Has anyone in this bitch ever visted Peru?

YES

(I've never been)

Srsly I think the only place in the world I wouldn't go is someplace I know is currently in the throes of civil unrest; if I don't know about it, I want to go there.

danny, that's generally my attitude.

Just checking here to see if there is civil unrest. Or cheap beer available.

Report from Jaymc next week, I'm guessing.

is there anything to do or do I just go there and figure it out with my Spanglish.

Read this thread ASAP:

TITTW sleeve goes to Peru

Very good read in general.

yes i've been to peru. my dad lived was born there and grew up there. i'd highly recommend going, but it's well worth it to make the effort to travel outside of lima, too. it's an interesting city but far from what the rest of peru has to offer.

there are many parts of the country that i have not been too. i've only been there once and it was quite some time ago.

sorry about messed up grammar in second sentence. you get the idea

peru.xls

I have repeatedly read this as "Has anyone in this bitch ever visited Pern" and I think "NOT FOR LACK OF TRYING."

thanx Ned!

My experiences have mostly been in the highlands around Cuzco. How much time do you have? Lima has a really good museum of pre-Columbian art and a short trip up the coast near Trujillo are cool ruins.

Cheap beer is available and pretty damn decent (speaking as a Pacific-NW beer snob), they really like their pilsners. Cusquena was my fave.

I concur that Lima is probably the LEAST interesting part of the country (museums aside), a few days somewhere else would be well worth it.

jaymc's flight transfers at Miami; we might get beers if his flight's delayed.

Yerac to thread

jaymc should be on his way to Machu Picchu right now!

I lived in Trujillo (in the north, on the coast), for 9 months...but that was in 1998 so most of what I would have to say could be really out of date. I would also recommend travelling round, though, outside Lima. Even if it's just a short trip to Arequipa or Puno (I guess Trujillo is okay, but not so pretty and also out of the way).

We got around on coaches, mostly, but also got a train here and there, as well as a flight from Cuzco - Lima before we set off home to the UK. All very cheap, particularly the coaches (although the ones I travelled in didn't stop often or have air con...maybe those kind of things are more common now...like I say, it was a decade ago...is all very dream-like in my memories now and I wish I'd kept a diary).

Eat: lomo saltado, ceviche.

Lima is kind of a drag. Sprawling, dirty, covered in fog most of the time. The rest of my travel in Peru was amazing; Arequepa, Cuzco, Machu Pichu, Sacred Valley.

yes, do everything you possibly can to make it to cuzco and especially machu pichu

Was there late last year... agree Lima is mostly a concrete jungle, but there's still some parts worth seeing - the National Museum is great (some amazing ceramics in particular) and also the architecture in the central / historical center. The Inca Trail / Machu Pichu was fab (Cuzco a typical tourist-trap town) and Puno a nice, low-key place.

People were very friendly everywhere I went (and quite patient with my atrocious Spanish skills).

ha, my fallback trip is London.

thanks all for input.

When I was in Peru in 1990 with my wife, we visited a shaman in Cusco who claimed that when he was an apprentice to his teacher, somewhere near Lake Titicaca, that his teacher had found a crystal skull in the ground. They said this crystal skull had a great deal of negative power associated with it, and that it was reburied in the ground and he did not know where it was. We participated in a ceremony with him, where the spirits spoke to us, the lights were turned out, we saw sparks of light flash and birds seem to be flying in the room. It was a rare exeprience.

Dude.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51800V53Z3L._AA240_.jpg

You never looked better than there, omar. Oh wait.

Nice - I'll be going there in May, myself!

i spoke to one of the freelancers in my office who had family there and he said i should see a shaman while there. kind of caught me off guard.

Lima is the last place you want to visit while you are in Peru.

A bus load of Peruvian chefs descends on Peru, Nebraska (pop 589):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYLQ1az0GPI

Ha, funny that I never saw this thread, since I was, y'know, in Peru.

I'm pretty sure I was in Peru about 3 years ago too, oddly.

Lima is the last place you want to visit while you are in Peru.

― Yerac, Thursday, April 3, 2008 5:45 PM (3 years ago)

I <3 Yerac but this is pretty OffTM.

You're OFFTM!

zmog, sup lurker!

(I don't really <3 you btw, just PJ)

He just called you Steve "Peepee Hands" Shasta. You can take that however you want.

T__T

So Yerac, tell us what you found so repulsive about Lima?

of all the places to go in Peru, Lima would be at the end of the list. of big South American cities to spend time in, Lima would still be at the end of the list. Actually, all I can remember from Lima is a lot of honking and people having stuff stolen constantly.

OK, so I am going to Peru in September (or October, I haven't got an actual date yet). Since we went to Chile 2 years ago it will be interesting to see what ceviche, pisco and... erm... potatoes are like in the other country that invented them.

Never one to shy away from a packed schedule, ours is Lima > Trujillo > Huanchaco > Ica > Nazca > Arequipa > Colca > Puno > Cusco > Ollantaytambo in under 3 weeks.

Trujillo rules, eat fish and enjoy the climate

Living Heart Cafe in Ollantaytambo has good food, so does Los Perros in Cusco

"thank you" in Quechua is sulpayki ("sool-pie-kee")

I'll bookmark this if u have more q's later on

Are you going to Machu Picchu?

