Cajamarca 1

After leaving Lima I traveled overnight on Cruz de Sur to meet my friend Anna and her sister Lesley from Piura. The bus was very comfortable and I managed to sleep 7 hours, so arrived fresh and spent a very agreeable few hours comprising of cocktails, a lunch of duck with rice (a Chiclayo specialty). In truth the duck was a bit dry but we enjoyed catching up and we took in some pleasant gardens set out in Roman classical design and paid a visit to Ripley, the Debenhams of Peru and air conditioned.

The next day I was booked on a Linea bus,(I have since learned the buses are on strike) less comfortable but with some great views of the countryside. The journey of about 150 km took 7 hours giving you some idea of the terrain as we climbed to more than 11000 feet. At times the paved road gave way to dirt and some of the edges were just bit on the close side. Anyway, as we dropped down from the high plateau I had my first view of Cajamarca, a substantial city situated in a green valley surrounded by mountains on all sides, some of which were cloaked in cloud, for it is the rainy season.

Cajamarca has many attractions but it is mostly known for the downfall of the Inca Empire as Francisco Pizarro with about 170 soldiers, 29 horses and one canon conquered a culturally advanced empire stretching from Columbia to Chile. Atahualpa, the Inca Emperor was tricked into entering the city with his retinue which was duly massacred by the better armed and ferocious Spanish contingent. He was then held ransom for gold and silver to fill a large room (the Rescate) but his only gain from this was to be spared death by burning and he was eventually hanged. From then on the empire fell into disarray and was decimated by systematic subjugation and the spread of disease – and so it ended.

Arriving in Cajamarca at first I stayed in a hotel but by luck I have found a lovely family with whom to lodge. Vicky is an official guide and her extended family live in 3 connected dwellings. Mirita cooks and keeps house and cousins, aunts, nieces and nephews come and go so the house is always lively and fun. I am treated a bit like visiting royalty but am normalising relations and I have just got them to stop calling me Senor Alan. I get a room of my own, a shower next door and 3 meals a day for about £52 a week. To be honest I probably spend more than that on food alone at home.

Since arriving I have participated in some of the usual tourist activities. Firstly visiting some museums and the Rescate which is where the gold and silver was stored. I have also been to the Inca Baths, a complex of hot springs serving a complex of individual bathroom where for just over £1 you can spend 30 minutes bathing and absorbing some of the minerals said to be present in the waters. I also walked to Otuzco via a river path. Here one can visit the ventanillas, a complex of burial chambers niched out in the rocks. Yesterday I visited Cumbe Mayo a huge outcrop or 'forest of rocks with a 3000 year old aqueduct which has been precision engineered to supply water into the valley. There are also strange petroglyphs which so far haven't been deciphered.

The town of Cajamarca is busy and well supplied with places to eat and drink. Holanda Ice cream company takes advantage of the ample supply of dairy produce and has some great and typical Peruvian flavours. So far i have not had any luck in tracking down a NGO to work with but I think I have identified a Spanish teacher and I am supposed to be meeting up with a TV reporter who says he will interview me about cycling; on which not as yet I haven't bought a bike but have joined Fitness First and will be doing a spinning session later today.

Ending this edition on a slightly sour note I was robbed in the market losing about £30 and a couple of credit cards. In part at least this was my own fault in not taking sufficient precautions but the team that robbed me were pretty accomplished and I guess one can learn from any experience. Reporting the event has been somewhat comical necessitating several visits to the police station and back and forth to the national bank. Getting me a supply of money and plastic is a chore that has sadly fallen to my resourceful wife.

Back in Lima

Well I am back in Peru and remembering its funny ways. The journey was uneventful except for some extreme turbulence which unnerved me somewhat. I was to have been collected from th airport by my friend Stuart but emails went astray and in the end I selected the most reliable oldest taxista from the Green Taxi company. I chose him partly to annoy one of his colleagues who was shadowing my every move in the hope of a fare.

