According to Mexican newspaper El Universal, filming for next James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, will include scenes in Machu Picchu. Allegedly, filming will occur during the first half of March, while the film is expected for November 2008.
The report says that the production crew will consist of approximately 250 people, though it is not yet known if Daniel Craig will be present for filming.
The film poster, that illustrates this post, is available for download as a desktop wallpaper at the James Bond official site.
PromPeru, Peru’s Tourism Promotion Agency, has launched a nice advertising campaign in London. More than 300 taxis on the British capital will carry distinctive images of Peru, promoting the country as a choice vacation destination.
According to PromPerú, the UK is Peru’s second largest incoming tourist market in Europe. In 2006, more than 65,000 British visitors arrived to Peru (photo: PromoPerú).
Though images of the Andes come readily to mind when thinking about Peru, as much as 2/3 of its territory is taken by the Amazon Rainforest. The Selva (jungle, in Spanish) covers every corner east of the Andes, from the Equator to the southern borders with Brazil and Bolivia. Scarcely populated, Peru’s Amazon rainforest probably sustains the World’s richest biodiversity. More so within its many parks and reserves –Manu, Pacaya Samiria, Tambopata–, both wildlife paradises and natural sanctuaries.
Fresh content on the main natural parks and reserves, plus Iquitos and facts regarding th Amazon river and the rainforest.
Although little known to foreigners, Peru has beautiful beaches in the northern departments of Tumbes and Piura.
One of the most well-know beaches is Punta Sal (80km from Tumbes), a long white-sand beach considered one of the finest in Peru. Its warm waters boast a rich marine biodiversity and, diversely from most other beaches in the area, accommodate quite gentle waves. The Punta Sal beach resort, surrounded by sand dunes and carob trees, is extremely popular among families. It faces the relatively isolated half-moon section of the beach.
Equally popular, though more among surfers and party-goers, is Máncora (Piura, close to the border with Tumbes). This town and beach resort features more than 30 different accommodation spots that receive both resident and foreigner tourists almost year-round. The resort town flaunts a large number of exclusive restaurants, nightclubs and unpretentious bars.
The winners of the New 7 Wonders competition were announced in Lisbon, Saturday 7 July, and Machu Picchu was elected as one of the modern wonders of the world. The other winners were the Great Wall of China, Brazil’s Statue of Christ Redeemer, the Colosseum in Rome, Jordan’s Petra, the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza in Mexico and India’s Taj Mahal.
The Peru Guide has added the beautiful city of Arequipa to its online guide, toghether with the Colca Canyon. Known as the "white city" for the volcanic stone largely used in its buildings, Arequipa is an elegant and charming city at the foot of the Misti, a dormant volcano. Moreover, it’s the main gate to the Colca Canyon, famous for its condors and white river rafting, and one of Peru’s most extraordinary destinations.
Nice article in The Washington Post by Jonathan Yardley, titled Lima Cuisine: You Don’t Know What You’re Missing. Besides writing about gastronomy, the author goes over Miraflores, Lima’s nicest restaurant quarter.
A brief taste: Not merely is old Lima rich in history, but new Lima is so rich gastronomically as to put just about all the world’s other cities to shame. Today it is not merely advisable but mandatory to come to Lima para la cocina: for the food.
This year 2007, Cusco’s famous Inti Raymi celebration will take place on Sunday, June 24. The procession departs at 9am from Koricancha (Plazoleta Santo Domingo) and arrives the Sacsayhuaman fortress at around noon.
Held during the winter solstice, the Inti Raymi or Fiesta del Sol (Sun Celebration) was the most important festivity of the ancient Peru. If there is an event you can’t miss during your visit to Peru, this for sure is it. Spectacular and millenary, the celebration of the God Sun -the highest god of the Incas-, aimed at stopping it from further moving away from the Earth, but also for sunlight to keep supporting life in the planet.
During the Inca Empire, the festival was attended by the main Cusco authorities and the highest representatives from the four nations of the Tahuantinsuyo (the Inca land). All attendants were impeccably dressed, the military carrying their finest weapons. Soon after the Spanish had conquered the empire, the Catholic Church forbid what they considered a pagan-ritual. And it was not until the XX century that the festivity was recovered by a group of artists and intellectuals from Cusco. They started to represent it as a play, which evolved year after year thanks to continuous historical research.
Nowadays the ritual is very similar to the original. It takes place in the esplanade of Sacsayhuaman, and is recited in Quechua with an almost simultaneous Spanish translation. The extensive research has also allowed a faithful recreation of the original clothing and accessories (though obviously gold isn’t used anymore). The rehearsals for the event take up to several weeks. The Inti Raymi is organized by Emufec, the municipality company responsible for the traditional Cusco festivities.
Tickets can be found at the EMUFEC offices (Calle Santa Catalina Ancha 333, Phone 084-244504) or in any travel agency. Prices for an outstanding viewpoint range from $50 to $70. Many locals, though, watch the celebration from the hills that surround the esplanade.
A branch of Lima’s renowned Astrid & Gastón restaurant was inaugurated yesterday (May 21st) in Madrid, and most probably became the first high-cuisine Peruvian restaurant in Europe. Gastón Acurio, Peru’s most celebrated chef and founder of a restaurant conglomerate (together with his German wife Astrid Gutsche), intends to open several branches of his top-of-the-line Astrid & Gastón in Europe during the coming years.
According to Acurio, the election of Spain’s capital as first location for the restaurant was obvious: “Madrid is the natural gateway to Europe for any Latin American proposal”.
As in every other location, Madrid’s Astrid & Gastón’s cuisine will maintain its trademark subtle re-lecture of Peruvian culinary tradition, making an intense use of typical Peruvian spices, ajíes (chili-peppers), herbs, and other ingredients.
