The colonial architecture of Lima is amazing in itself, but I would highly recommend that travelers plan at least one day exploring the churches. I have spent several afternoons exploring them and have enjoyed their beauty immensely. The Cathedral in Plaza Mayor is typically more visited by tourists because of it’s size and location, but there are so many options less visited that can allow a visitor a more personal experience. Please read below for my experiences at the following locations:

• Church of San Francisco
• Church of Santo Domingo
• Church of San Pedro

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2. En route to Lima …
3. The Monastery of San Francisco If there is one thing I loathe about travelling, which…

The Karikuy Blog

Hola, Karikuy readers! It´s a pleasure to meet you.  My name is Kayla and I am a copywriter whose been working and living in Lima since July.  Though I´m not part of the internship program at Karikuy, Julio graciously agreed to let me contribute to the blog. I first traveled to Peru in the summer of 2008, when I studied abroad in Cusco through La Pontificia Universidad Cátolica´s Spanish and Incan Archaeology program (administered through AIFS).  For me, that summer was an unforgettable introduction to Peru: I not only visited the commanding stone structures of Machu Picchu, but also several Incan ruins in the outlying area, including Pisac, Maras, Moray, Tipón, and Sacsayhuaymán.  While the program was short (only 5 weeks), I always recommend it to college students interested in Incan history and culture because it focuses on hands-on experiences rather than classroom lectures.  Plus, it gave me some much needed practice with the Spanish language, which at the time I could write and read well but couldn´t speak with confidence.

View from my hotel rooftop in Cusco: ¨Viva el Peru Glorioso.¨

My first trip to Peru in 2008 to study Incan archaeology included a trip to Machu Picchu.

Apart from brief flings with Canada and the Bahamas, Peru was the first country I visited outside of the United States, and in this way, it became my first travel love.  Though I visited other Spanish speaking countries (Argentina, Spain) in the years following my study abroad experience, I always felt tied in Peru and nostalgic for that summer in 2008.  I knew I needed to come back. Fortunately, during my last semester in graduate school I came across an opportunity to become a copywriter for a website in Lima.  For all you native English speakers seeking temporary employment here in Peru, I suggest Jobs Abroad and the Expat Peru forum, which have been huge aides to my friends and me in our respective job searches.  My current contract includes five working months and three weeks of paid vacation, which so far I have used to visit the cities of Arequipa and Huaraz.  My final trip is yet to be determined, but if all goes well, it looks like I´m headed to Iquitos for a jungle tour.

Walking Barranco´s beaches on an unusually sunny day in Lima.

While I, like many Peru-bound travelers, was at first unenthusiastic about spending my days in gray, gritty Lima, I have been pleasantly surprised to discover the city´s charming attributes—delicious food, hospitable people, and must-see sights like the San Francisco Monastery and the Magic Water Circuit.  Of all Lima´s 43 districts, my favorite place to spend time is Barranco, known as ¨the bohemian district¨ for its vibrant arts and nightlife culture. Despite what the guidebooks may tell you, there´s a lot to say about Lima.  I can´t wait to start sharing my experiences here with you in upcoming blogs!

Related posts:

1. High in Cusco (It’s Elevated)
2. Lima, Peru – Here we come!
3. Cusco: the Altitude and the Atmosphere

The Karikuy Blog

Lima, Peru’s annual food festival, Mistura, is currently under way in the Parque de la Expocision. This year’s event has attracted the likes of culinary icons like Ferran Adria of El Bulli and Rene Redezipi of Copenhagen’s Noma. Regardless of the big names and special decrees issued to the world, the more than 300,000 attendees come for the food.
New World Review

Watch live video from verfutbolhd on www.justin.tv

Related posts:

1. El Super Classico! Universitario Vs. Alianza Lima Live
2. Alianza Lima Vs. Universitario, The Super Classico Championship Finals
3. Universitario vs Alianza Lima: Fights, Fire, 0-0

The Karikuy Blog

The Westin Lima Hotel & Convention Center opens in June 2010. The 5-star hotel is now Peru’s tallest building and the largest convention center. Here LivinginPeru.com talks with Paul Ingebretsen, general manager of the Westin.

After Kate’s recent debacle with the local muggers, I have been left alone in the house with Julio for the last five days of my stay here at his house.  As easy it was to deal with the sudden alone time, I had been inkling to venture out into the city and get me some of that urbane Peru.

