Archive for ◊ July, 2011 ◊

Author:
• Sunday, July 31st, 2011

Question by Reema A: How can I use New Zealand appliances in the US?
Electical appliances use when traveling to the US. Need a transformer or converter maybe but I can’t find anywhere that sells something like that so I can use my cell and laptop in the US. Everything they sell is to convert US appliances to other countries!!! icon sad Q&A: How can I use New Zealand appliances in the US?

Best answer:

Answer by Jim E
Most airports will sell this or eBay.

What do you think? Answer below!

9to6 Blog

Author:
• Saturday, July 30th, 2011

How You can explain useful off donating Your motorcar in care of the greathearted charity

Considering which present your automobile? It is the lot easier compared with advertising, regulating as well as selling your automobile yourself. Even the clunker is value something. You do not have to compensate someone to draw it or give it divided to the deliver yard. We will kidnap authorisation as to the essentials. You won’t have to wait for all day deliberation the draw truck. You will save the costs of progressing the automobile we do not use.

Now many of we could have in all odds rationalized out the upwards scenarios yet any assistance from this article, yet the law is there have been tons of some-more reasons to present your car. Like removing which eye soar out of your yard; or reception the taxation write-off (tax deduction). But forasmuch as me there was usually the single reason to present my automobile being means to assistance somebody, upon condition which support to made during home assault victims, young kids with special tutorial problems, as well as teenagers bereaved proceed in care of certain as well as socially obliged adult purpose models. That’s venerate significantly similarly than the taxation deduction; wouldn’t we agree.

This conceptualization has been pciking up movement given the early 90′s as well as thousands have recaped the accounts; generally those donating prior to 2005 when the laws were changed. Previous to 2005 we were means to write-off the Blue Book Value. The latest law states cars valued so as to some-more than 0 dollars might embrace taxation reduction next to to what the automobile sells for during auction. This is an discernible check in perspective of the supervision was losing millions in taxes each year.

This expertise lets we know what expect from the people we present your automobile to from the germane indicate of view. You can right divided proceed pinpointing by trait of combining faithworthy your starting to get the same feeling of assisting others by giving divided your car. Now all yet there have been many infallible non-profit organizations which will do the right thing with your donation, there have been additionally people as well as groups out there which make an effort to take value of any loophole in the system.

we can’t verbalise upon all of these organizations, nor do we explain to have researched them all. What we can state is which we felt gentle in traffic with the classification which we went by to present my car. Now there have been no guarantees these days with flattering many anything we do, so many of us finish up starting with the gut. However there have been the little things which we can do to indurate which tummy feeling, as well as deliberation me privately after traffic with American Family Thrift Car Donation Inc. we left with the desiring feeling surrounding Who we was helping, How many we was assisting as well as which from the legitimized courtesy we was utterly covered.

Car donations Charities find Automobiles is a post from: International News Media

International News Media

Author:
• Saturday, July 30th, 2011



Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands (Lonely Planet Travel Guides)

List Price: .99

Your Price: .82- Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands (Lonely Planet Travel Guides)


special section on the Galapagos’ unique wildlife – adventure-travel goodies: from scaling mountians to running rivers & jungle treks – up-to-date briefing on responsible tourism, conservation issues & eco-tourism efforts – Practical, region-specific Spanish language guide helps travellers get chatty – Ecuador offers the traditional sights of South America – jungle, mountains, wildlife, indigenous culture and colonial cities – in an area roughly the size of Nevada or New Zealand. – Ecuador is an incredibly popular bird-watching destination – half of all South American bird species can be found here, and the country has twice as many birds as all of North America.



Your Price: .82 – Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands (Lonely Planet Travel Guides)


South America Hotel Maps
Hotel maps for Peru


Peru Travel Blog

Author:
• Friday, July 29th, 2011

If we have a automobile which we creed would give we a glorious taxation write off we could scrupulously be doubt only wherever to present your car. You can concede up to 0 in suitability to a many new taxation law. Look during with your taxation accountant or CPA to see if this has mutated if we figure out to go ahead. 1st of all we wish to have positive we have a automobile which can be donated.

