A Peculiar Breed:The Dancing Stallions of Peru Compete This April

April 10, 2013 Pirwa

Lima’s annual National Show and Competition is a major event in local cultural life, garnering a festival-like atmosphere and lasting a week each April. This year, the Official Peruvian Paso Horse contest will take place from April 14th through April 21st. As always, the site will be Mamacona Fair Center just south of Lima (near Pachacamac Archeological Complex).

Daily competitions are followed by evening concerts and other events celebrating the Peruvian coastal, or Criollo, culture. Highlights include a closing parade and prize ceremony accompanied by folkloric dancers and music as well as a food fair, and the 5^th National Marinera on Horse & Foot Competition.

The compact Peruvian Stepping horse, more commonly referred to as the Peruvian Paso horse, is unique in the equine world- rather than the standard trot, it employs a peculiar parallel 4-beat sidestepping which aficionados know as the paso llano, or ambladura, the art of the synchronized gait mastered by breeders and riders known as Chalánes. The singular breed is the result of isolation along the desert coast of Peru and a 400 year process of selectively breeding Spanish and Berber horse breeds brought to the country during the Conquest.

The horses’ natural rhythm has won it popularity not only as a show horse, but also a dance partner… in shows and competitions throughout Peru, riders on horseback couple with women on foot in Marinera shows. It is the paso llano which gave rise to the Marinera, Peru’s national dance. Even the costumes worn by dancers are reminiscent of the chalán riders, comprising the saddle and its trimmings, white shirt and trousers, straw hat, vicuña poncho, handkerchief, boots and spurs.

If you’re interested in catching a glimpse of this side of Lima’s social year, you can arrange to be picked up in Miraflores, Lima (the most popular district for travelers to use as a base for their visit to the capital, and the neighborhood where both Pirwa Inclan B&B and Pirwa Prada Backpackers are located) for a ranch visit to learn about the horses and their history and training before continuing on to the National Contest. Ranches that participate in this sort of outing generally include lunch or dinner depending on the schedule (last year, departures were at 10am and 3pm).

For more info on this and other events and outings, don’t forget that Pirwa Travel Service has information counters in both of our hostels in Miraflores. Because we have locations in Lima, Cusco, Puno, Arequipa, Nazca, Machu Picchu, and La Paz, our travel specialists can assist with transport, entrances, treks, and tours throughout Peru and Bolivia.

Check out the following video (set to begin at 7:20s) for a close view of the special gait of the Peruvian Paso Horses:

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You’re Invited to Pirwa’s Christmas Eve Dinner in Cusco!

December 14, 2012 Pirwa

You’re Invited to Pirwa’s Christmas Eve Dinner in Cusco!

Cusco is one of Peru’s most popular cities to visit during the holidays, and on midnight on Christmas Eve the city explodes with fireworks and firecrackers. If you’re celebrating on the road and wondering where to lay your backpack, this December 24th at 9pm, Pirwa Colonial will celebrate its traditional Christmas Eve Dinner.

The menu’s been set and sounds delectable- a salad of vegetables and fruits in a Thai sauce, mustard turkey roulades with aguaymanto sauce, dessert tbd, and champagne for toasting. We offer the dinner at cost, a third of the price that the same dinner will be selling elsewhere, so it’s a great alternative to overpriced Christmas menus that the restaurants offer on this day.

No matter which of Pirwa’s Cusco locations you’re staying at, you’re invited to celebrate with us. We’ll be giving out invitations to all of our guests on Dec 23rd and 24th, and we hope to see you there!

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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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Cheerful Pirwa Suecia near the Main Square of Cusco

October 23, 2012 Pirwa

Most travelers stopping by the Imperial City of the Incas like to stay either in the city’s Main Square, the Plaza de Armas, or artsy San Blas. The Main Square epitomizes Cusco’s unique charm by showcasing the mix of Incan and colonial architecture for which the city is known. The hostel we’re highlighting today is Pirwa Suecia B&B, located on Suecia Street, which leads into the Main Square. It places you just a half block, or less than a minute’s walk, from all of the amenities of the city’s center. For the daytime, this means quality restaurants and cafés, ATMs, artisanal goods stores, and museums and cathedrals are at hand, and for the evening, the city’s best bars and dance clubs.

Pirwa Suecia is a bed & breakfast-style hostel with a welcoming atmosphere, bright cheerful colors and murals, traditional architectural touches, and an interior patio ideal for relaxing in between your forays throughout Cusco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas. It in the patio where you’ll find hot water and complementary coca tea set out 24/7 just in case you suffer some altitude-related fatigue or nausea and are interested in trying a local remedy.

Free services that are included with your reservation include a continental breakfast and luggage storage for those of you who are traveling to Machu Picchu and need a place to store your things while you’re in Aguas Calientes. There’s free wi-fi throughout, but if you don’t have a device to take advantage of this there’s also a guest computer for your use, allowing you to share your photos and travel tales with friends and family back home!

Pirwa Suecia B&B is mainly private rooms- married and twin doubles as well as triples, all with private bathrooms. For backpackers on a budget, there are also two three-person shared dormitories, which share a bathroom. Regardless of what type of lodging you choose, you’ll have access to hot showers 24 hours a day and comfy beds.

There’s a convenient travel information counter inside the hostel, manned by the specialists of Pirwa Travel Service, which boasts more than a decade of experience. They are always on hand to give information regarding tourist attractions and travel destinations as well as help arrange transport, entrances, guided visits, and packages for guests.

Want to know more? Check out the Pirwa Suecia B&B page on our website for more info on our hostel, or contact our reservations department at reservaspirwa@gmail.com.

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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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