At this time of the year, Lima is a city of cold humid air almost always blanketed by grey clouds. If you go out in the afternoon, the wind follows you, at first tickling and teasing your skin making its way to the shivery possession it craves which is taken over by that cold misty night, so stagnant that it makes you numb. This wintery play always gets me very hopeful, about everything.

To share this amusing high, I went to the post office in Central Lima to send postcards to my friends in India; with Julio, of course, teaching me how to catch a local ‘combi’ which is kind of small bus ferrying passengers within the city. Central Lima is the oldest part of Lima. With its colonial buildings, the huge French influenced plazas, the beautiful wooden miradors (balconies) in the small streets, the grand churches, the elegant horse carriages, and the very easily accessible presidential palace standing tall at the San Martin plaza, Central Lima changed my view of the ‘culture of Peru’ from the Incan as well as pre-Incan poetic and epic cultism to an artist’s dream brought on by the bloody Spanish conquest.  It’s funny how beauty has so many varied perpetrators.

Plaza de San Martin, Lima

After a bit of tummy filling with a Hamburger, Pastrami, and one Boston Manjar donut, I was brought back to the safe abode by Julio who also enjoyed a donut and a pudding with me. Ah well. Such is the life of a food connoisseur (read glutton) surrounded by the mouth watering food Lima has to offer.

The day after, I had made plans to meet up with Lea, one of my dig-mates from France, who was living in a hotel in Miraflores, a beautiful suburb which I hoped to give a visit to. I decided to be a little braver this time and try a bus all by myself. Julio guided me in theory, of course. Bus transport in Lima is surprisingly cheap. Only one and a half soles and I was at the Avenida Angamos Oeste from Avenida Arequipa. My target was a three decade old excavation site of Huaca Pucllana, an administrative and ceremonial centre of the then coastal Lima culture; later on conquered by Wari culture; with its adobe and clay pyramids as well as those very well made reproductions indicating the ancient lifestyles. Along with a museum, the place offers a guided tour of the site in English. Through the unfinished excavations, our dramatic guide took us on a journey from the acute sense of civil engineering of the coastal culture, the graves of Wari people in fetal position relating the previous life to rebirth, to the naked facts and rules of human sacrifices followed by the both of these cultures.

Huaca Pucllana, Miraflores: Overview

Through the picturesque Parque Kennedy, surrounded by a hub of restaurants, bars and other entertainment places, I walked to my pre-decided rendezvous with Lea. She is a very sweet girl who doesn’t speak English a lot and not very well either. So our evening was spent in awkward silences broken by formal conversations followed by the drunken giggling talks brought on by beers and Pisco Sours and then stuffing our tummies at Burger King. It started to drizzle when I reached home after dropping her at her hotel that night.

After all the colonial architecture and the pre-Incan history, I wanted to taste the music of Lima. But alas, the penas where regional folkloric and criollo music is played are mostly closed on Sundays. So it was by the stroke of luck that Wong, a Chinese-Peruvian supermarket franchise, had decided to hold Gran Corso, their 24^th Independence Day Float parade on 18^th of July exactly ten days before the actual Independence Day of Peru providing me an opportunity to have an experience of a lifetime.

Waiting for Wong's Gran Corso to start

Cultures from all over Peru, current as well as ancient, gather on this parade, borne by a huge hot air balloon with ‘Wong’ written on it in huge red script, to show off their heritage. This is basically done through advertising of different brands, products mixed with performances by different schools, colleges and artists.

One of the many Culturals

It’s like all the communities bringing a part of their as well as their ancestors’ lifestyles to the stage in celebration of the glorious Independence Day.

The world is your cartoon!

And what a celebration it was! From dragons to little cartoon characters dancing away happily, from disciplined bands to erratically produced urban music groups, from hip-hop to salsa, from babies singing rock songs to folkloric and criollo music being performed by groups from Puno, Trujillo, Cuzco, Arequipa, other coastal as well as highland regions and of course, Lima; from Dinosaurs to Bugs, from tribal dances to post-modern ones, from pirates to ps3 soldiers to gorgeous models to break-dancers to acrobats to fairies. All of this was topped off by the awe inspiring fireworks at the end which filled the sky with innumerable lights.  For the first time in my life, I thought standing up for something for about five hours was worth it. I collected some video shots of this grand function till my camera memory failed me and have posted it in the following video.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM5bn4sIM5Q

It’s been rich five days here and now I am ready to embark on my first ever archaeological dig at Huari. But this past week has created a glorious spot in my heart for the city I’m in right now. Lima is unique. When people talk of Lima, they are talking exclusively of only Lima, not Peru, but Lima; its history, its culture, its women, its streets, its road side graffiti, its bullfights, its cuisine, its youth, its football. They belong to Lima alone. This is a city of confident smart men and wise flamboyant women. This is a city of style.

