Help On Peru?

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fran c

Peru is a very diverse country. It's geography is split in three regions: the coast, the mountains and the rain forest (costa, sierra & selva). As you might know, Peru was colonized by the Spanish in the 16th century and there were many Spaniards who migrated there. The colony also brought African slaves to do labor and Chinese slaves as well (however the Chinese worked in the rice fields). So we have so many different races; the indigenous people, the Spanish people, the Africans, the Asians and after WW2 there was a large influx of Europeans to all of South America. So, my point is that there is a great mix of features of people in Peru and you can physically see it when you travel from one region to the next. Another very diverse and famous aspect of Peru is the food, because of all these cultures mixing together, we have a very delicious mix of foods. As far as the music, we have Marinera, a dance influenced by the Spanish, in the northern coast. In the southern coast you can find the afro-peruvian music known as "negroide" (nehg-roy-day) or "festejo" (fes-tey-ho) or musica negra. Then in the mountain region there is huayno, and also other music which I can't really think of right now. Then in the amazon region there it is also a very typical dance, with alot of flutes in the music. What's really cool is that the dances always are done with a costume of the region.

Globetrotter

Lima is a modern town with Westernized lifestyle including music. Hey, they even have a "Burger King" there!
The rural part of Peru is quite different. I visited the areas in the Andes and around Lake Titicaca. The communities there are farming communities. People live simply. Women wear traditional clothing. They play locally- made musical instruments like bamboo flutes and pan-pipes and also drums. I saw a parade that lasted a whole afternoon in Puno town, presented by school children. It was interesting with local folk dancing,local music, dancers with masks and very colorful costumes. The women's traditional clothing is a blouse and a sweater(I was there in their Spring so it was cold) and a billowing skirt. All very colorful . Many women wore these hats that look like bowler hats except made for women. Men wore regular shirts and pants but since it was cold they had colorful knitted caps with ear coverings and these get tied under the chins. They wore sweaters or jackets to keep warm too.
Food: Ceviche is raw seafood (fish, shrimp, squid) marinated in lemon juice.
There are many Chinese Restaurants in Lima (not necessarily having Chinese cooks, though) . They have "Chifa" with the names of the restaurants. I tried the Seafood Fried Rice ("Chaufa con Mariscos") at my hotel's restaurant and it was delicious! It had shrimp, squid and scallops. The cook was Limeon! Not Chinese.
A drink called "Chicha Morrava" might be worth a try. It is non alcoholic. It is made from a purple corn they grow there and flavored with cloves, cinammon and orange peel. Very sweet! Being close to the Pacific Ocean, you can try their Sea Bass, not bad. I also tried the fresh water Bass when in Puno, near the Lake Titicaca.
Coffee is taken differently: Very thick coffee is served in a small pitcher. You pour a little in the cup then add hot water to it from a thermos dispenser and add your own milk/cream and sugar. Roast leg of lamb is one of my favorite dishes, besides the seafood fried rice I mentioned earlier.
My favorite Desserts there: Flan, which is a milk and egg custard with caramel on topand "Tres Leche Keke" (=3 milk cake).Nice.
Now, I will tell you about exotic foods that I would avoid, unless you are adventurous and don't mind it. The Peruvians consider it nutritious to eat deep fried "Cuys", which are guinea pigs! They also eat alpaca and Llama meat! I did not try the cuy but tried a bite of alpaca which tasted like beef, but I could not eat more. I have seen alpacas and they are so cute! I won't(refused to) eat Cuys because I cannot imagine eating a rodent. But they like it there, so to each his own.
I don't understand what you mean by "human features" so I cannot help you there. They are friendly people and when you meet people like in the churches, the women would kiss you on the cheek.
Public buses are very crowded. We use taxis and have transportation by van from the church. We were visiting churches throughout Peru (South). One thing that amused me about vehicles in Lima is this : they have like motorcycles but covered on all sides except the viewing part and these looked like those plastic toy cars kids ride in, kind of oval in shape. In the rural areas, they have "trishas" with passengers sitting in front in the carriage and the "taxi driver" is the cyclist that moves the trisha. Yes, these are taxis in the rural areas of Puno and Juliaca, but they also have regular Automobile taxis. Lima traffic is crazy, though. Limeons drive like there are no traffic rules! That's why there's so much honking around. I spoke to the lady who drove us in the van and she said there are many accidents in Lima, as a result.
I have not seen anyone walking on hands. Sounds like you must have heard someone describe a Peruvian acrobatic act or a circus?

t-bone

I travelled Peru for three years.
the cleanest country in the world, the most lovely people you could ever meet, one of the safest countries to travel in,
i would suggest If you ever go, be prepared for sites you only see in movies.
you will be hooked as we were. we are planning to move to Peru and open a small trucking firm. as far as strange happening i have never experience anything other than a great nights sleep and the cleanest natural drinking water on earth.
good luck

matthew s

THe culture of peru varys from place to place , with it been a poor country. I have just got back from visiting peru and it was fantastic not just the touristi places !! The dance music varies from house to classic latin music in lima ,then more north you go is traditonial music did go south try that next time!! The fashion is very western in lima (miraflores) but again the more rural you go it changes with the standared of living . Hope this helps

safe adventure, best food on earth and a multicultural experience in the safest country on America

iheartart

try wikipedia! (or encyclopedia.com)

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