General Travel Tips – Page 13 – Pirwa Hostels BLOG

Lima Backpackers: Spending Valentine’s Day in the City of Kings

February 13, 2013 Pirwa

The popularity of Valentine’s Day in Peru (where you’ll most likely hear it referred to as Día del Amor) is still on the rise, with exorbitantly priced roses flooding the marketplaces. Last year, February 14^th was declared a national holiday- although it was in recognition of Puno’s famous Virgin of Candelaria Festival rather than everyone’s favorite Hallmark holiday. Many hotels, restaurants, and agencies offer over the top expensive packages for the occasion, but for those of you currently on the road, we thought we’d give a quick primer on Lima for Backpacking Couples.

Among the city’s neighborhoods, Miraflores and Barranco are solid choices. Miraflores, with its long walkway along the seaside cliffs and its many parks and gardens, is often referred to as the greenest area in Lima. One obvious stop is Parque de Amor (Love Park), which opened in Valentine’s Day 1993 and can be instantly recognized by its large statue of two lovers, The Kiss. Surrounding the statue are brightly tiled walls reminiscent of Gaudi and covered in evocative Spanish literary quotes that are fun to peruse for the bookish among us, such as Alberto Vega’s “My dream is a lost island”. The park boasts an unbeatable view of the Pacific Ocean, making it popular with couples wanting to watch the sun set over the sea. Many brides also visit the park while taking their wedding photos. On Valentine’s Day, many couples visit the park to compete in the Longest Kiss contest.

Love Park is part of El Malecón Cisneros, a six-mile stretch of parks along a path following the cliffs overlooking the Pacific. Strolling the walkway is a pleasant, and not to mention free, way of getting to know Lima. Even better, and still a nice budget choice, is to bike it, so if you’re up for some nice scenery and a little exercise, think about renting a bicycle. If you crave a little more excitement, just a few minutes further up from the Parque del Amor is the jump-off site for Parasailing, where you can fly tandem with experienced parasailing guides. Also, as its summertime in Lima, you can arrange for a Surfing lesson, which range from US$10-$20, or rent some equipment.

Miraflores also has the most lively park in Lima, Kennedy Park, which is always bustling with people, artists, musicians playing creole music, jugglers, and other street performers. Expect lots of the surrounding bars and clubs to be celebrating, such as Barbilonia Bar with its “Power Ballads” night, although most do have covers. Just beware the roving rose sellers should you choose to kick back in the park for a while.

You’ll find both of Pirwa’s hostels in Lima a short walk from Kennedy Park, Pirwa Inclan B&B and Pirwa Prada Backpackers. Not only are we ideally located in what most consider to be the best base from which to explore Lima, the neighborhood of Miraflores, but we’re also close to a variety of Valentine’s options!

The neighborhood right next to Miraflores is Lima’s most bohemian and artistic, Barranco, right next to Miraflores. The streets of this small neighborhood are probably the most colorful and charming of all of Lima. If you find yourself passing through, do plan to make a stop at another landmark born of Valentine’s Day, the wooden Bridge of Sighs, which spans the Bajada de Baños, a stone walkway descending to the beach. Dining in Chala with a view of the Bridge of Sighs and the ocean even made Time’s list of 10 Things to do in Lima, but unfortunately most area restaurants should be booked up by now, so seaside dining might not be an option. If Chala’s a no go, don’t fear- the area is packed with restaurants and bars. And, if you need a little relationship help, keep this in mind: the legend is that if you can walk across the Bridge of Sighs for the first time without taking a breath, your wishes will come true…

Although it looks like there aren’t as many activities on offer this year as last, the Magical Water Circuit at Reserve Park will be putting on another show, beginning with puppets for the kids at 6pm before transitioning into concerts for the adults. A detailed program hasn’t been made available, although the coordinated light, laser, and music show at Fantasia Fountain generally takes place at 7:15pm, 8:15pm, and 9:30pm. Entrance to the park is S/4.00 (soles).

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Join Pirwa’s Weekly Free Walking Tours of Cusco

November 29, 2012 Pirwa

We’ve been having a lot of fun these last couple of weeks during one of our newer weekly activities- free walking tours of Cusco with our friends and guests at Pirwa Hostels. Announcements go up in the hostels and on our facebook page before each tour, which usually starts at 4pm and finishes around 8pm.