Yeah, just before we come home.

Looking forward to adding Nazca to my checklist of "pseudo-Fortean places I grew up reading about but never thought I'd get to" like Angkor Wat and easter Island.

Machu Picchu is worth the trouble. Cusco was a lot of fun too. In Lima, I stayed in Miraflores, which is a nice area. Lots of good restaurants.

Good itinerary. Arequipa was my favourite out of those. Maybe check out Las Islas Ballistas for a day if you've got time, touted as 'the poor man's Galapagos.' They're close enough to Ica.

I...may yet visit someday myself, we'll see. (My sweetie is Peruvian on her father's side -- she's been a few times when younger.)

Oh and make sure you go to Chan Chan while in Trujillo.

We're staying in Miraflores, but I think Lima is little more than night of arrival in country and following night (much like we had in Santiago de Chile, from memory). And yes, we're planning on Las Islas Ballistas as well on a day trip.

Chan Chan is our main reason for heading to Trujillo.

Also, I had never heard of Paracas Candelabra until I started planning this trip.

Chan Chan is completely amazing, seconded.

if u are a drinker, Ica probably has the best local pisco

Ica itself is a bit of a dump by the way. Nearby Huacachina is a much more atmospheric place to stay. Plus they have sandboarding.

I can drink pisco as well as the next man, if the next man is someone who likes to drink pisco.

yeah, I don't think Ica has fully recovered from the 2007 earthquake

xp

if u are a drinker, Ica probably has the best local pisco

― sleeve

I think they residents of Pisco might argue with that! I actually spent two months volunteering there in a wonderful earthquake relief project which has now sadly shut down. It's a town which is very close to my heart, but doesn't really have much to offer the casual tourist.

ah yes you are probably right about the actual town of Pisco, I have not been to the Ica region

Peru is a very interesting country. My ex was from Cañete/Arequipa.

@aldo, that itinerary sounds doable.

I think the best pisco isn't necessarily in Pisco, either. And yes, there isn't much to do there.

I never liked Lima, but I have to say it has improved a lot. A lot of things have gotten more expensive, as well.

You'll have fun. It's a beautiful country filled with so much history and culture.

Foods to try:

*When in Arequipa, ocopa
*Seco de cordero con frejoles (MY FAVOURITE! Traditionally, it is made with lamb, but it is most often served with beef. It's frejoles in Peru, not 'frijoles' (:)
*Ceviche (Lima/coastal cities are known for their fresh seafood; it's done differently than in other Latin American countries--it's spelt cebiche in Spanish (:)
*Ají de gallina (curried chicken/hen)
*Arroz con pato/pollo
*Yuca frita (fried cassava root with 'ají):
*'Ají' or 'ajicito' or 'ajicito verde' is a catch-all term Peruvians use for a spicy sauce, many times green. They eat it with a lot of stuff. It is typical for a family and many restaurants to have it and serve kind of like ketchup. Essays have been written on it. That's how important it is.
*Chupe de camarones (in Lima, maybe)
*Helado de lúcuma (ice cream made from lucuma; the fruit is basically from Peru. If you eat it in another country, it doesn't taste the same)
*Try emoliente
*Whilst in the south, try a chilcano (popular cocktail), not just pisco sour

Other stuff may require you to go off the beaten path, so I won't mention it.

Too bad you're not going to Huancayo, otherwise you could eat and watch them cook pachamanca.

That's all that comes to mind for now.

(By the way, I have a 'special' relationship with the country, so I can try answering some of your questions, as well.)

The Peruvian far-right opts for the Trump/Bolivian opposition strategy: Cry fraud when it becomes clear you've lost. Political and racial violence follows. https://t.co/XMWxCLvTqo

— Ollie Vargas (@OVargas52) June 8, 2021

🇵🇪🇵🇪🇵🇪 #PeruElecciones2021 - a quick summary thread for those following in the UK.

As of Tuesday morning (~3am in Peru) Pedro Castillo has a growing but narrow lead over Keiko Fujimori.

Ignore anyone who says this is over / Castillo has already won 1/8https://t.co/pEJXheJ4hT

— Daniel Willis (@not_DJW) June 8, 2021

It's vital those watching from the UK view these claims of fraud critically, rather than piling in with assumptions.

The international acceptance of far right claims of fraud in Bolivia in 2019 were crucial in creating the space for the coup to happen.

that could be addressed to a few posters on here.

Given how reactionary their reporting on Latin American politics is, the Guardian may as well dispense with their own correspondents and directly reprint state department press releases pic.twitter.com/kmgvUV6wFx

— Ed (@emcnally96) June 7, 2021

As a Marxist teacher wins the election in Peru 🇵🇪, the country's elite are melting down and pulling their money out the country, proving once again that the upper class everywhere hate democracy and are willing to destroy society to try to get what they want. pic.twitter.com/aE76epYAMp

— Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) June 8, 2021

If Pedro Castillo wins, the country will take a lurch to the left of unknown magnitude https://t.co/UsB69EQ1H9

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) June 8, 2021

The Economist endorsing the fascists again is it.

a lurch is it

i suppose the economist would prefer castillo to work collaboratively with oligarchs and criminals on an incremental approach to socialism

The Economist only fell with the Tories over brexit and do not give a flying fuck about democracy, rampant poverty and civil rights abuses, because that is the nature of neoliberalism. But a "free-market success story" is pure fiction.