Related posts:

1. Punk Rock Lima
2. A Saturday Night Out in Lima
3. My second week in Lima, Peru

The Karikuy Blog

Last week I had the pleasure of attending my very first Peruvian fútbol (soccer) match. And oh what a match it was.

As it happens this year was the inaugural year of the sub-20 version of the Copa Libertadores. The Cup, which includes teams from across South America, has been going on annually since 1960, but for the first time a separate tournament was held for teams with players who were under 20 years old. As it turns out, two local teams were pitted against one another in the semi-finals; Julio’s favorite local team Club Universitario de Deportes (often simply called “Universitario” or “La U”) versus Alianza Lima. It seemed like all of Lima was taking sides, and it certainly promised to be an exciting match!

Julio, his girlfriend Neysi, his cousin Michael, and I headed out 3 hours prior to the game – you have to get there early to get good seats! Our tickets had been bought the previous day – his cousin took one for the team and stood in a huge line for over an hour to get them. One of the great things about Peruvian soccer is that, unlike American sporting events, games are super affordable. At 5 soles ( US) each for such an epic match, it was a deal no one could really pass up – and it certainly seemed like all of Lima was in line!

During our (long) journey to the stadium – it was rush hour – we passed several groups of rowdy people sitting on the side of the road with the police. Julio’s explanation - soccer hooligans.

Upon arrival to the stadium, we were greeted by a throng of fans numbering in the thousands. As we were funneled toward the gate closest to our seats, I noticed that there were only other U fans surrounding us, and none for Alianza. The reason? Lima does things the right way by separating the stadium by fan-base. Each section is team-specific. There are even 12-foot spiked gates separating each section to ensure no mixing. And when the event is over, fans leave through separate exits to ensure no post-game fights! Ingenious!!!

This doesn’t, however, mean that there isn’t some good old-fashioned bragging going on in the stadium. Home-made banners adorn the section separators, and team chants can be heard throughout the game. In addition, fans sneak through the mediocre security screening toting fireworks and sparklers, setting them off (and sometimes starting small fires!) during exciting moments in the game. With all of this team enthusiasm, it’s hard not to enjoy the game, even for this non-fan.

Welcoming the players!

Universitario fans putting up home-made banners!

Alianza fans displaying their banners

Cheering on La U…the illegal way

Champions!

The game was dominated by good defense and great goalie work, and at the conclusion of the second half there was still no score. Luckily there were still penalty shots, and La U came out on top, beating Alianza 6-5. The crowd went nuts, and chants of La U’s song could be heard reverberating throughout the stadium. It was wild!

I have to say, for this non-fútbol fan, it was quite an exciting night. If you have the chance while in Lima, no matter what team is playing, I definitely recommend checking out a game or two. The atmosphere is unbeatable!

UPDATE: La U went on to win the finals and take the Cup!

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

Related posts:

1. Universitario vs Alianza Lima: Fights, Fire, 0-0
2. Universitario vs. Alianza Lima – Copa Libertadores Sub 20 Semifinal
3. Alianza Lima Vs. Universitario, The Super Classico Championship Finals

The Karikuy Blog

Hi, this is Alfonso. I am a Spaniard and this is my first post to the Karikuy blog. I arrived in Lima on wednesday, and on saturday night the whole group went for a night out and about the capitol city of Perú.

It was extremely hard to separate ourselves from the adictive videogame that the team has apparently been playing through during the last weeks in their spare time: “Donkey Kong Country Returns” for the Wii videoconsole. The “temple of golden bananas” was luring us, but in the end we decided to give the real world a go and to leave the virtual behind.

Screen at Karikuy

Our final destination was the Barranco district, which is close to the sea and quite far from where we dwell. Six of us stuffed into a taxi cab, two sitting behind where the luggage compartment should be. It took us over half an hour to get there, even when the driver was going fast.