We like to begin with a visit to the vibrant San Pedro Market near Pirwa Colonial Backpackers. It’s always a popular stop with guests to Cusco not just because of its vibrant riot of color and activity but also for the insight it provides into local life. Aside from handicrafts and native Andean grains and produce, there are also products that surprise foreigners, from the live frogs for blending into a fortifying tonic to the bull’s mouths for broths.

From there, we continue on to Plaza San Francisco, where we stop to observe the home where Inca Garcilaso was born, one of Peru’s preeminent schools for boys (and alma mater for many notables including current president Ollanta Humala), a variety of native trees, and the colonial churches.

Just two blocks away, we then arrive to the heart of modern Cusco, the Plaza the Armas, which was once known as Huacaypata, the place of tears, a fitting name for the site where Túpac Amaru II was quartered in the late 1700s after his unsuccessful Inca rebellion against the Spanish. Upon the bases of Inca palaces, the Spanish built arched passageways, churches and mansions. Of these, the most ornate are the 17^th century Cathedraland the La Compañía de Jesús Church. The Cathedral took a century to complete, using the sand in the plaza, stones pillaged from Sacsayhuamán Fortress and other Inca sites. Aside from its gold and silver shrines, it also boasts an art collection including a Last Supper complete with Andean guinea pig entrée and the María Angola, the largest bell in South America. The La Compañía Church is believed by many to surpass the grandeur of the Cathedral- for this reason the Vatican tried to halt its construction, but luckily the mandate did not arrive in time.

There are a variety of times during the tour when we find ourselves focusing on the Inca walls of Cusco, searching for the seven snakes of Siete Culebras, admiring the famous 12-angled stone of Hatunrumiyoc, or for the shape of the puma at Inca Roca.

Ascending some narrow and twisting cobblestone street, we’ll make a stop in the small central plaza of the bohemian neighborhood of San Blas, which has been the artistic district of Cusco since Inca times. Here’ll we learn about the well-known artist families, such as the mendivils with their long-necked saints, who have their studios here. The plaza also houses Cusco’s oldest, built upon an Inca shrine consecrated to the god of thunder and lightning. Its simple adobe exterior hides the most ornate pulpit in all of Latin America, carved from a single cedar trunk in the 17^th century and with a human skull resting inside it which is rumored to have belonged to the unknown artist.

One of our final stops, and surely one of the most impressive, is Qorikancha, the Incan Temple of the Sun. This was once the most sacred spot in Cusco, dedicated to the supreme Inca deity, Inti, the sun. At the time of the arrival of the Spanish, it was completely covered in gold. Today the gold is long gone, and atop the Inca base you´ll find the colonial Santo Domingo Convent.

We like to end our walking tours with drinks on the house. Sometimes, it’s the sweetened purple corn drink known as chicha morada at Plus Café, our restaurant located inside Pirwa Posada del Corregidor in the Plaza de Armas. Other times, it’s chicha, a fermented corn drink, or frutillada, the same drink with the addition of fruit to make it a little sweeter. It’s a fun way to end the day and to learn a little about local drinks, some of which, like chicha, go all the way back to the Inca.

If you’re interested in joining us during one of our trips, just meet us at Pirwa Colonial Backpackers in Plaza San Francisco (two blocks from Cusco’s main square) at the announced time and place. If you’re staying at one of our hostels in Cusco, just sign up with reception and they’ll give you the details. We hope that you’ll join us for a fun few hours exploring the imperial city of the Incas!

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Scissor Dance Festival & Atipanacuy Are Coming This December

November 22, 2012 Pirwa

The Scissor Dance (Danza de las Tijeras or Galas) is one of the most vibrant and unique dances to hail from the Peruvian highlands. Amidst lively acrobatic moves, dancers snap their scissors to keep the beat alongside violin and harp music. The steps represent and honor natural deities held sacred since pre-Columbian times, especially the mountain apus or wamanis and the pachamama earth mother.

Up until the Spanish conquest, the holy men, or Tusuq Laylas performed these dances, until Spanish fear that their skill was made possible by diabolical aid exposed them to persecution and they fled to the mountains. The dancers eventually returned to their villages only upon the condition that from now on, they would dance for Catholic saints. Local lore says that it was a pact with the devil that gives them their skills and the stamina to compete in marathon dance contests where they dance intermittently with competitors for 10 to 12 hours.