My stay in Lima was hugely enhanced by my hotel which was a real cultural treat. The house of Victor Delfin, artist of Peru is a hotel, gallery and his studio. Almost 100 years old its architecture defies classification but maybe owes something to the combined influences of Tudor, Bauhaus and Swiss country cottage. The house is situated in the so called bohemian district of Barranco, just outside Lima and it looks out on the Paciffic.

Lilian, Victor's daughter is a petite 40 something with military precision in the B and B arrangements, a quality probably inherited from her father whose studio is orderly and not stereotypically arty. A huge brightly lit cross over at Chorillo to the South dominates the night sky and and reflects off the water.

The house is huge with 3 large double bedrooms for guests – these cost considerably more than the £40 per night that I paid for the only en suite single room. Breakfasts are a friendly affair with all guests sharing the same table.

On entering the garden you are greeted by 2 large friendly dogs Zeus and Diana, but most of all treated to a continual revealing of Victor's considerable body of work and talent. This is in the form of sculptures, paintings, artifacts and even windows and door furniture which have been artistically interpreted.

Aside from the hotel i enjoyed a great meal with Stuart and his Peruvian wife Anette, did some research on Cajamarca at South American Explorers and enjoyed some walks along the beach and into Chorillas a nearby busy town about which people warned me that it was unsafe but on visiting seemed much the same as any other Peruvian commercial centre. I also explored Barranco and found a friendly bar and hit a few museums.

So, a good 3 days and then I took a super luxury night bus to Chiclayo where I was to meet Ana and her sister, friend from lst year's visit to Piura. Overall a good start to the trip.

Sevilla with The English Group

I convene a small group of Spanish and English learners in a pub in Croydon, unimaginatively known as Croydon-Spanish. Until recently my friend Jorge was a member of the group and now is a founding member of a similar group based in Sevilla called The English Group.


Well, we have been comparing notes and I took the opportunity of a £50 Ryanair deal to spend 4 less wet and cold November days. The group was incredibly kind, entertained and showed me around the city treating me to rides to and from the airport, (although Jorge's car died on the way back necessitating a fast change to a taxi)


I really like Sevilla and being shown the authentic and best bars and sampling great tapas was an excellent antidote to recent poor weather in London. We visited the museum of Modern Art where there was a great exhibition Máquinas de Mirar with all sorts of visual tricks and machines. I also enjoyed Reales Alcazares, Archivo de Indias, various parks, gardens and avenues, a wonderful exhibition of Art inspired by video games, 'Over the Game'. I was treated to dinner at one of the group's houses and visited the horse show SICAB. 


Thanks to all my hosts but especially those of you who showed me around. You all showed me great kindness. 


Some of you will know that I quite enjoy cycling so it was with some interest that I was able to try out the municipal cycle scheme. It worked pretty well, and with Sevilla being quite flat and and relatively safe, it was very well used by locals and some tourists. I spent a couple of enjoyable hours mainly on cycle paths by the river.


I had a amazing and memmorable 4 days mainly thanks to my newly found friends in Sevilla. I hope they will be able to come to London for a visit quite soon.

Peru en Londres 2009

Those of you who read this blog know that it will be reignited on my return to peru, this time from January 6 to March 13 2010. At that time I aim to be blogging once or twice a week, mainly from Cajamarca.

But recently there has been quite a lot of action here relating to Peru. I seem to have extended my contacts and am enjoying different activities. A couple of weeks ago I attended the Día de la Canción Criolla at the Inca Arch near Brixton. This was a well attended event with dancing and traditional food. I can't remember what I had to eat so maybe that was and indication of the fun we had. There were traditional dances and a disco.

Also this month saw the beginnings of a new London based Peruvian Association. I attended a meeting when they were hammering out a constitution, running into many pages, but when the food was ready all the business and laboured posturings about the constitution ceased and we had some nice traditional dishes and Pisco sours. Unfortunately I broke my tooth on some cake decorations.