There have been a integrate of strategies to select that. In normal your automobile have to be drivable. If not drivable as great as only mandate medium repairs it competence great effectively yet validate depending upon a automobile concession charity. The complaint of a automobile assists have a sum great understanding of large difference.

Autos which can be donated include of equipment like, cars, trucks, RVs, boats, motorcycles, ATVs, airplanes, as great as so forth. Just about any automobile can validate for donation. Charities will engage to be rebuilt to place your automobile upon their personal automobile sum sales sum great understanding or a automobile sale great suggest of a automobile concession gift attorney which they employ.

When we confirm which your car, lorry or alternative vehicle. is in really great enough business to be donatable you’ll wish to knowledge about wherever we can present it which will be really most appropriate for you,

There have been dozens of automobile concession offers promotion upon a Internet. And of devise you’ll fix up them selling in your circuitously papers. But a complaint to know is which multiform informal as great as inhabitant charities occupy automobile concession brokers to conduct their donations. These firms take a large cube of a income. You wish to be unwavering of this, deliberation which a gift won’t be obtaining all of a profit, if that’s necessary to you. You competence only be a lot some-more meddlesome in appropriation a taxation concession deduction.

The utterly excellent approach to sojourn absent from a large brokers is to expose out what area organizations have been usurpation automobile donations. You can determine out for adverts or even call charities we anticipate have these applications. You wish to ask them if they understanding with a products sum sales of your automobile in-house or if they plantation it out to a classification which does which for them.

Really a integrate of charities opt for to say a little automobiles to assistance ride victims, customers or items. Or they competence substantially confirm upon to give a automobile to a infirm or needy consumer. If any of this troubles to we determine this out with a gift as to how they’ll operate a car.

Car concession deals include: Target Car Donation System, Goodwill Industries Car Donation program, Kidney Basis, Make A Desire Foundation as great as a lot of, a great understanding of alternative group as great as women. You’ll find out a smashing understanding of distant some-more compress charities also. If you’re not informed with a gift demeanour during with a Far most improved Enterprise Bureau to have comparison a gift is credible.

If we have prime charities call them to see if they accept donations. This would be a approach to commence. Check upon a net to see wherever to present your automobile as great as what automobile concession organizations have been promotion as great as inspect out their sites or call them up to arrive opposite out how to present your automobile such as all a education for a automobile as great as what we wish to know. All of these firms will yield we with a preferred sorts for donation. You’ll engage to get a gain taxation varieties oneself. You should demeanour during with your CPA or accountant to have helpful you’ll value by a donation.

Don’t skip out a automobile concession san diego people as really great as automobile concession los angeles.

Specifically where by to Donate Your Car – Best Car Donation Tax Deduction Recommendations is a post from: International News Media

International News Media

Author:
• Friday, July 29th, 2011

Congress enacted a law this week that protects Ancon, the bay north of Lima, against any commercial, port or other activities that would affect the environmental and social conditions of the area. The law effectively scotches a 0 million project by the Romero Group’s Santa Sofia Puertos to build a port for grains, oils and [...]
Peruvian Times

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• Thursday, July 28th, 2011

Noah Jackson – an auditor for the Rainforest Alliance’s agriculture and forestry programmes and a regular contributor to our Frog Blog — continues his report from a recent trip to Sri Lanka. It’s dark and musty. We’ve spent the past hour inside a cool earth abode. Built with mud bricks and braced with bamboo slats, the [...]
The Frog Blog UK: The blog of the Rainforest Alliance in the UK

Author:
• Wednesday, July 27th, 2011

After spending some time in the desert, I was ready to move on and experience the mountains that Peru is so famous for. Taking Julio’s advice, I booked a daytime bus for Sunday (rather than an overnight) on Transportes Linea from Trujillo to Cajamarca so that I could witness the beautiful scenery. It was truly remarkable; stunning mountains as far as the eye can see, small towns perched on the hillsides, and beautiful lakes. This is what I had been waiting for. Arriving in Cajamarca at night, without hotel reservations, was not as distressing as I had initially foreseen. Instructing my taxi driver to drop me off in the Plaza de Armas, I stepped out of the car onto a street lined with more hostels, hotels, and tourism agencies than I could count. Even at night, the view was beautiful!

