Chronicles of On The Road Travel

No News is Not Good News

Three days later and still no site... sorry! There does seem to be movement at Startlogic though! After many, many hours on hold with tech support they have identified the issue and recognized that it is their fault. It seems they finally (after at least a year) upgrade us to the new platform they are rolling out without any warning. In  the usual Startlogic way, they also managed to lose half the files when they did the migration! So... it's a work in progress.

In the meantime, Countries throughout Latin America are gearing up for one of the largest events of the year: Holy Week. Andrea Tello, our editor in Peru, provides these updates on the festivities in Cusco:

Cultural and student organizations in Cusco will stage the Passion of Christ in the surrounding areas of Sacsayhuamán this Holy Week. The ceremony will start early on the morning of Friday 21, in the main square of the city and will be taken through every cross in the whereabouts of Sacsayhuamán. 

On Monday, 17 the traditional ‘Lord of Earthquakes’ procession and blessing will take place in the main square. According to devouts, in 1650 a canvas named ‘Christ of the Good Death’ stopped a strong earthquake striking Cusco, when indigenous people and Spaniards started praying together before him.

This celebration is especially interesting for it allows us to appreciate with clarity the fusion between Andean and Christian religions. As a matter of fact, the Cathedral of Cusco itself was built over the base of the ancient temple dedicated to the Inca God Wiracocha.

The image of the Lord of Earthquakes is taken on procession through different streets of the city in the same way mummies of Inca chiefs, priests and high governors were.

Finally, the central element of this celebration is the Ñucchu flower (sage) which was offered in the past to Wiracocha, and is now used to make the crown for the Lord of Earthquakes and is also thrown to the image during the procession.

This is quite an impressive religious celebration, which gathers thousands of people in the Main Square, all waiting for the blessing of this image in absolute silence, deeply touched, for they consider the Lord of Earthquakes their mediator between earth and heaven.

Around 3pm people start gathering in the Main Square, so for a privileged view of this sea of people, try a coffee shop or restaurant with a balcony, such as La Retama (recommended by OTR).

Floods in Peru

The strike's may be calming down in Peru but the weather is definitely acting up!

If you’re travelling to southern Peru (Puno, Cusco or Arequipa) or are looking forward to spending sunny days in the north of Peru, notice that heavy rain is expected in both areas until the month of April.  In the north zone of the country, the city of Tumbes has been severely affected by rivers overflowing causing floods and landslides.

In Cusco, the city of Aguas Calientes is working on the construction of walls along the river to prevent floods which can lead to a disaster similar to the one in 2004, when a landslide covered part of the town, killing 14 people, destroying several houses and buildings.

So far, these rains have left around 1million affected people during this season.

This article was posted by Andrea Tello, our editor in Peru

Heli-Cusco flies to Machu Picchu

Travelers are again able to reach Aguas Calientes, the closest town to Machu Picchu, using the services of Heli-Cusco, whose operations started again after the favourable technical opinion of INRENA (Institute of National Resources) and the approval of the Ministry of Transportations and Communications.

The manager of Heli-Cusco, Herman Schwartzmann, said they are not flying over Machu Picchu and the company has carried out several environmental impact studies to assure flights and landing operations have no negative effect on the area.

In addition, he stated that the time flying around the area is no more than 8 minutes and that the resounding waves are not perceptible in the citadel due to the geological structure of the zone and the thick vegetation.

The approximate cost of the flight is US$200 per person and it lasts 30 minutes from Cusco. Read our Guide to Visiting Machu Picchu. 

Heli Cusco
Calle Arica 849 – Miraflores, Lima
www.helicusco.com
info@helicusco.com

Cusco Loses APEC

Yesterday, Peru’s Minister of Defense announced that Cusco will no longer host any of the APEC meetings scheduled for this year. He stated that this decision was not made by the Government but by the ‘cusqueño people’ whom, with their violent actions and protests, made it clear they were not willing nor ready to receive visitors anytime soon.

‘These violent acts are a clear sign that Cusco doesn’t want members of the APEC to hold their meetings in this city. Some with their violence and others with their accomplice silence have decided on this.’

‘They ask the whole country to vote for

Machu Picchu

to be one of the seven wonders and once they win, they don’t want anybody to visit this jewel; they don’t want to treat their visitors politely. It is a shame for the country and it harms all of us.’

As soon as this statement was given, the President of the Cusco Region, declared there was no reason for this decision and considered it an insult to Cusqueños and their ‘hospitality’. At the same time, he announced protests will continue throughout March and issued a strike call for Holy Week (March 17-23). It is also expected that radical groups protest today and the following days against this decision.

It is yet not known where these meetings will take place, though

Lima

is still main host to this event.

This article was posted by Andrea Tello, our editor in Peru.

The Strikes Go On...

An update from Andrea Tello, our editor in Cusco.

Things are pretty much the same here...Cusco's radicals threaten with one more strike (72 hours this time) starting next week, which will leave the town without flights and buses and trains, etc.  Last Sunday there was this very interesting report on national TV, showing links between these strikes and Ollanta Humala (main opposition to the government, responsible for the killing of 4 police officers 2 years ago).  And they also showed a connection to Hugo Chavez, something that we already knew but didn't want to accept!

Peru is currently host to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), but if protests continue in Cusco, this city will be excluded for safety reasons, as the preparation meetings of APEC 2008, the Meeting of Tourism Working Group (April 5th to 7th) and the Tourism Ministerial Meeting (April 9th to 11th) were supposed to be held in Cusco.

The Minister of Tourism, Mercedes Aráoz, said that the protests are now nonsense since Congress has already approved some modifications to the law in question, giving the regional governments the power to decide if they will license the areas close to the monuments considered cultural heritage.