Last week I joined the Peru Support Group and attended its conference in Oxford. This is a broadly left leaning group devoted to supporting Peru. We had some interesting contributions most notably from a priest and potentially a cadidate for President of Peru in forthcoming elections. Marco Arena is an interesting character who seems to be trying to lever a coalition of leftish organisations with strong messages about the Peruvian economy and the current misuse of natural resources and their cost to human suffering. He is a commanding figure from Cajamarca where I will be living and he voices sensible and moderate policies for the sustainable development of Peru.

Cluadio of the Peruap Project hosted the film La teta asustada. This is a magical film staring Magaly Solier. It won some awards at Berlin and is well regarded for its portrayal of the suffering of the indiginous people of the Andes in the times of Partido Comunista del Perú), more commonly known as the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso)and their conflicts with the Government during a time of great uprising in Peru when it is estimated that 70,00 died, mostly peasants in rural areas. This has coincided with recent release of photos entitled Melting mountains: Helena Christensen on her pictures from Peru The supermodel turned photographer talks about her pictures documenting the environmental and human cost of climate change in her mother's native country. The exhibition of her photographs, in collaboration with Oxfam, opens to the public on 23 November at London's Proud Gallery. They can be found here

Lastly, I am looking forward to the Christmas Party of thee Anglo Peruvian association. This will be hosted in the Peruvian Embassy residence by the kind permission the Ambassador of Peruu, Ricardo Luna.

After that I will be getting ready for my trip. I am beginning to identify some contacts in Cajamarca and my fI will be meeting up with my friend Stuart in Lima.

Thanks for reading the blog. Hopefully you'll see more first hand accounts in January. In the meantime, have a great Christmas.

Feliz navidad

Autumn morning our garden

- Posted using Mobypicture.com

Music and Dance at Inca Arch

Last evening's offering in favour of the Apurimac project was a tour de force of Peruvian culture including music, dance, art, and food and poetry. The fact that you can find all this a stone's throw from central London never ceases to amaze me.

We (myself and Jorge a friend from Sevilla) arrived early and therefore received free complimentary Pisco Sours. The line up for the evening included a rich mix of Peruvian artists now domiciled in UK and Spain. We had every thing for a great evening - the line up included:

Chano Díaz Límaco

Sofía Buchuck (Singer and poet)

José Navarro (Scissors dancer, mime performer)

Juan Calle (singer, composer and poet)

David Mortara ( percussionist and "cajón" player)

Chano Diaz is an award winning musician and producer born in Ayacucho presented some songs from his latest albums. The proceeds of the concert went to Peru Apurimac Project.

We began the eveing with a presentation of recent support for impoverished communities in the high Andes and some of the work going on with remote communities to support more sustainable ways of life.

After that the entertainment began with contributions from all the above mentioned artists. Chano played the the spanish guitar and the charango. Originally, Andean music consisted only of flutes and percussion. The charango resembles a small guitar with 10 strings. The strings are tuned in pairs of five notes, with the middle pair being an octave apart. The rest are tuned in unison. The sound is quite high, almost "tinny" in tone, with a sharp attack. Chano plays the charango in this clip The other instrument played was the cajon, basically a square wooden bok on which one sits and plays like a drum on the front side.

One of the most notable parts of the evening was the Scissor dance performed by José Navarro. This is an acrobatic dance accompanied by what look like two halves of a pair of metal scissors which are beaten rhythmically. You can see it performed here

All in all this was a great evening and they went on to have a disco after we left to catch a train.

If you want to know more about the project there is an informative blog

Cycling adventures around Burgos

Perhaps one might think that Northern Central Spain has less to offer than the coastal regions - this is not the case and I can recommend the area. It is great for its scenic and historical qualities, the quality of the roads and the ease of cycling along quiet lanes and, even in the city where a cycle path follows the river to leave the city in either of two directions. Burgos is in the area of Castilla Leon and is situated on a high plateau. Thus it can be chilly even in summer. There is a local joke about the man from Burgos who went to a nudist camp but always carried a coat just in case!