DSCN0441 160x285 Cajamarca: A Love Affair. Part I.

Monasterio de San Francisco at night

Taking a few minutes to look over my options, I decided on the Hostal Santa Apolonia; a two-star hotel with a modern and clean-looking entrance. I chose wisely. I managed to get a single room for two nights for a total of 100 soles (about US). The room wasn’t anything special; your standard single bed, private bathroom, nightstand, and TV. But it was somewhere cheap, clean, and safe to stay, and for that I was grateful.

Monday morning I woke up early and met up Jacqui, who had just arrived from Trujillo via night bus. We ate a quick breakfast and made our way over to Baños del Inca Tours, which I had discovered the night before, where we signed up to visit Cumbe Mayo. The tour cost 20 soles (about US), and included transportation, a guide (Spanish-speaking only. If you want and English-speaking guide in Cajamarca, it’ll cost you a little extra since Gringos aren’t regular tourists to this area), site entrance ticket, and a two-hour tour of the site. Not bad!

After traveling up some steep switchbacks by van, we stopped at a lookout point so we could view city. Boy, was it beautiful!

DSCN0447 500x281 Cajamarca: A Love Affair. Part I.

Cajamarca viewpoint!

When we finally reached Cumbe Mayo (about 40 minutes later) we encountered stunning views of natural rock formations. The tour took us over 2 miles; through a cave, past numerous petroglyphs, an Incan aqueduct, women in local dress, herds of sheep, and some very interestingly shaped rocks!

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Cumbe Mayo

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Coming out of the cave!

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Walking next to the aqueduct

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Our tour group (Jacqui and I are on the left)

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Walking next to the aquaduct

It took about an hour and a half to hike the 2 miles, mostly because the guide stopped us often to point out interesting landmarks, petroglyphs, or rock formations. It was a beautiful day, and there was a nice breeze, so the hike was definitely enjoyable. Be prepared though; the altitude (Cajamarca is at round 3,000 meters , or 9,000 feet) leaves one out of breath while climbing staircases and hillsides alike. So bring lots of water, and take it slow! After the hike, it was great to relax on the bus ride back to the city.

One of the great things about tours in Cajamarca, is that they are timed so that you can do more than one a day. Our Cumbe Mayo tour lasted from 9:30 am until about 1:30 pm. The next set of tours didn’t begin until 3:00pm, so we  had about an hour and a half to kill. We wisely spent it enjoying lunch at a local eatery, where I tried Lomo Saltada for the first time. It was delicious!

For our second tour of the day, we chose the Ventanillas de Cajamarca.  Since there is not a whole lot to see at the Ventanillas, the tour also included stops at 3 other local locations too. The first was a local wooden bridge that spanned the “Old River” of Cajamarca. It swayed precariously as the dozen or so of us cautiously made our way across, and from it we had a view of the rows and rows of colorful laundry handing to dry by the riverbank.

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"Old River"

Second, we made our way to the Ventanillas themselves. Carved into a rock wall, these square “windows” were used by the native Cajamarca people to house the bones of their dead. Only a short ride away from the city, and a quick hike up a small hillside, the Ventanillas were  both impressive and chilling at the same time.

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Ventanillas de Cajamarca

Next, we visited an impressive botanical garden in the Baños del Inca district. All types of beautiful flowers bloomed around us, and a half dozen workers were spread out in the garden, doing some heavy duty gardening. Afterwards, we made our way to the garden’s shop, where we could buy a wide array of different local items; scarves, hats, etc.

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Some beautiful lilacs

Lastly, we visited the Queso “Los Alpes” dairy. Known for its high volume of cows, Cajamarca is known for itsmilk, manjar blanco, and cheese production. A local dairy, Los Alpes prides itself in using traditional Swiss Alpine techniques to make its cheese. Our guide lead us through the dairy where we got view the production and storage rooms. Afterwards, we crossed the courtyard to the dairy’s shop, where we tried different cheeses and had the opportunity to purchase some. As delicious as everything looked, I had no way of transporting it back to Lima with me so, sadly, I didn’t purchase any.