Travel Advice & Recommendations From Local Experts

Follow Up on Cusco's Strike Situation

An update from Andrea Tello, our editor in Cusco:

It's so difficult to follow up on this strike!  They change their mind every 5 minutes!  Not much happened on Friday, though the airport is being secured by 300 policemen since that day. Saturday and Sunday everything was OK (strikers don't work weekends) and we were all expecting chaos for today and the rest of the week.

Only last night at 10pm there was an announcement...apparently, a big sector of the unions finally understood (finally read the law, I guess) that it is up to them if/where private investors can build close to archaeological patrimony.  If the regional government decides they don't want private investment there or anywhere, then that's final!  So only at 10pm they decided that airlines could fly in, trains could run, etc.

Less than 200 people were marching around Cusco today, followed by 10 policemen and everything seemed just fine...airport was operating normally and so was ground transportation...until 10am when the railroad was blocked from Poroy until a bit after Chinchero, so trains couldn't run from that hour, though some trains were able to run from Ollantaytambo with police security...I talked to my contacts in Perurail and apparently no trains are running tomorrow (again, it's not definite)...

This strike started today with the Agriculture Union and the Union of workers in Cusco, tomorrow the Transportation Union and the teachers are expected to march on Wednesday...

More to come... or maybe not.

Travel Advice & Recommendations From Local Experts

Travel Warning for Cusco

The president of the Regional Workers of Cusco and Regional Assembly, Efraín Yepes, who is considered a part of the extreme opposition, announced an indefinite strike in the region. The strike is in protest of a law allowing private investment around archaeological sites. This law has been criticized by several unions and social organizations in Cusco, who feel it would endanger properties declared patrimony of the nation. 

The strike is scheduled to start tomorrow (Thursday), in what has been called ‘a strike with violent actions’ by Efraín Yepes. “We plan to take Machu Picchu, the airport and the main square of Cusco”. For this reason, most airlines that fly in from Lima have suspended their flights to Cusco and Perurail will announce the cancellation of its services this afternoon.

However, it is said that this strike will likely be postponed until Friday, due to an important soccer match at Cusco’s stadium on Thursday. The visiting team is due to fly in from Lima tomorrow.

Travelers should take extra precautions while traveling in the area and recognize that it may be difficult to leave Cusco if the airport is shut down.

This article was posted by Andrea Tello, our editor in Peru.

Lots to Do in Lima, Peru

This past weekend's San Francisco Chronicle featured a great article about Peru's cultural capital. Christian Mesia, a Peruvian native and a consultant to Peru's National Institute of Culture, reveals his favorite spots around town -- from archeology sites to restaurants to the beach.

OTR's Veronica Montero, who is also a native of Peru, recently returned from a visit and brought us a list of great day trips from Lima.

For more recommendations and articles, check out our relevant readings for Lima.

Day Trips from Lima

If you have a day to kill in Lima in between arrival or departure and want to get away from the noise and pollution hire a car and driver from your hotel and head to the Mala Valley, 80 kms. south in the province of Cañete.  You will pass through the town of Mala first where a stop at the local market is a must.  Here you will find wonderful local produce at bargain prices, as well as all sorts of meats and even toys and clothes.  Be sure to find the fruit stands in one of the corners of the market.  Even if you’re not looking to stock up on flavourful and exotic fruits, you will find perfect photo ops here.

Asking the locals for directions continue towards the hills about 15 minutes to the town of Santa Cruz de Flores, where you can taste local wines.  Another 15 minutes further (and more asking for directions) and you will reach the town of Azpitia, your final destination.  This area is known for its pisco as well as its breathtaking view of the valley.  El Balcon del Cielo was the first restaurant to come to this location.  Its stepped balconies overlook the valley where you can spot grape plantations, river shrimp farms (camarones) and other local fruit. 

This is the perfect place to spend a lazy day enjoying a long lunch to the sound of the water from the Mala River.  Many locals from Lima come here in the winter for lunch on the weekends escaping its grey days.  In the summer the upper class that vacations in the nearby beaches also frequents the town.

Travel Advice & Recommendations by Local Experts

* Note that this delicious variety of shrimp is in ‘veda’ from January until the 11th of april.

Travel Trends for the New Year

Travel & Leisure magazine has listed the top 5 trends that will change travel in 2008. Most of these suggestions are unremarkable (ecotravel has been on the rise for years, spas are always getting more luxe), but I did think it was interesting that they pointed to Latin America as a top destination offering good value, specifically Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. Again, this isn't a new trend, but is certainly a more obvious one in the face of a weak US dollar.

I would also commend their realization that hotels are moving towards providing a home away from home. These are exactly the types of hotels that we focus on in our recommendations:

In Peru's Sacred Valley, Kuychi Rumi offers six individual guest houses offering two bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, a living room and a wonderful patio, all at a very affordable price.

On the shores of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, you can kick back at Terraza Choi and enjoy the views from the comforts of this beautiful, modern home.

In Rio de Janeiro, the coastal city that never sleeps, you have your choice of a variety of bed and breakfast options in the artsy, hilltop neighborhood of Santa Teresa. Cama e Cafe will match your travel preferences with one of the 50+ homes in their network.

Despite its big-city feel, Buenos Aires has plenty of options for a 'home away from home'. Suites hotels such as Artsuites, Design Suites and Soho All Suites offer apartment-style accommodations with full kitchen and living areas. This is a great way to get to know a city at your own pace, relaxing in your suite with a meal on down days and exploring the city when you've caught your breath again!

Travel Advice & Recommendations From Local Experts