Pirwa – Page 71 – Pirwa Hostels BLOG

Learn to Make Chocolate at the ChocoMuseu in Lima or Cusco

September 28, 2013 Pirwa

The ChocoMuseo mission is to make chocolate in the countries where cacao grows, which is why it luckily has three different locations in Peru. In Lima, it’s located 3 blocks from Kennedy Park in Miraflores (very close to our hostels, which are located one block and four blocks from Kennedy Park). In Cusco, it’s 2 blocks from the main square, the Plaza de Armas (just a block from Pirwa Colonial Hostel, Pirwa Posada del Corregidor, and Pirwa Suecia B&B!). There’s also one located half a block from the impressive ruins of Ollantaytambo.

(You may remember reading about Ollantaytambo in an earlier blog post, “5 Best Spots to Visit in the Sacred Valley of the Incas“.)

Visitors can take part in popular activities, especially the 2-hour “Cacao Bean to Chocolate Bar” workshop, which takes you through the whole process. Other workshops vary by location and month, but some of the standards are truffle-making and sculpting chocolate.

Each activity has a cost, although entrance to the small cacao and chocolate museum is free (and you are often invited to enjoy a cup of cacao husk tea for free as well….it’s different, but the taste really grows on you….you’ll probably find yourself buying a few bags to take home). There’s an artisanal chocolate kitchen open to view, as well as a store and café if you want to sample some of their products, which include natural cacao goods, crafts such as mugs and chocolate-making tools, and of course, chocolates.

Although the ChocoMuseos are actually quite small, the workshops and café make it a fun way to spend an afternoon and learn about one of the region’s most fascinating and delicious products.

As always, feel free to ask reception in any of our Pirwa hostels in Peru for tips and recommendations on fun, enlightening ways to spend your free time during your trip!

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The Santa Cruz Route in Huascarán: One of the World’s Best Treks

September 24, 2013 Pirwa

Peru offers some of the best alpine hiking in the world, as attested by National Geographic when it included the Santa Cruz Trek in its list The World’s 25 Most Epic Hikes. The trek follows the river of the same name through Huascarán National Park, which contains all of the stunning Cordillera Blanca- the highest mountain range outside of the Himalayas and the most concentrated collection of large peaks in the western hemisphere. It’s appropriate for all experience levels and is generally done in 4 days. (Although experienced hikers seeking a more challenging route often opt for the longer Alpamayo Trek.) The hike does reach a difficult summit, however, at the cold and windy high pass of Punta Union.

The lively hikers’ hub of Huaraz serves as the base town for almost excursions into Huascarán, whether it’s day-hikes, longer treks, mountain climbing, skiing or biking. The Santa Cruz Trek itself generally begins in nearby Cashapampa (2900m), although it is sometimes also done in reverse. Going with an agency group tour means that you will also have a guide, a chef, and donkeys or horses to carry the camping and cooking equipment. (Feel free to contact the travel specialists of Pirwa Travel Service at pirwatravel@gmail.com for information.)

Along the route, you follow the rapids of the Santa Cruz River past red quenua trees and turquoise lakes under the looming mountain peaks. Beginning at a narrow gorge where the river spills out from a cleft in the mountains, the first day’s hike is only a few hours. As you continue past eucalyptus groves and flowering bushes in different colors, towards the dark rock spires of the gorge walls and the route’s first waterfall, the guide tells you about the area’s history and the scenery gets ever more varied and majestic. The first night’s camp is at Llamacorral, a grassy area enclosed by stone walls.

The following day, you won’t be able to resist marveling at the glacial lake of Jatunococha surrounded by the narrow valley’s steep walls. In the distance, the snowy peak of Quitaraju will rise above the scene. Just a little further on, a set of dozens of waterfalls from Arthayacocha River spring from the 300m tall valley walls give the impression of an enormous natural dam holding back an ocean. Exiting the gorge and entering a wide grassy field with steams. The series of Andean peaks which will come into view include the beautiful Alpamayo and Artesonraju, the Paramount Pictures mountain. The scenic lagoons will also continue, most notably with colorful Laguna Arhueycocha and the glacier and ice fall that tumbles into it.