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Production room at Queso Los Alpes

Upon returning to Cajamarca after our second tour, Jacqui and I set out to find dinner. We decided upon a restaurant attached to a local 3-star hotel, figuring it had to be good since it was managed by a hotel. Wrong. Hands down the worst dining experience I’ve had yet in Peru. Our food took over an hour to arrive, as did our drinks. And although the waitress seated us outside herself, it seemed as though she forgot about us – rarely making an appearance through the hour ordeal.

Despite this minor setback, the evening ended well – we sat down for (better) drinks at SkyeBar, a local lounge. The drinks were delicious, and the atmosphere was very relaxed, so it was a great end to a long day. Afterwards, we turned in early so we could get some rest before day 2 of sight-seeing.

Check back tomorrow for Part II of my Cajamarca adventure, when I discuss the city’s more local attractions!

Kate is a volunteer and researcher for the Karikuy Volunteer Program in Lima, Peru.


Related posts:

  1. Cajamarca: A Love Affair. Part 2.
  2. Trujillo: An Archaeologist’s Dream
  3. Tariy, Day 7: Cajamarca

The Karikuy Blog

Category: Peru Tours  | Tags: , , ,  | Leave a Comment
Author:
• Wednesday, July 27th, 2011

Noah Jackson – an auditor for the Rainforest Alliance’s agriculture and forestry programmes reports back from a trip exploring tea farms in Sri Lanka. There is a cool wind tonight. It sweeps up from the lowlands, following a steep, contoured slope. The 200-year-old incline is dotted with rows of tea plants, nitrogen-fixing glycidia trees, new [...]
The Frog Blog UK: The blog of the Rainforest Alliance in the UK

Author:
• Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

If you read my last article on Mistura 2011 you will know that this year the Gastronomic Event of the Year will be open for a total of 10 days, from September 9th to September 18th in Lima, Peru. The news today is that we finally have Mistura 2011 ticket prices available and where you can go to purchase your tickets ahead of the main event.

Mistura 2011 Ticket Prices

The good news is that you can purchase tickets ahead of time with significant savings. For example, the Mistura 2001 ticket prices for adult tickets are only 15 Nuevos Soles (around 5.50 US dollars) and the children ticket is only 8 Nuevos Soles (close to 2.92 US dollars).
You can also purchase your Mistura 2011 ticket for the most popular days (Monday and Tuesday) for around 12 Nuevos Soles (or close to 4.40 US dollars).

Now is a good time to purchase these tickets if you know you will likely assist to Mistura 2011. Once Mistura 2011 starts, prices will rise to around 20 Nuevos Soles for adults and 10 Nuevos Soles for children.

New changes to Mistura 2011 include more space (required to accommodate the more than 300,000 people expected to show), along with additional areas to promote Pisco and Peruvian sweets. Keeping current with the change of times, Mistura 2011 will allow public to participate and vote using the internet in any of the 12 events open to public participation.

Where can I buy my Tickets to Mistura 2011?

You can buy your Mistura 2011 ticket at any participating Teleticket office. The page is in Spanish only. You can access the page at Teleticket clicking here.

Mistura 2011 – Pisco and Sweets

The 4th edition of the International Gastronomic Fair also known as Mistura 2011 will have 2 new sections displaying Peru’s emblematic drink Pisco and the other will show Peru’s sweets delicacies like tejas, turrones, crema volteada, leche asada, arroz con leche, alfajores, suspiros a la limeña, king kongs and much more.

Just like last year, do not forget to stop by the fruits display to enjoy more than 85 varieties of fruits from all Peruvian regions. Remember to stop in the bread section to taste more than 50 varieties of warm breads available.

This Mistura 2011 will definitely be better than last year and you should not miss this event if you are lucky enough to be visiting Peru at this time so hurry up and purchase your Mistura 2011 ticket ahead of time.