International observers are saying (unlike some in Bolivia) the election was fair so I don't know what excuse can the usual suspects who post here find for not supporting the left-wing candidate but I expect them to get creative.

Pedro Castillo addresses supporters gathered outside his campaign office in Lima for the third straight night. Crowds are celebrating what looks to be an unstoppable victory. Castillo asks that they "be vigilant of democracy" during these key hours.pic.twitter.com/vtD1Jdl7DS

— Kawsachun News (@KawsachunNews) June 9, 2021

Pedro Castillo got 0 votes in Miami lol pic.twitter.com/dNwkyhZJRd

— Ollie Vargas (@OVargas52) June 9, 2021

The richest Peruvian I know (who tbf lives in Europe) is all in for Castillo

(to be more complete his first choice was Veronika Mendoza but when it came down to Castillo vs Fujimori he saw the choice as very clear.)

still marginally ahead at 99.82% of votes counted.

Excellent xp

some enjoyable chilean memes going around about chile being driven onto the antarctic when he wins

So weird how they're just going to give the presidency to the person who won the most votes, do they not understand that democracy requires the election to be decided by the outcome in three or four Andean swing districts

lol at some of these contested Peruvian votes being counted right now
(via @remoto97) pic.twitter.com/AjltOvbCMf

— Populism Updates (@PopulismUpdates) June 9, 2021

yeah out of the maybe 2 dozen Peruvians we know and are in touch with, only one is legit for Keiko and one takes the "I think the backlash will be worse so I'm against him" viewpoint, everyone else is solidly for El Profesor

Still awfully tight. A 67,000 lead is nothing. Hope Castillo wins.

Left-wing candidate Pedro Castillo wins #Peru's presidential election

▪️Left-wing Castillo, candidate of Free Peru Party, won 8,804,439 votes and won the election with 50.2%.
▪️Popular Force candidate, right-wing Keiko Fujimori won 8,735,472 votes and narrowly lost with 49.8%. pic.twitter.com/cClyvRsrWL

— EHA News (@eha_news) June 11, 2021

idk how reliable this is or if this election has officially been called yet but also Japan Times are reporting that some top Peruvian prosecutor is moving to have Fujimori arrested.

I love how even Peruvian Tories somehow look like they went to Durham pic.twitter.com/GsQbD6vL0j

— Ghostface Kafka (36 Chambers) (@TheKafkaDude) June 11, 2021

I wrote about the Peruvian elections, about a country stuck in limbo for days following accusations of fraud and about racism. Gracias @contracultural y @ramosdesal! https://t.co/SJb8P4V9IN

— Valeria CK (@valeria_wants) June 16, 2021

it's pretty bad

yeah I'm not happy abt the situation

Castillo has been proclaimed president 43 days after election day!! Here's a second story I wrote about what happened during that strange period: https://t.co/OjFrq0QJ0O

— Valeria CK (@valeria_wants) July 20, 2021

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/20/castillo-set-to-become-peru-president-as-rival-fujimori-says-she-will-recognise-result

Castillo has pledged to redraft the constitution and raise taxes on mining firms, but has in recent weeks softened his rhetoric and hinted at a more moderate, market-friendly approach.

hmmm

Well this sounds a lot like if Corbyn made it to PM.

"Even if Castillo is elected, Toledo is convinced Peru is “much more likely to face ungovernability than communism.” He would face strong opposition in Congress, from the country’s elite and the media. And while Castillo “will need to figure out how to last a year,” Peruvians will have to figure how to live with each other. As Toledo says: “we are getting to the bicentenary without having found a single thing that Peruvians… could have in common.”"

Britain’s liberal broadsheet, ladies and gentlemen. pic.twitter.com/XfUWSd3OHP

— Flying_Rodent (@flying_rodent) July 30, 2021

oh yah, my capitalist Peruvian friend is super pissed rn

Peru itself as independent state turned 200 on Wednesday, so quite a marker!

is Fujimori going to prison now?

castillo isnt really a "marxist". bit of a sui generis, for northern hemisphere observers, populist socialist, social conservative, peruvian nationalist (from an agrarian and indigenous/mestizo lens).

in his first speech as president he said that young people not employed or studying should do military service. i do think we might have a bit of a mad-lad on our hands. hopefully he doesn't start saber-rattling with chile.

Yeah that guardian headline is just libs. He is no commie but it'll be interesting to see what he does, or the ppl he brings along do.

Good interview

https://tribunemag.co.uk/2021/07/pedro-castillo-offers-a-chance-for-peru-to-break-with-its-neoliberal-history

Of course there would be a UK Labour MP decrying this election as no choice at all and inaccurately as "a country going down the failed marxist route" who likely wouldn't have had anything to say on the matter if the country was under the control of a fascistic crime dynasty.