The second day’s camp in generally Taullipampa, which you reach by descending into a meadow. On the third day, you ascend a stunning valley to a glacial lake surrounded by impressive ice covered peaks. The high point is at Punto Union Pass, at a daunting 15,617ft above sea level (higher than any peak in the contiguous U.S.) boasting enviable views. After the pass, you descend through a forest and a series of lakes to the third day’s camp. From the pass on, the landscapes are much starker, but are still beautiful in a different way. The final day takes you through Huaripampa village, with its humble thatched roof homes and guinea pig farms, before ending in Vaqueria. Though you are free to take a polar dip in any of the icy lakes along the route (and some do), most prefer to wait until the trek’s end and then to take advantage of the area’s hot springs. From Vaqueria, you can take a bus to Yunguay.

Things to Remember

The best time to go is from April through September, when it’s very cold but rains are not a problem.
You are required to buy a trekking permit for Huascarán National Park, which costs about almost US$30 person.
You can reach Huaraz from Lima by bus, an 8-10hr trip, or you can fly. (You can arrange transport through Pirwa Travel Service.)
Day trips from Huaraz to sites like Pastoruri Glacier or Laguna 68 can help you acclimatize before the trek.
Make sure to bring a rain poncho and mosquito repellent.
Prepare for a strong sun in the afternoons and very, very cold nights.

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The Lord of Miracles: The Purple Month in Lima

September 18, 2013 Pirwa

One of Peru’s most prominent religious festivals, the Lord of Miracles, will kick off on October 18^th, lasting ten days. October is known as the Purple Month in Lima, which isn’t surprising considering that you’ll see the color appearing everywhere throughout those weeks. In honor of the city’s patron saint, some devotees wear this color all month long. One of Peru’s most popular soccer teams, Alianza Lima, even changes the color of their team jerseys for the month.

Who is the Lord of Miracles? In the 1650s, Angolan slaves and freedmen formed the Pachacamilla guild, which managed religious services (like baptisms and funerals) and provided economic assistance within the community. One of its members painted the image now known as the Lord of Miracles (or the Black Christ) on a crude adobe wall of the slave quarters. Four years later, an earthquake devastated Lima and Callao, leveling all of Pachacamilla except for the wall with the Christ painting. As meetings and masses began to be held at the image, authorities attempted to halt them. The image survived numerous attempts to erase it, as well as another incredibly destructive earthquake and subsequent tidal wave. Finally, authorities accepted the growing cult, the Church of Nazcarenas was built around the image and the processions began.

The main event is one of South America’s largest processions, during which the image is taken from its home church Las Nazarenas and to other historic colonial churches, accompanied by the incense and drums of the faithful. The main procession lasts 24 hours, with thousands taking part. The icon is carried on a 2-ton litter by groups (brotherhoods) who work in short shifts before passing the load on to the next group. They are accompanied by singers and dancers as the streets are strewn with flowers and confetti.

The streets fill with vendors offering a wide variety of treats, but the signature choice for October is the Turrón de Doña Pepa, a sticky anise-flavored pastry created by a black slave who credited the Lord of Miracles with restoring the use of her arms and hands. If you’re one of those who find the turrón too sweet, you can opt for picarones, pumpkin fritters in syrup. Another traditional choice associated with the festivities are the skewered beef hearts known as anticuchos.

Lima’s bullfighting season also begins in October, and is named in honor of the Lord of Miracles. Some of the world’s best bullfighters gather at the Plaza de Acho, which at 246 years old is the second oldest bullring in the world which is still in use. Events take place every Sunday afternoon, with cheap tickets in the sun and expensive ones in the shade. There’s a growing antitaurino movement in Lima as well, pushing for a ban on bullfighting (which in Peru is to the death). This means you are also likely to see protestors outside the stadium.

For assistance with transport or excursions for Lima, Peru, feel free to contact Pirwa Travel Service, with more than 10 years experience providing travel services throughout Peru and Bolivia!

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Into the depths of Cerro Rico: The Mines of Potosí

August 28, 2013 Pirwa

Despite being the most popular tour in Potosí, and the reason why most people visit the city, tours of the cooperative mines of Cerro Rico are not for everybody. The experience is memorable and provides an insight that merely hearing about the miners and their working conditions never will, but it can be physically and mentally uncomfortable for some. While women were discouraged from entering the mines in the past, lest they bring bad luck, this superstition has not really had any force in the last decades, so anyone who would like to experience what life in Potosí is like for most local families are free to take part. For more than 400 years, Cerro Rico has defined Potosí, and even though so much mining means that the mountain doesn’t have much time left, it’s still that way today.