I was in Spain for about 3 weeks and I managed to fit in a visit to Madrid and met up with friends there over 3 days before moving on to Burgos. This was for my second experience of Vaughantown. This is an immersion English course for Spanish speakers. Their English speaking counterparts or 'Anglos' receive 6 days of 4 star accommodation, food and wine in exchange for talking exclusively in English to a lively group of Spanish speakers, mainly corporate employees. They are improving their English speaking skills through intensive conversation. I reserved the subsequent 5 days for cycling around Burgos and getting to know the Cantabrian countryside.

As luck would have it a cycling group, Cycling-Centuries, an American company passed through the hotel en route with a group of Australians undertaking the Camino de Santiago. They had some spare bikes on board the support vehicle and rented me a pretty good hybrid with aluminum frame, carbon forks and mainly Shimano parts. I also managed a cheap deal with the hotel where I was staying. I can recommend it, a Hilton, Palicio de la Merced

Burgos is a historic city of some 200,000 people. It has a very well known Gothic cathedral and is situated on the Camino de Santigo, thus attracting many Peregrinos and other tourist.

My first day of cycling created some problems. A river runs through the city centre and there is about 5 miles of cycle path by it stretching each West and East to the city limits. Along one part of the path it gave way to an unexpected curb and I came off the bike suffering 4 significant abrasions. By luck there was a first a first aid station by a children's park so, like the children, I put on a brave face, wiped my tears and I was able to receive excellent treatment almost immediately. Riding out of the city a cyclist passed and waved as he went by so I caught on the back of his wheel and he showed me a good circular route out of the City. He was pretty fast but willing to pull me along and shield me from the wind. Rodrigo was a member of the local cycling club and he told me about some races over the weekend. His cycle club is phenomenal by UK standards, situated in a bar called the Burgos Cycle Club it comprises a very large room set out with photos and trophies. That weekend the club had sponsored 2 races at semi-professional level with some local teams and prizes of around £100 for the winners. I watched the start of the first race. There were a disappointing 50 starters considering the escort of 7 motorcycles and 4 or 5 support cars. The motor cyclist shown is in fact Rodrigo!

Cycling around Burgos is demanding. In one direction there are fairly steep climbs while in the other there are long drags. The wind is a constant and strong feature and one is reminded of it by the many wind generators. Spain is further ahead of other European countries in renewable energy but for cyclists these structures usually signify a demanding climb up to a ridge and a fierce chilling wind.

Mostly rides can be punctuated by rests in small villages where there is often a running tap of clean and cool fresh water. There is usually a cafe and opportunities to buy coffee, tapas and other drinks. At one such stop I managed to ride off leaving behind my camera, driving license, money and phone. Realising my mistake after some 15 km so I turned back. After 10 km I was flagged down by the Civil Guard in a squad car! They had been out looking for me to return my possessions after an elderly man who I befriended at lunch reported my error – I was so relieved that I collectively forgave the Civil Guard their history of support for the Franco dictatorship and set off agan to complete my ride. The extra miles gave me a 90 mile day and I was pretty tired at the end.

Cycling in the area is very agreeable; cars pass by carefully and give as much room as possible. On the main roads there is usually a metre wide margin for cyclists and there are plenty of other cyclists at the weekend, always offering a friendly wave. Over the 5 days I covered about 350 miles usually at an average of about 15.5mph which wasn't too bad considering some meandering exploration of villages and the cycle path which was always busy with other cyclists on their way to andd from the town centre. I enjoyed some beautiful scenery, views of lakes, mountains and the expansive sierra. I saw many animals including a stoat, lizards, a snake and butterflies. Bird life included birds of prey circling above reminding me to drink more water in the dry heat of midday.

In all this area offered some great cycling and is well worth a visit. Afterwards I rented a car and headed off for Oviedo in the Asturias, another great part of Spain. We stayed at Hotel de la Reconquista which has 5 stars and is worth every one of them!

There will be a few more photos over at my flickr site and i have added some relevant links to my blog page.

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