns across South America.
Eleciones Municipales 2006
You may remember I mentioned the advertising spree by numerous honourable and competent politicians. Well the time has finally arrived for the elections to take place. As a non-Peruvian this would have normally meant a boring wait for 5 family members to vote at 3 different polling stations, but I decided to make the best of it and take photos.
INC destroys Machu Picchu
You may have read my previous criticisms (1, 2) of the Instituto Nacional de Cultura Cusco (INC), and if those were not enough I have yet more to add. I think this reflects poorly on the work they do, or rather don’t do.
Where oh where do we begin…
INC destroys Machu Picchu’s star attraction and unique artefact (CNN, BBC)
In September 2000 the greedy INC accepted a large payment to allow a company to enter the sacred ruins of Machu Picchu to film a beer commercial. The fact this might ruin the day of thousands of tourists who paid through their teeth to be there for this one and only day didn’t bother them, why would it, they had already taken their money…
The Worst Mosquito Bite So Far
I was bitten a couple of times at Machu Picchu, but this bite was much worse than the previous record from Huaraz all those months ago.
A large lump formed on my wrist with a red rash that ran up my arm to my elbow. When we returned to Cusco we went to Inkafarma for some pills, paid about S./5 and was handed Cetrizine – which I already had half a tonne of.
Intihuatana
The Intihuatana (or Intiwatana) is referred to as the Hitching Post of the Sun – as that is what many experts think its function was, to symbolically tie the sun the the earth at the two equinoxes so it could not move further in the sky. At the time of an equinox the perfectly carved 14 degree angled stone has no shadow, yet does have one all day and all year round when not an equinox.
Free Custom Tours of Machu Picchu
Walking back from the Sun Gate, back to where we arrived at the end of our long climb from the valley below, we found ourselves at the Watchman’s hut. From here we got our first proper postcard view of the ruins.
By now, thousands of day-trippers had arrived on the trains from Cusco, and any chance of a good photo was ruined. But there is a massive benefit to having to cope with all these people – free custom tours of Machu Picchu!
Problems with INC and Monopolistic Train Travel
From Cusco we planned to take the bus to Pisaq, where we would stay one night and wake up early to see the market before hundreds of old large red day-trippers arrive. From there we would see the rest of the Sacred Valley and arrive in Ollantaytambo, the last town on the road to Machu Picchu from which The Great Peruvian Con game begins, where a monopolistic train company, PeruRail, takes you the rest of the way in low-quality trains for a high price. But all did not go according to plan.
Pachacutec
Pachacutec was the Inca emperor who turned Cuzco from a city state to an empire that spanned from Ecuador to Chile. At one end of the Av. El Sol is a gigantic statue of him that you can visit and climb.
Cusco Greed
We arrived in Cuzco at night, with a taxi into the Plaza de Armas, and saw the cathedrals and churches all lit up. It was very beautiful. But that was as far as the wonder and beauty went.
To my great disappointment I finally had something bad to say about a city in Peru. The culture here in Cusco is one of greed and ripping-off tourists in any way possible. This is not limited to tourist-facing businesses – even the Catholic Church is in on the feeding frenzy of the Walking-Wallets…
Earthquakes, Temblores, Sismos
After the relatively strong earthquake that hit south of Lima last week and collapsed a church roof, the news programmes are talking about whether the city, and Peru in general, is ready for another big earthquake.
Peru and the pacific coast have been devastated by earthquakes in the past, my blog’s travel entries are littered by references of earthquakes that destroyed this town or that town. Often tens of thousands die. The last of these mega earthquakes happened in the 1960s and 1970s where the town of Yungay was wiped of the map. You can also read of accounts of earthquakes from my trip to Chile.
