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Backpacking South East Asia on an Adventurous Route
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Hints and tips for your holiday in Peru
Planning your holiday in Peru
Peru is a country with a rich and varied cultural and
architectural heritage. Facing the Pacific, it enjoys
spectacular and varied scenery, including Lake Titicaca, the
world's highest navigable lake, and has a strong Inca and
pre-Inca heritage, which includes the famous Lake Titicaca area,
the Nazca Lines, and the ancient Inca capital of Cuzco, with its
Inca Trail to the lost city of Machu Picchu. It's a fantastic
place for a holiday and in this article, we'll be looking at
some hints and tips to make sure you can get the most out of
your holiday in Peru!Language
The primary language in Peru is Spanish. This is almost
identical to the Castilian Spanish of Madrid, albeit with
slightly different pronunciation and a few vocabulary changes.
In the high Andes, particularly around Cuzco and Puno, many
people still speak Aymara or Quechua (the language of the Incas)
as a first language, although almost all will also speak
Spanish. Some English is often spoken in areas popular with
holiday-makers and in staff of services that deal with
international customers (eg: airports, banks, etc.) will
invariably speak some English.People in Peru
Peruvians are renowned even in South America for their
friendliness and they are always keen to engage you in
conversation. Even if they are hoping to sell you something they
are still often curious to find out something about you and
where you come from. The British are quite popular in Peru,
although we still have something of a 'Victorian' reputation; we
are usually seen as very polite and efficient but somewhat
lacking in passion and, of course, quite unable to dance! The
Peruvian expression for being on time is 'A la hora ingles'
(English time) and if you try and explain about the current
situation on British railways you are usually met with polite
disbelief and an assumption that you are just being
kind...Geography and Transport
Peru is split into 3 separate climatic zones: costa, sierra and
selva (the coast, the mountains and the jungle). The character
and culture of the three areas is remarkably distinct and can
give your Peru holiday real variation although nowadays the
country is inter-connected by a good road network, some amazing
railway lines and excellent air services.
The coast mainly consists of a small fertile strip along the
Pacific which merges slowly into the desert at the foothills of
the Andes. In the very north and south of the country it is not
unknown for it not to rain for years at a time but complex
irrigation systems (some of which date back to Inca times) keep
areas like the Pisco valley surprisingly fertile. The
Panamerican highway travels the length of the coast, making
travel within the coastal region both comfortable and speedy.
The Andes range covers the entire central region of Peru, from
north to south. They offer some of the most spectacular views
and some of the most interesting cultural experiences in the
world. As mentioned above, in many areas you can still hear
Quechua - the language of the Incas - spoken as a first language
and the spiritual ideals of Inca culture remain strong. Today
cities like Cusco combine stunning Inca and colonial
architecture with thoroughly modern services but just a short
distance away from the major urban areas, life carries on in a
way which would be instantly recognisable to the Incas. The
Andean areas are where most travellers spend the majority of
their time while on holiday in Peru.
The Peruvian jungle is some of the most unspoilt rainforest in
South America and much of it is protected under international
law. The only access to large sections of the jungle (including
the few cities) is by boat or plane and so it feels very
different to the rest of the country - you get a real
sense of
arriving somewhere! The rainforest is home to a bewildering and
spectacular array of wildlife, with more unique species being
discovered every year!Food and Drink
Peruvian cuisine is excellent and a real highlight of any Peru
holiday, with all the regions having different specialities.
Coastal dishes owe a lot to African and Spanish influences,
tending to be quite rich and often reasonably spicy. Seafood is,
unsurprisingly, excellent and anything with chicken is usually a
good bet. The coast is also the birthplace of the national dish:
ceviche. This is a selection of fish pieces marinated in lime
juice and is absolutely stunning - we urge you to try it even if
you're not usually too keen on fish! Good chicken dishes include
aji de gallina - chicken in a spicy, creamy sauce.
Highland dishes tend to be more simple than coastal (and
especially Limeño) cuisine, concentrating on the excellence of
the ingredients, but is just as delicious! Particular favourites
include rocoto relleno (stuffed Andean peppers). These are the
size and shape of the peppers we eat in England but have a
rather spicy edge to them. They are usually stuffed with small
pieces of beef and vegetables, although most places will do them
with just vegetables on request. We'd also suggest that you try
an alpaca steak at least once during your holiday in Peru: it's
a kind of heavenly mix between pork and beef and has to be
tasted to be believed. Of course, for the adventurous then
nothing will do but the Arequipa speciality of cuy - roasted
guinea pig! It's surprisingly good so long as you can deal with
the guilt...
Rainforest cuisine features a great deal of fresh fruit - both
on its own and as part of main dishes. An unusual one to try is
chirimoya (which you can also find in fruit juices and
milkshakes outside the jungle). It looks a bit like an apple but
tastes like strawberries and cream! Chicken dishes are popular
in the jungle, as they are elsewhere in Peru but tend to be
served with yucca (a kind of manioc) rather than the usual rice
or chips.
Of course, if you're on holiday in Peru then you may well be
wanting a couple of beers to unwind! Peru has several excellent
national beers, probably the best of which is Cuzqueña. All the
beers are lagers but you can often get cerveza malta - a kind of
dark, hoppy lager which is similar to an English Brown Ale. Peru
is starting to make some good wines, particularly reds but is
not as far down the road as Chile or Argentina in this respect.
The country does, however, produce one of the great world
brandies: Pisco. This is also the source for what must be one of
the world's best cocktails: the Pisco Sour. Made from Pisco
brandy, egg-white, cane sugar syrup and limes it is a great
aperitif, although you may find yourself drinking more than just
one...
Also worth a mention is the fact that Peru is one of the only
countries in the world where the local soft drink outsells Coke!
The local 'Inka-Cola' is bright green and very sweet but is very
refreshing and 100% Real Peru! Apart from fizzy drinks,
Peruvians love milkshakes (often known as yoghurt) and all kinds
of fruit juices and these can often hit the spot when you fancy
a break in a shady café.
I hope all this information has given you some tips for your
holiday in Peru, so why not find out some more at The
Real Peru Holiday Company and enjoy some really buenas
vacaciones!
About the author:
Dan Clarke is one of the founders of The Real Peru Holiday
Company - the UK's leading specialist in organising
tailormade holidays in Peru. Dan spends a large part of each
year in Peru, researching new ideas and making sure the old
favourites are still great!
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