|
|
|
|
 |
Peru is a fascinating country – countryside wise as well as for the culture. However it is not always easy to get to its attractions. Most of the roads are in bad conditions. An international highway is being built, but so far only partly to be used. Summarized it can be said that Peru is dominated by four different kinds of landscapes: Costa, Sierra, Montana and Selva. Costa they call the wide coastal area located at the Pacific Ocean.
Here one finds deserts, the big town Lima and archeological witnesses of ancient cultures. In Lima’s valley basin and at the sides live 8 million people. The old part of town is Cultural Heritage of the World. Many buildings have been erected by the colonial masters. Their strict Catholicism has “inspired” one of the most interesting museums – the inquisition museum with its gruesome waxworks.
The area of the Sierra is formed by high basins of the Andes and majestically peaks. Here one can discover ancient Inca-sites; the most famous one is the Machu Picchu. Here the volcanoes seem to reach for the sky; here the gigantic Titicaca-Lake is situated. Starting from Cusco thousands of travelers leave for the legendary Inca-town Machu Picchu every year. Some travel on foot, others by train. The basin of Cusco itself is said to be “America’s archeological capital.” Cusco shone in pure gold before the Spaniards discovered it. The Spaniards changed everything. Today their colonial palaces dominate the city. And the colorful street markets of the South American Indians.
The Selva, which means something like “jungle”, is hardly penetrable. We talk about the green and wet Amazon-lowland in the east. The mountain-range on the sides is called “Montana.”
Peru’s cuisine is formed by an incredible variety. Domestic specialties are Escabeche (an entrée from cold, previously cooked fish with pepper husks and onions), Chupe de Camarones (stew from shrimps, milk, eggs, potatoes and pepper husks), Sopa Criolla (heavily spiced soup with beef and noodles), Aji de Gallina (chicken with seasoned cream sauce) and Lomo Saltado (pieces of beef with onions, paprika, roasted potatoes and rice). People like to drink domestic beer and Pisco Sour (mixed with a strong brandy).
Some geography:
Peru stretches over an area of 1.28 square kilometers and has 26 million inhabitants. 47% of which are South American Indians, 37% are Mestizo and 13% are of European origin. Language of the country is Spanish; in some regions they also speak Quechua and Aymara. The large majority of the inhabitants belong to the Roman-Catholic church. Peruvians celebrate their national holiday on July 28th and 29th. The country became independent on July 28th in 1821.
Black & white:
Peru is not a very safe country to travel to. One of the dangers involves the high crime rate. One should avoid riding at night through rural areas as well as through slums. Certain parts of the country escaped the central governmental powers: One should only visit areas around the Urubamba, the Huallaga-, the Apurimac-, and the Ene-river while taking every possible precautionary measure – it is best to completely avoid these areas. A further danger hides here. The named areas are said to be hiding places for terrorists.
Drug offences are severely punished in Peru. Therefore one should never leave one’s luggage out of ones sight. Drug smugglers like to use luggage from tourists for transporting “hot goods!” Be also careful when unknown people offer you food or beverages. It has happened before that tourists have been dazed with poisoned foods. If anything happens you should immediately inform the responsible embassy. |
|
|
|
|
|