Map of the Barranco district

In my humble opinion, traffic is one of the most dangerous things in the whole of Peru. It is the second time that I visit the country and every time I see how cars and “motocarros” drive: too fast, in poorly maintained vehicles, spending far too much fuel, and with little respect for other drivers and pedestrians. I feel like it is more likely to die here in a car crash than any other way. The actual statistics for road accidents are very high. Still, it was a relatively safe drive, and the man on the wheel played some good 80′s music on the CD which made our trip amusing.

We finally got to Barranco and hopped ourselves out of the car, after unfolding our limbs. Then got into a club named Ayahuasca which the team had already visited previously, and liked. It is named after an infamous psychoactive beverage that is brewed from a liana (woody vine) which grows in the rainforest. However, the club is not the place where one would encounter such stuff, but a range of expensive beers and cocktails instead. It is decorated with strange designs and patterns that make you freak out if you place your sights on them. The waiter service is not as good as the decoration, but we felt relaxed there while sipping our drinks. The food looks really good too.

After that, we left for the “Bulevar” (Boulevard), which is a street closeby that goes from the park to the station. It is full of pubs, music and people going to and fro. After the request of a public relantionships, we entered one with reggaetón music playing in it, had some drinks and dances, and left later for home.

The trip back was similar, but the back of the car was filled with a strange metal deposit, probably for gasoline. Scary! Still, we all got home safe and still had some strength left for a couple more beers (we had to return the glasses for a couple sols refund) and walk around our neighbourhood, where Cumbia music was playing aloud from a party nearby.  The night ended at the hamburger man and his delicious goodies.

Next day was sunday and we celebrated the birthday of Mrs. Juliana, so the party went on. Fortunately, at the beginning of the week, we dedicated ourselves to more healthy activities, such as playing basketball, that helped us recover from the fiesta.

Related posts:

1. Punk Rock Lima
2. Mas Lima
3. First night out in Lima

The Karikuy Blog

Universitario and Alianza Lima face each other for another Superclassico In Lima Peru. This time the Copa Libertadores Sub 20 title is on the line, as the winner goes on to face Boca Juniors in the Final. Watch the Match Live Streaming, Kick off time is 8:00pm Lima Time, 23rd of June. (9PM EST).

If the video above does not work please visit the following links:

http://tvperuana.pe/cmd-cable-magico-deportes-en-vivo/

http://www.teleperuana.net/2010/07/cmd-en-vivo.html

http://es.justin.tv/kiketc

http://myp2p.eu/competition.php?competitionid=&part=sports&discipline=football

http://www.tuneskatv.com/2011/06/universitario-vs-alianza-lima-en-vivo.html

http://www.visionperuanatv.com/2011/06/alianza-lima-vs-universitario-en-vivo.html

Related posts:

1. El Super Classico! Universitario Vs. Alianza Lima Live
2. Copa Libertadores: Universitario vs. Blooming
3. Copa Libertadores: Universitario vs. Libertad

The Karikuy Blog

Ceviche, or cebiche as it is better known in Lima, is Peru’s national dish and an iconic symbol of Peru. While preparations vary across regions, Lima has without a doubt the most to offer. Again and again I am asked what my favorite restaurant for cebiche is. I don’t have a straight answer. My lust for raw fish marinated in lime juice is changing all the time, not to mention more cevicherias are opening all the time. Here are my 13 favorites:

• La Pescaderia – Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, considered one of the top chefs on the continent, is known for his use of obscure Amazonian ingredients, but shifts his focus to the Peruvian coast in this concept cevicheria/fish market in the port of Callao (and soon another in Barranco). His dishes range from bite sized orders, like fried oysters with tapioca or octopus carpaccio, to heartier rice dishes like tacu tacus stuffed with shellfish or blue marlin in tamarind sauce. Callao.
• El Mercado – The hottest restaurant in Lima of 2010 is Rafael Osterling’s El Mercado. The chef has attempted to convey a market atmosphere with large chalkboards adding dozens of market driven specials to an already massive menu that could serve as a what’s what of Peruvian coastal cuisine (plus dishes influenced from the chefs travels in Thailand, Japan, and the Mediterranean). Miraflores.
• Amor Amar - The impossible to find closed door restaurant in the bohemian quarter of Barranco opened in April 2010 and is headed by two of Lima’s greatest culinary minds: former La Gloria chef Alberto Luis Schilotto and Pescados Capitales founder Victor Away Chang-Say. The leafy walled compound holds a 110-year-old house turned art gallery surrounded by an open-air modernist dining patio and bar. It’s cool and pricey and the average Peruvian wouldn’t even dream of knocking on the 12-foot door to the street. Schilotto is fond of using charela (a mild white fish from the north of the country) and does an incredible tuna tartar and even better toasted foie gras with jumbo shrimp. Barranco. www.amoramar.com
• Punta Arenas – It’s less buzzed about than Sonia a few blocks away, but Punta Arenas is one of my standbys. The fish are extremely fresh and of superior quality, yet the price is rather inexpensive and the atmosphere is pleasant. Nothing on the massive menu really stands out, but the general quality of every dish is superb. Chorrillos.
• Chez Wong – Sankuay, nicknamed Chez Wong, is inside chef Javier Wong’s two level house and features one simple, brick wall dining room and terrace with an open kitchen on one end. There’s no menu, but everyone gets two courses. The first is the chef’s renowned flounder and octopus ceviche, which curiously adds fresh ground pepper and is my favorite cebiche in all of the world. For the second dish Wong usually prepares some sort of saltado, or stir-fry, based on what’s fresh. La Victoria.
• Canta Rana – Canta Rana (Singing Frog) is a classic cevicheria with wood floors, photos of Latin American soccer players on the walls, and minimalist, rustic furniture. The jalea (fried seafood), seviche (fish marinated in lime juice, onions and chilies), and arroz con mariscos (rice and seafood) are pricey, but well worth it. Be sure to wash everything down with a jar of chicha morada, a purple corn drink. Barranco.
• La Rosa Nautica – Although La Rosa Nautica is packed with busloads of tourists during lunch hours several days a week, there is no denying the charm of the place and the quality of the food served. It’s the only restaurant in Lima set on a dock actually over the Pacific Ocean. The traditional Peruvian and international seafood dishes, such as tiradito, seviche and risotto with squid ink, are excellently prepared and lauded throughout Lima. Miraflores. www.larosanautica.com.
• Sonia – This Lima institution was formerly a shack near the Chorrillos fish market that became so popular it moved farther onshore. This rustic cevicheria is credited with developing several styles of cooking such as a la chorrillana and a lo macho, which are now well-known throughout Peru. Ceviche is best there, but some of the other dishes fall short. Chorrillos. www.restaurantsonia.com.
• La Red – The oldest cebicheria on this street has expanded and cleaned up a bit since its opening. It’s not as swanky as La Mar, but it’s not unattractive by any means. Rocoto Relleno, Tacu Tacu, Arroz con Mariscos, cebiche, tiradito, Pulpo a la Parrilla, and quite a few criollo dishes. Everything is of fine quality and dishes come out exactly how you would expect they would. You won’t find a Thai variation here. Miaflores. www.cebichelared.com
• La Mar – Gastón Acurio’s 2^nd Lima restaurant, La Mar, is the one that has had the most impact around the world now that it can be found as far away as San Francisco and Mexico City (and soon New York). Dishes range from traditional criollo, Asian fusion, chupes, arroces, and a generous selection of ceviches and tiraditos. The cocktail list combines pisco with native fruits. Miraflores. www.lamarcebicheria.com
• Cinco Esquinas – Rodrigo Conroy, whose Rodrigo is considered on of Lima’s top fine dining restaurants, heads this one room cebicheria towards the San Isidro end of the avenue. To, start, I recommend their causas – one of which is wrapped in plantains, stuffed with bacon, and topped with tuna and yauco – and won 2^nd place Causa from Mistura in 2009. The Black Conch Ceviche is superb here, as are the Tacu-Tacus, and just about anything else. Miraflores.
• Pescados Capitales – A play on the name Pecados Capitales (Capital Sins), Pescados Capitales (Capital Fish…not as clever in English) is one of the most respected cebicherias in Lima. The menu is organized by sins: Greed, Gluttony, Vain, Ire, Envy, etc. The menu is massive and you can expect to find almost any seafood recipe from Peru’s central coast to appear in some form or another. Some consider it the best in Lima and it’s definitely up there. Miraflores. www.pescados-capitales.com
• Caplina – Another long time favorite. Try their Uñas de Cangrejo Rellenas de Langostinos, crab claws stuffed with prawns that are then breaded and fried. Their Mariscuyá is served in single bite spoons, passionfruit and lime marinate raw seafood such as conch for an aphrodisiacal way to start a meal. Other specialties include Risotto de Lomo Saltado and Chita al Ajo, though they have a standad list of ceviches, tiraditos, grilled fish with various sauces. Attractive setting. Miraflores. www.caplina.com

New World Review