UNESCO honored the dance last year, declaring it part of the intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Its value was also declared by the Peruvian congress, which named it part of the nation’s cultural heritage. This week Corngress recognized dancer Rómulo Huamaní Janampa, whose dancing name is ‘QoriSisicha’, for his work in promoting the Scissor Dance. The ayacuchano was the dance’s national champion from 1980 to 1998 and has traveled around the world to promote the dance. If you have the chance to see a competition, if not in Huancavelica then in Lima, which also sponsors events, don’t miss it!

Atipanacuy & The Scissor Dance Festival

Each December, during the Atipanacuy festival, the dancers engage in ritual spectacles of an occasionally bloody sort, sometimes runing metal spikes through their bodies and spilling their own blood in the name of Christ but also to pass otherworldly ‘tests’ and thereby retain their skills. It is in December as well that Huancavelica holds its largest scissor dance contest. During each series of the competition, two or more dancers take turns performing their acrobatic jumps and detailed steps.

You can get to Huancavelica by taking a bus from Ayacucho (it’s about a five hour trip). Here’s the official program for this year’s festivities. Don’t forget your camera and, during this time of year, your rain gear!

Dec 24th
Dances begin at 2pm at the Dirección Regional de Cultura
Dec 25th
Dances begin at 1pm San Francisco Church (in the atrium)
Dec 26th
Tests of Valor and Scissor Dancing for Atipanacuy at San Francisco Church from 1pm
Dec 27th
Tests of Valor and Scissor Dancing for Atipanacuy at Pucachaca from 1pm

For more information about festivities and events in Peru during December, or transport or destination information, feel free to contact our travel agency department, Pirwa Travel Service. Our travel specialists have more than a decade of experience providing travel services for intrepid travelers like you- we hope to hear from you!

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Ayahuasca Experiences: Into the Amazon

November 20, 2012 Pirwa

For centuries, shamans in the indigenous communities of the Amazon Basin have been preparing a hallucinogenic brew known as Ayahuasca for spiritual, self-improvement, and healing purposes. Apprentices spend years studying the healing properties of individual plants and the spiritual associations of each under the guidance of an elder shaman. During this time each apprentice develops his own spirit songs, icaros, believed to be taught to them by the spirits of the Amazon.

Recently, Ayahuasca’s popularity has been on the rise, along with other shamanic services, as a segment of what’s commonly referred to as mystical travel has been on the rise throughout Peru, thanks to promotion by government tourist agencies which even sponsors ayahuasca festivals. Travelers interested in trying Ayahuasca can visit healing retreats where they can take part in multiple ceremonies. Many do so for a spiritual experience, increased self-knowledge, or, increasingly, as part of their struggle against depression or addiction. If you’re interested in arranging such an experience, contact Pirwa Travel Service for more information.

Preparing the Brew

The Quechua name is rooted in the native belief that ayahuasca is the cord which permits the spirit to leave the body without dying- aya means spirit and waska, cord. Preparations can include a varying combination of leaves, seeds, and bark, but the caapi vine, considered the gatekeeper and guide to otherworldly realms, is always present. In its natural state, the vine is a purgative, but boiled together with other plants it has hallucinogenic effects.

There are many other barks and plants which can traditionally be added for their spiritual properties; Remo Caspi bark, for instance, is used for healing dark energy, and Capirona bark for cleansing. Each plant which could be added has a recognizable spirit. For example, Ayahuma bark, used for repairing fractured souls, appears as a headless giant.

The Ceremonies

Ceremonies last about four hours and begin during the dusk following a brief midday fast, when the shaman blesses the ayahuasca with mapacho tobacco to ward off negative spirits and pay homage to the ayahuasca’s spirits, asking for their assistance. Each participant is then given some of the bitter brew and the lights are shut off. Unfortunately vomiting is to be expected, and is considered part of the purging of dark energy. The shamans will begin to sing or whistle his icaros to the rhythm of their chakapas, leaf rattles, to call forth the unique assistance of different plants and to guide participants through the process. The visions begin after about 20 minutes; many feel that they are traveling among realities and wrestling with their fears. Sting speaks very favorably of his experience trying Ayahuasca in a Brazilian church, during which he says he had a vision of chasing a bee through a Joshua tree for hours.

