Groot in Peru

Groot has touched down in Perú! in Cuzco to be precise. This sculpture was created by students from ""Escuela de Bellas Artes de Cusco" (Diego Quispe Tito)   and it's made of recycle materials.  Although this piece of art was not display in the parade of the institute it was given recognition by the director of the movie (James Gun) who posted pictures on his facebook and twitter.

Sadly a lot of art work like this are lost; however, due to the popularity of this piece it will be preserved and put on display in the gallery of the institution where it was made.

 

To promote tourism, Groot is now available to the public, you can find it in Checacupe, 80 Km from Cusco....don't miss the opportunity to visit it when you're around!


Photo credit to: Cusco desde El Lente de Mi Camara

Maiz morado ...Peruvian Purple Corn

When travelling to Peru you will hear of a drink called Chicha Morada and even a dessert called Mazamorra Morada, this colour is not artificial but is from the purple maize that grows here.

When I came from England I had never heard if purple maize in my life only yellow, what gives it this colour is the anthocyanins which the maize is really rich in.

This maize was used long before the Spanish and the Inca’s were in the area now known as Peru and scientists put the consumption of maize at 3000 and 1800 B.C or  5,000 years ago.

Many people believe that this maize has properties that are good for the health ranging for example blood pressure.

Although there is now substitutions for purple maize in Peru you can easily start to tell the different between what is real and what is not. So come and check it out and start making your Chicha Morada today or if you wish something sweet and warm for this winter, you could try the Mazamorra Morada.

Next time I'll post a video about how to cook your own Mazamorra Morada =D

INVITA PERU - Gastronomic Festival

From the 20th to the 29th of June Invita Peru open its door to the many tourist (Peruvian and foreigners) who want to come and enjoy the marvellous food and music of Peru.

 

This event is also know as a small "Mistura", this event is held in the Exposition Park  (Parque de la Exposición, Av. 28th of July with Av. Garcilazo de la Vega) . 

 

 

 

This event lasts for ten days and allows you to explore all kinds of different foods for the traditional to the exotic also here you can try out many kinds of desserts and drinks. (Above you can see a picture of "Picarones" a dessert made of sweet potato and pumpkin cover in "chancaca" it's like syrup)

 

 

 

 

 The most popular I believe is always the traditionally cooked pork which is cooked in the open over wood or charcoal, also there's smoked pork and pork cooked in a cylinder... the possibilities are endless when it comes to cooking in Peru.

 

 

You will also get to see a live performance by one of Peru’s musical artists, when I went I managed to see Pelo d'Ambrosio for the second time. Pelo d'Ambrosio is famous for his folk, pop, rock music and Andean fusion music.

 

 

(The drink I'm holding in this pictures is called "Machu Picchu Sour")

 

Of course you can't leave the event without sampling some of Peru's finest Pisco, here you can buy a wide range of cocktails ...although this event started in 2011 and may not have the reputation of "Mistura" it's quickly growing and becoming a well-known and well loved event.

I would recommend this event as a starter to all newcomers who wish to get a glimpse of Peruvian gastronomy, I'd definitely come again next year!

ChocoMuseo

Do you like chocolate? I LOVE IT! That's why after reading an article on "El Comercio" (peruvian newspaper)  I told myself: Hey, Why don´t you write about this fabulous place that you saw last week and didn't bother on enter? (I know, now I wanna kill myself xD ahahahah)

So let's read a bit about CHOCOMUSEO :

"Everybody knows about Belgian, Swiss or French chocolate but have you ever heard about Peruvian, Guatemalan, Dominican or Nicaraguan chocolate?

Sometimes Peru or Dominican Republic might be mentioned on the chocolate wrap but it is often to describe the cacao producing country rather than the chocolate making country.

At ChocoMuseo we decided to make chocolate in countries where cacao grows: We source the best quality cacao beans and then process them artisanally to obtain delicious chocolate.

When you visit us you will be able to see the chocolate making process from the cacao bean to the chocolate bar. If you have time, you should participate in one of our chocolate making workshop and experience the feeling of a chocolate maker."

 That's from the author website, also let me mention that this great idea belong to a French couple (Alain Schneider & Clara Isabel Días, both Engineers) who fall in love with the idea of creating a Museo of Chocolate in which they could share qith people the experience of making your own chocolate and even better using national cacao. 

They both quite their jobs, started with this crazy idea and now they have 4 ChocoMuseum (Perú, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Dominic Republic).

They were also in Mistura (Peruvian biggest gastronomic festival), they offer different workshops in ChocoMuseo, you can learn to prepare ice cream, chocolate and also there's a free interactive museum about cacao and chocolate.

(Images from ChocoMuseo in Cuzco. Credit to: El Comercio)

I think as part of your tour in Lima or if you're in Cuzco, this is a place to add in your list! It's really embarrassing to say I haven't been there yet in my 3 years in Perú. 