Peru Traveler Blog

Category: Restaurants  | Tags: , , ,  | Leave a Comment
Author:
• Monday, July 25th, 2011

Last weekend (June 24-26), I competed in the 2011 Peruvian National Short-Course Master’s Swim Meet.  I’ve been swimming for my entire life, but never really thought I’d be able to say that I competed in a national competition outside of my home country!  Near the end of my exchange last April, I found a small group of master’s swimmers that were training at a pool close to my house.  When I left the country two months later, that group had doubled in size.  When I came back eleven months later, I found that group to be almost three times bigger!  Out of a group of fifteen masters-level swimmers, about nine show up any given day, bright and early at 7 am to practice.  We belong to the “Aqualab” club, which also has a group of swimmers (mostly older women) who practice at another pool in San Isidro.  I’d say we were one of the bigger clubs at the competition.

groupo mas grande 380x285 Swim Meets; Universally Boring, but always an Experience!

Most of the Aqualab Club that was at the competition

Swimming is not a widely practiced sport in Peru, which makes for a less competitive, more friendly atmosphere.  Most of the competitors who have been swimming for any more than two years seemed to know most of the other competitors in their division.  Within the three days I spent at the pool, I conversed with just about everyone in my division (women 18-24) as well (not a difficult feat, considering there were less than a dozen).  This also makes it possible for anyone and everyone to go to the national championship, no matter where it is.  Most of the competitors were from Lima, but there were also swimmers from Trujillo and Arequipa.  We took advantage of the vacation to get to know the city as well!  [See Kate's Blog for a more traditional vacation in Trujillo!]

Plaza de Armas 380x285 Swim Meets; Universally Boring, but always an Experience!

The San Borja Group at the Plaza de Armas of Trujillo

This friendly atmosphere was also apparent in the “Dinner of Friendship and Good Sportsmanship” which took place Saturday night.  It was held at the same country club that we spent the day swimming at, but at 9:30 pm in the grand pavilion.  The dinner itself seemed remarkably small by swimmers standards (most of us ended up going to by cookies and other more filling foods later), but the friendship and sportsmanship was definitely present.

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Dancing around 11 pm the night before a competition!

As with most Peruvian parties, there was a ‘Show’ of sorts, complete with music ranging from Kumbia to Reggaeton to Hora Loca (crazy hour), all of which sung by the same guy, minus a few Karaoke tunes sung by various members of the swimming community.  There were people of all ages and clubs dancing until 11:30, when most people decided it would be better to go rest for their races the next day.  My group obviously didn’t care too much about those races, since we all stayed out ‘till 3 am.  At 2:30 am, a few of us decided to invade the Quinciñera (huge sweet 15 Birthday celebration) that was happening on the other side of the club.  We only managed to stay for a few songs of “La Hora Loca” before the mother of the birthday girl yelled at us to “get going.”

Kino 380x285 Swim Meets; Universally Boring, but always an Experience!

Can you spot the the swimmers?  Hint, we got kicked out a few minutes later for being under-dressed.

Despite our late night, the majority of my team did well in their races on Sunday.  The top 5 places for the Men’s “technical mark” (award for coming closest to the world record) trophy were won by my team, as well as 3 of the top 10 for the women’s trophy.  Arriba Aqualab!

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The Group with our Medals

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Coach Victor & I

The weekend ended with a trip to a tourist restaurant and a visit to Huanchaco beach!  It was beautiful.  We arrived an hour before sunset (5ish) and stayed chilling in the sand until the majority of the group had to go to airport to return to Lima and I had to find the bus station to Cajamarca to meet up with Kate for another great adventure!  [To be continued!]

huanchaco 429x285 Swim Meets; Universally Boring, but always an Experience!

The Group in Huanchaco Beach

Jacqui is a volunteer and researcher for the Karikuy Volunteer Program in Lima, Peru.

Related posts:

  1. A truly Peruvian experience
  2. Trujillo: An Archaeologist’s Dream
  3. Enter Sandmen. And Women. Sandboarding in Ica!

The Karikuy Blog