15,000 miners work in the mountain’s 400 mines, most of which have several levels. (Although most of the work takes place at the lowest levels, tours do not descend to such depths because of safety considerations and because they are quite uncomfortable.) Expect low ceilings, and steep, narrow passageways that can be muddy and rocky. If you suffer from asthma, you will not want to enter at all due to the dust particles, and claustrophobics should definitely abstain as well.

Most mine tours are guided by ex-miners and begin in the morning. (There are afternoon tours as well, but the morning tours tend to spend more time in the mines.) First stop is the miners’ market in downtown Potosí, where anyone can buy dynamite, ammonium nitrate, and fuses for about US$2 without even needing a license. Here, you can pick up some gifts for the miners that you will meet during your visit. (The miners must buy their own explosive and tools and do all of the work by hand, selling their production at the end of each week for the best price they can negotiate.) Afterwards, you head to a refining plant and then on to Cerro Rico itself. Your safety equipment will be provided, but you will want to bring water and a handkerchief for your mouth.

Upon entering the mines each day, miners salute the statue of Tata Kaj’chu which sits in the entrance of each of the mountain’s 400 mines. In the dark underworld of the mines, this figure representing the devil is supposed to hold sway. Calling him Tío (Uncle), they ask for protection and give offerings in exchange for the minerals they take out of hell. On Friday nights, there is a cha’lla (offering), wherein alcohol is poured on the ground before the statue, lit cigarettes placed in his mouth, and coca leaves laid out. Getting into the spirit, the miners join the devil in his drinking and smoking. Most miners are Catholic, but offerings and requests to Christ are only made as far as the sunlight reaches.

Most mines which are open to tours have a small exhibit in the first level which sheds light on some of the mines’ history and the issues miners face. By level 2, you are mainly crawling, and then slide down to the following level through a sort of wooden chute. Level 3 is more spacious because often materials are sorted at this level. Temperatures in the mines range greatly, from very cold to 45C on the fourth and fifth levels. Most tours end with a dynamiting demonstration, so that you can feel the force of the explosions, noticeable even at some distance.

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Vegetarian Cusco

August 21, 2013 Pirwa

With a nod to frugality, certain traditional local meals have always been vegetarian, like Locro de Zapallo (Squash Stew) or Kapchi de Habas (Stewed Broadbeans). Still, meat and potatoes have always reigned supreme in Cusco’s dining scene. Cusco’s vegetarian options have steadily increased over the years, however, compelled in part by tourist demand and in part by growing religious populations which do not permit meat consumption.

Om (-) on Calle Saphi is Cusco’s first and only free restaurant runs on donations only (leave one!) and serves up vegetarian food with Indian and Peruvian influences. You can also help them with ingredients or in the kitchen, or taking food to the city’s poorer surrounding communities. It’s a great project headed by the Indian expats who also run Maikhana.

Govinda Lila ($) is a tiny food stand (comedor) in the San Blas Market. Grab a spot on the bench and get a set lunch menu (soup, main dish with salad, and juice) for just S/3.50. The options are humble, not very varied (beans, lentils), and not as flavorful as in other places, but it’s the cheapest vegetarian lunch in town.

El Encuento ($) has been trying to make Cusco more health-conscious for more than a decade. Lunch menus are S/6, which include a well-stocked salad bar. The set menu soups are just alright, but the main dishes are quite good (try the Quinoa a la Jardinera or Arroz Tapado if it’s on offer!) It’s the best vegetarian set lunch menu in town, but if you’re fine with paying more (S/10-20), try one of the a la carte options rather than the menu (the Cauliflower Stirfry is nice!).

Govinda’s (Saphi) Fixed lunch menu & A la carte Despite the name, expect veggie food with Peruvian flair

Maikhana Buffet (on the second floor of Galeria la Merced on Avenida El Sol) ($$) If you’re feeling quite hungry, and craving Indian flavors, Maikhana can take care of you for S/15. There’s a range of vegetarian and meat curries (unfortunately the better ones are the ones with meat), although you’ll probably find that it’s a more limited selection than you would expect a buffet to offer (maybe 4 meat options, 4 vegetarian, and rice).

Greens ($$$) This restaurant isn’t wholly vegetarian, but their organic menu offers plenty of options. While it’s rather expensive to be a lunchtime standard, it’s a nice stop if you’d like to leave the set menus behind and indulge in some more upscale food.

Even though Cusco does have a variety of options available for different budgets, there still might be days when nothing tickles your fancy. In that case, why not stop by the market and pick up your own ingredients? Most of Pirwa’s hostels include guest kitchens where you can fix your own meals.

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