I'm  hopefully going there in my next tour around the great city of Lima ...as I said once, there is always a new place to discover in Lima...just imagine in all Perú.

Opening hours 

Sunday to Thursday:

11:00AM to 8:30PM

Friday and Saturday:

 11:00AM to 9:30PM

Workshops in Lima:

11:30AM, 2:30PM, 5:30PM

in ChocoMuseo Miraflores

1:30PM, 4:30PM, 7:30PM

in ChocoMuseo Barranco

Contact

Lima@ChocoMuseo.com

tel:  (+51) 01 445 97 08

cel: (+51) 983 361 342

http://www.chocomuseo.com/english

Parque de la Muralla

 

 

 

 

In the Rimac district of Lima you will find a park close to the presidential palace this park is known as Parque de la Muralla (Park of the Wall) what is interesting about this park is that you will see the remains of walls that were constructed in 1684 and finished in 1687 by Viceroy Melchor de Navarra to prevent the city being attacked by pirates or would-be attackers however, the walls were torn down under the presidency of Jose Balta in 1872 under news expansion plans of the city.

 

 

 

 

 

Also in this park hidden away in the corner you will see a statue of Francisco Pizarro, this was never originally place here but was near the presidential Palace and Cathedral in the main square (Plaza de Armas) so, Why did it move? Well ... Pizarro was the Spanish conquistador who lead the invasion into Peru in 1530 but due to his cruel and heavy hand in the country many question the validity of him being praised and due to lobbying especially by one an architecture professor named Santiago Agurto Calvo had it removed in 2003, it moved twice before being officially placed in the Park of the Wall. I wish to add something else to this history:

The statues were made in the 1930’s by Ramsey MacDonald and I say statues because three were made. Ramsey made the statues not as a representation to Pizarro but to an anonymous European foot soldier and some back up this claim because the sword, horse and helmet are historically inaccurate. So where are the statues? Well the one in Peru was never really destined for Peru but was given to Mexico to represent Hernan Cortes (Conqueror of Mexico - 1518) however, they rejected it and it was sent to Peru, the second one is in Wisconsin and the other although created by Charles Rumsey resides in Plaza Mayor in Trujillo, the hometown of Pizarro.

 

 

 

 

This park is great for all kinds of people, history lovers to people who just wish to take a stroll and being located in the centre you will never be too far from other tourist attractions, also It has a really nice restaurant and a museum inside in which you can read more about Lima's history, It's open  from Monday to Saturday from 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.  and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. and it only cost S/. 1.00 Nuevo sol the vist. So don't miss it, if you're in Lima downtown this has to be one of your destinations!

 

 

 

 

 

Once again, the history of Lima never stops amazing me! ... There's a lot to learn in every corner.

El Olivar Park

A green treasure in Lima

Nestled within the district of San Isidro lies a beautiful park called El Olivar this park is full of Olive trees and dotting the surroundings is a library, an early 20th century mansion, a lagoon and the local municipal building. During the time of Spanish colonization the park stretched to 27 hectares and by 1730 had 1,500 trees the original Olive trees are said to have arrived from Seville, Spain in 1560 by Antonio de Rivera. By 1828 the amount of trees supposedly recorded reached to 2,338. 

This park has two legends one of which is that when the Spaniards left Peru after the independence of 1821 they chopped the trees down within the park for revenge but from the trunks left behind the trees regrew (the damage can still be seen today).

And secondly, It's said that St. Martin of Porras planted an olive tree in this park, and when the newly married couples sit beneath the tree, their love will be eternal. Due to financial issues in the 1920s parts of the park were sold off and people then built homes around the park, the park now has 23 hectares and before 1931 the park was private and was surrounded by high walls however, in 1931 the government made it a public place where anyone could enjoy its beauty and it was officially announced a National Monument on the 16th December 1959. Just like in the time of the Spaniards olives are still harvested from this park and can be still used to make olive oil.  

Not only does this park boast a wide variety of trees but also thirty species of birds can found here, so if you wish sit and relax, go running or go bird watching this park is perfect....I'll write more about this park soon!

Convent of San Francisco, Lima

 

 

If you travel to Lima Downtown you come across many churches these churches date back to the Spanish colonial times, one such church is called the “San Francisco Convent” located at Corner Jr. Ancash with Jr. Lampa.

 

 Work began on this church 1673 and completed in 1774 however, the church is no longer as big as it was during the 1940’s development of Lima especially work on the Avenue Abancay caused the destruction of parts of the church or closing parts off which are now used for other things. What is also interesting about this church is that it contains a library that contains over 25,000 texts some even predating the conquest and also displays a bible dating back to 1571.

You will also find a large selection of artwork and colonial styled architecture to admire. Now I bet you are all wondering is that all there is here?? You probably have seen all this before in other churches but wait there is more deep within the subterranean levels lays one of Lima’s first cemeteries.