Popular Ayahuasca Destinations

The most popular Ayahuasca destinations are in the Amazon, especially in the large jungle city of Iquitos and the outlying Shipibo indigenous community, San Francisco. If you are unable to make it to the jungle, you can also participate in Ayahuasca ceremonies in the Andean region, including the Sacred Valley of the Incas outside of Cusco.

CAUTION: As most shamans are unfamiliar with Western pharmaceuticals and preparations vary widely, it is your responsibility to research possible severe adverse reactions with prescription medications or allergies. If you are taking prescription medication, you are advised to abstain, as trying ayahuasca without being certain which plants and in what quantities your shaman has chosen could be risky.

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Miracles & Bullfights: The Purple Month in Lima

October 11, 2012 Pirwa

Procession of the Black Christ

In one week, on October 18^th, the ten day celebration of the Lord of Miracles begins, one of Peru’s most revered religious festivities. (It’s also affectionately known as the Black Christ due to the icon’s origins and appearance.) It has been taking place for three hundred years and is considered a hallmark of limeño identity. One of Peru’s most popular soccer teams, Alianza Lima, even changes the color of their team jerseys each October.

The festival’s main event is one of South America’s largest processions, during which the faithful bear the weight on their shoulders of the Black Christ on a 2-ton litter, carrying the icon in short shifts before passing it on to the next group, and so on for the 24 hour duration of the procession. They’ll depart from Las Nazarenas church, cross Lima’s city center, and make their way to La Merced church in Barrios Altos. Those who carry the icon are accompanied by incense-wielding and shrouded ladies, musicians, singers, dancers, and a multitude of vendors hawking traditional limeño street food and treats.

The signature treat for what’s known as the Purple Month is called Turrón de Doña Pepa, a sticky anise-flavored sweet covered in confetti candy and sprinkles which was created by slave Josefa Marmanillo (Doña Pepa), who believed that her devotion to the Lord of Miracles returned to her the use of her arms and hands. Make sure to give it a try; it’s very sweet and the caramel and anise combination is surprisingly delicious despite the treat’s …festive… appearance. What else should you try? There’s the marinated and grilled intestine known as choncholí, skewered anticucho beef hearts, giant Andean choclo corn, sweet picarones fritters, and the requisite aforementioned turrones.

October also kicks off Lima’s two-month bullfighting season, dedicated to the Lord of Miracles. During this time the best bullfighters from around the world compete at the Plaza de Acho stadium, which at 245 years old is the world’s second oldest bullring still used today. The prize is the 18k Escapulario de Oro and the best bull wins the Escapulario de Plata. During this season there are events every Sunday afternoon, and tickets are available at the Wong and Metro supermarket chains, with cheap tickets in the sun and expensive ones for seats in the shade. Bullfighting is definitely controversial these days, so you could join the spectators in the stadium or the protestors outside… If you are interested in watching an event, please be aware that in Peru it is to the death. There’s a museum showing the history of the stadium, which in its time was one of the world’s largest.

Just by checking the newspapers you can find offers, for special pre-event menus by restaurants who then bus their clients to the bullring. This is a fun option, and relieves you of having to find your way to the Plaza de Acho bullring in Rímac alone.

[Update: We’ve had somecomments from anti-bullfighting activists upset with the promotion of bullfighting on the blog. Since it is a part of the October festivities, and we orient the blog to upcoming events and tourist information, we have included information on Lima’s bullfighting season for those who are interested. However, we do think that any travelers who think they would like to see a bullfight check out some videos and photos of what transpires first, since its bloody nature can be shocking. From now on we’ll try to be more careful in giving equal time to both sides. If you are interested in learning about the growing opposition movement that would like to see the practice banned in protection of animal rights, search for the Peru antitaurino page on facebook.]

A Humble History

During Peru’s colonial period, slaves and freedmen used to form self-help and religious guilds. The October festivities date back to 1651 and the Pachacamilla guild, founded in a shantytown populated by freed slaves of Angolan descent. It was here that an unknown person painted an image of Christ on one of crude adobe walls. When an earthquake devastated Lima a few years later, leveling temples, mansions, homes, and all of Pachacamilla but for the painted wall, masses began to be held at the image despite the disapproval of authorities. Through the second half of the 1600s and first half of the 1700s, the Christ painting survived numerous attempts of erasure and an incredibly destructive earthquake and ensuing tidal wave. After the 1746 earthquake, the Las Nazarenas Church was built around the image, authorities decided to allow the formerly unapproved cult, and the processions began.

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