Untitled Document

THE REAL EXPERIENCE

Dear Readers,
On this issue we want to share with you the thrill of a yet unknown kind of tourism in Peru. Puno, as well as all over our country, has many non-traditional routes waiting to be discovered by tourists from all the world. If you want to experience a different kind of tour and enjoy of the friendship of our people, read the main article and taste the flavors of the undiscovered Puno, an exquisite journey away from the bustle of the other "traditional tourists".
We also take you behind the steps of the art and history awaiting in Cusco for the keen eye and reveals -just for you- many hidden treasures you surely will be deligthed with.
Dream with butterflies, walk with the Lord of Sipan and the Mochica culture, unravel the artistic past of Cusco, get in touch with the latest news of Peru, follow unknown paths in Puno and taste a delectable gastronomic tour in the only newsletter beyond your imagination.
Regards,
José and Cynthia

ALIVE TOURISM IN PUNO

For six years during the nineteen seventies, an Englishman called Tristan Jones sailed on the lowest and the highest waters on earth: the Dead Sea and Lake Titicaca respectively. His experiences are a tribute to the adventurous spirit of mankind. The first time he saw dawn from the peninsular of Capachica, on Titicaca, Jones wrote: "Under the shining peaks the glaciers, purple and violet, seemed like curtains that descended to the misty foot of the mountains and the intense emerald green of the lake shore...It is the most exquisite landscape I have ever seen"'. Today, in this "exquisite landscape", a series of communities, islanders and shore-dwellers, both Quechua and Aymara speakers, welcome visitors with their own culture, their desire to better themselves, aware that they have a resource that is unique in the world.
To find these projects you have to go to the city of Puno. In the city, hard by the port, travelers are surprised to learn that the part of the lake in front of him, together with the Huancane areas, forms the Titicaca Protected Area. And there is no protection for this area of the lake. An unstoppable toing and froing of passenger and cargo vessels is devoid of all control or vigilance. Someone explained to us that the green mass of vegetation that at some places completely covers the water is the result of pollution by the waste poured daily into the lake. It is known as "Duckweed" and grows were sewage from the city is discharged into the water. The Bay of Puno is in fact a great depository of sewage and waste, especially the huge amount of garbage carried by the river Coata from the chaotic and overpopulated city of Juliaca.
Read the complete article...

ON THE TRAIL OF ART AND HISTORY

That way lies a string of fascinating villages, churches and archaeological sites, enough to satisfy any curious traveler.
It takes a special effort to escape the gravitational pull of Machu Picchu. Both literally and symbolically you must turn your back on the Sacred Valley, and take the road less traveled towards Lake Titicaca.
About 13 km. from the center of Cusco you come to Saylla, a village locally famous for chicharron, deep fried pork. About thirty restaurants offer the dish, so if it's lunch time and his-little-piggy is your fancy, hit the brakes here.
Just one kilometer ahead lies Huasao, off the highway to the left. Here a more mysterious activity lures Cusquenos to spend their money. Want to know why your wife left you? Who stole your bicycle? Want to get back at the s.o.b that fired you?, just want your fortune told, or blessing from the Apus for a new business? Do you want to feel better? Spells, fortunes, offerings, healings - Huasao is the place. Right by the Plaza on Calle 28 de Julio, the Casa del Curandero displays the three coca leaves of the kint´u, as a professional symbol like the striped barber's pole. Down the street on Av. Juan Velasco Alvarado a rival, the Centro Exótico Naturista Huasawino, offers cards, coca, tobacco and caedle readings.
Ten more kilometers brings you to the turn-off for Tipon. One must drive through the village of the same name and about 5km. beyond to reach the Inca ruins of Tipon. One can easily spend all day exploring this site, climbing up the magnificent terraces with intricate and still functioning water systems to the U shaped temple and the 1.4 km. long aqueduct. Higher up you will come to scores of overgrown terraces on the hillsides, and reach an old pre-inca fort on the hilltop. The sacred mountain of Pachatusan (Cross-beam of the universe) looms over the site. This was a royal Inca estate, but like other places of this circuit, it does not get many visitors.
Read the complete article...

MOCHICA CULTURE

Between 100 and 800 B.C., it was develop the most important pre-inca culture of the northern area of Peru, and one of the most important also in the pre-hispanic culture: The Mochica.
Cultural Influence
It is obvious, mainly in the pottery, the influence of prior cultures such as Virú, but there are signs of an early Mochica style. The finds in a place called "Two Heads" show this.
Irrigation System
Considering the vast territory and the dominion over the taken towns the Mochica had an adequate management of their environment and also exploit the resources of their territory and the appropriation of important valleys, ensure the provision of food and raw material to fortify their society and enlarge its agriculture through great irrigation constructions.
Politic Organization
A culture as big and diversify as the Mochica must had a complex political organization. The early reorganization of the township in the conquest valleys in the south, for example, can only correspond to a preconceived plan whose execution shows coordination level and also the social cohesion rare for that period.
Read the complete article...

BUTTERFLIES!

For those in the know, to talk about butterflies is to talk about Peru. One of every five species of butterflies in the world is found here. However, more than just another world record of bio-diversity, this constitutes one more reason to encourage nature lovers to take a journey through Peruvian forests.
Today, butterflies make up the best-known group of land invertebrates and much of this knowledge is attributable to scientists working in the remote jungles of Peru. In recent years, theories stating that the natural diversity of the Amazon region increases in relation to its proximity to the Andes have been proven true by overwhelming statistics.
For example, the extraordinary number of species (1,300) was recorded in the community of Pakitza, in the Manu National Park, in southest Peru and only 146 mi away, in a small hostel on the Tambopata River, 1,260 species were recorded. What is amazing about these findings is that only 60% of the entries of both places overlapped! Researchers estimate that the total diversity of butterflies in the country must be over 4,200 species, of which 3,700 have been registered. The scale of this figure can be appreciated when making comparisons of total number of species with other parts of the world: Australia (396), Europe (441) and North America (679).
Read the complete article...