These catacombs were not discovered till 1943 and are known to contain 25,000 to 70,000 skeletal remains; the reason for this is in the colonial times it was seen as important to be buried beneath a church for religious reasons. In 1808 one of the first public cemetery called Presbitero Maestro (another interesting site located at Jr. Ancash - Barrios Altos, 1611) was opened but the idea of it seemed unusual and people still preferred to be buried underneath the churches till 1821 when don José de San Martín prohibited the use of the catacombs.
 

So that is a brief history of the place but if you wish more details you should take the daily tour which I may add is in English and in Spanish and will only cost 7 soles for adults and 1 sol for children, this tour will take you around the church and of course will show you all the skulls and bones of the catacombs. Just like the tour guild says when entering the catacombs be careful, if you are a tall person like me you will find yourself crouching, believe me hitting your head on those stone arches hurt hahaha. Also I wish to note that taking pictures is prohibited in catacombs and in the church but if you have a quick eye and quick fingers you can take a sneaky shot.

 

Sanguchería EL CHINITO

El Chinito an awesome place to buy breakfast!! This little piece I shall talk about "El Chinito" a sanguchería (sandwich restaurant) here in Lima, this place was set up in  1960 and has gained a good reputation.

 

Everything started in 1960 when Don Felix opened a Sangucheria in downtown Lima . The quality of his products, friend's meetings and familiar reunion as well as the charisma of Don Felix became his trademark. Over time, that Sangucheria became famous . And everyone called El Chinito .
"El Chinito" was characterized by offering the best traditional sandwiches, with recipes that were gradually perfected by Don Felix. The restaurant created an atmosphere that was pleasant which meant that presidents, ministers, doctors, policemen and taxi drivers felt at home in "El Chinito": all around a delicious and traditional Peruvian "sánguche" (spanish word for sandwich)

  

 

So after watching a report about the best places to eat a "Chicharron", the family here in Peru and I decided to go to check it out.

Now since this place is very popular (specially the traditional restaurant  located in Jr. Chancay 894, downtown Lima) it has a lot of people wanting to eat there, so be prepared to cue for about thirty minutes or so but it is well worth the wait.

What makes this place sooooooooooo good, well ... here they serve large pork and even turkey sandwiches they come with sweet potato and an onion salad (sorry I couldn't take pictures of the other sandwiches the family ordered, food was too delicious that they didn't wait for the photo lol )

 

Although it is a little expensive here I would say go once and I am sure you will enjoy it. ( A face that express more than a thousand words xD)

 

Where to find more: (http://www.elchinito.com.pe/)

 

Visiting “Cerro San Cristobal”

As you travel through Lima you will see that there is a lot of larges hills that dot around the city one such hill of interest to many, is known as “Cerro San Cristobal” which is located in the Rimac district of Lima.

What would you expect to find on this hill?? Well during the Spanish occupation of Peru in the 16th century and the large Catholic influence it brought, the Spaniards went about taking land and changing the names of the mountains, hills and places to reinforce their influence, it was especially common to name these places after saints. 

Mountains and hills were important to Incas as they believed that Apus, spirits of the mountains occupied these places (Apu can also mean the name of sacred mountains). During 1536 a large Inca rebellions plagued the newly founded city of Lima and on this hill of “Cerro San Cristabol” stood a large wooden cross (it was belief of the Spaniards this would give protection to the newly founded city) this was subsequently destroyed by the Incas and as the rebellion was slowly crushed new crosses were erected however, due to weather and other natural problems the cross had to be replaced time and time again till 1927 when a new cross made of iron and cement was firmly placed. This new cross stands at 20 meters and is situated at 400 meters above sea level.

 

 

To visit this site is very easy and I would recommend anyone wanting to see it to travel to downtown Lima to the Plaza de Armas (the huge square in front of the presidential palace). Here there are many small buses willing to take tourists on a small guided tour for 5 soles. The main issue here especially for people like myself is that the tour is only in Spanish but that should not let you down because when the bus takes the winding road up the hill you will see the spectacular views of Lima. You don't need to worry, you'll go with a large group of people (Peruvian and foreigner) in my case I went with my girlfriend who was translating for me  everything the tour lady was explaining. In few words, they talk about some old building in Lima like Inka Cola first company, Alameda de los descalzos, they'll also tell you about the famous love story between Virrey Amat and his mistress Maria Micaela Villegas Hurtado, known as La Perricholi, (consider the most famous Peruvian woman of the eighteenth century).

It's really nice to see how people try to promote the place and create some job opportunities, I would also recommend you visit this place at night (I went early in the afternoon on my first time), the cross will be illuminated and you will be left in awe as you look down at the bustling city.

 

 

 



I made a new friend out there!

Me and a beautiful background!

 

 

                           

 

 

  

 

 

PS: Don’t forget your camera, you will regret it if you do.