The type of accommodation in Peru that Aracari adores most are those owner ran properties with beautiful, local details that are in touch with the surrounding environment. This is exactly what we discovered when we visited the Cuesta Serena boutique hotel in the Cordillera Blanca region of the northern Peruvian Andes. It was a sunny summer weekend in December when my colleague Mark and I ventured north of Lima. Upon arrival at the property, early in the morning, we were given a friendly welcome and a hearty breakfast on the hotel's front terrace, with views across the garden and the Cordillera Blanca mountain range. We were also greeted by a lovely welcome message from owner Mariana. Relaxing on the terrace, we were struck by the colourful textiles that adorned the furniture, and hammocks draped from the beams on the ceiling. There were also ornaments such as Toritos de Pucara, ceramic bulls that are popular adornments in the Andes, as well as embroidered cusions with flowers that reflected the various lush arrangements dotted around the garden. A pleasant atmosphere to enjoy our breakfast and take in the mountain air. Later, Mariana joined us along with her gorgeous dogs Max and Mara, who were only too eager to jump up and slobber all over us. Mariana explained to us that the hotel had opened just a year ago. The project of her late father, the idea was to build a beautiful retreat in the Cordillera Blanca away from the hustle and bustle of nearby town of Huaraz. Cuesta Serena is now popular with guests who come up to the mountains from Lima and has cemented its position as the best accomodation option in the area. We were shown to our rooms and I settled down into my suite, the "Luxury Suite", which
The type of accommodation in Peru that Aracari adores most are those owner ran properties with beautiful, local details that are in touch with the surrounding environment. This is exactly what we discovered when we visited the Cuesta Serena boutique hotel in the Cordillera Blanca region of the northern Peruvian…
This February Delfin Amazon Cruises re-launched its renovated, 28-passenger Delfin II Amazon vessel. Owner Lissy Urteaga oversaw the remodeling and design of the new additions to the Delfin II, which include a lecture room, massage and exercise room, as well as various new amenities, all customized to maximize guest comfort during their luxury Amazon cruise expedition. Delfin II Amazon Upgrades Delfin Amazon Cruises offers trips along the Ucayali tributary of the Amazon River, which runs through the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve in the Amazon Rainforest. The operator offers two luxury cruise vessels, the Delfin I and the Delfin II. Aracari has visited both ships a number of times: in 2012 Marisol (Aracari’s founder) went on a 4 day, 3 night cruise on the renovated Delfin I, and she first traveled on the Delfin II during its maiden voyage in 2009. We adore the Delfin ships and feel that they wonderfully reflect the Amazon rainforest in their details and decorations, making this an ideal way to experience the rainforest in luxury. So what’s new? The Delfin II’s new lecture room, situated on the Upper Deck, is now equipped with a projector for presentations, a computer, new lounge areas and air conditioning. There are also hand-made game tables for use during leisure time. The lecture room has been modeled after the same casual elegance and incorporation of natural elements characteristic of the Delfin vessels and will offer guests a space to socialize, relax during briefings and share photos and videos during the cruise. The massage and exercise room have been designed with windows that provide panoramic views of the changing scenery during the cruise, creating ideal settings for guests to unwind during a massage or while exercising on the gym equipment. Our friends at Delfin are pleased to offer these new facilities
This February Delfin Amazon Cruises re-launched its renovated, 28-passenger Delfin II Amazon vessel. Owner Lissy Urteaga oversaw the remodeling and design of the new additions to the Delfin II, which include a lecture room, massage and exercise room, as well as various new amenities, all customized to maximize guest comfort…
The Nazca culture, with its complex textiles, impressive geoglyphs and underground aqueduct systems, first captivated my imagination when I traveled to Peru’s south coast as a curious child. Since then, I’ve continued to be fascinated by the Nazca Lines in particular. Recently I experienced the Nazca Lines flight from Pisco airport and share my experience on visiting the Nazca Lines which can be easily visited from Lima. Nazca Lines flight About the Nazca Lines Created by the Nazca people between 400 and 650 AD, a slew of hypotheses have been presented to explain the existence of the zoomorphic geoglyphs. While some believe that they were related to astronomy and served to track the sun and other celestial bodies, others claim that they were created so that gods may view them from above, and others yet avow that they were used in religious practices to summon water. It feels as though over the years I've heard as many hypotheses about the lines as there are lines themselves. Getting to the Nazca Lines from Lima For many visitors to Peru, a trip down the south coast wouldn’t be complete without an overflight of the Nazca Lines. Designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 1994, the geoglyphs are located on the Pampas de Jumana just outside of the city of Nazca and around five hours drive south of Lima. The nearest airport from Lima you can take flights over Nazca from is Pisco, a fishing town located around three hours from Lima.You can also take flights from Ica airport. Depending on the time of year, LATAM flys Cusco - Pisco (limited frequency). This means you can drive from Lima to Pisco and connect on to Cusco by commercial flight, or in reverse to easily incorporate visits to Nazca and Machu Picchu in the
The Nazca culture, with its complex textiles, impressive geoglyphs and underground aqueduct systems, first captivated my imagination when I traveled to Peru’s south coast as a curious child. Since then, I’ve continued to be fascinated by the Nazca Lines in particular. Recently I experienced the Nazca Lines flight from Pisco…
All photos featured in article courtesy of the Association of Pro Art and Culture This April 24th the tenth International Festival of Baroque and Renaissance Music of America will commence in the Chiquitos Jesuit Missions in the region of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Taking place every two years, this year’s celebration will be double the size of that of 2013, as organizers have amplified the offerings with fifty musical groups from Bolivia and around the world playing 140 concerts in twenty communities throughout ten days. The region of Santa Cruz in southeastern Bolivia, bordering with Brazil, was named “Chiquitos” by the Jesuit missionaries from Europe who arrived in the late 17th century. The Jesuits brought their European instruments like violins, viols, flutes and harpsichords to these indigenous jungle communities, who adapted to them and became talented baroque and renaissance musicians, a tradition preserved to the present day—even after the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767. There are six temples from the Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos that underwent a restoration in the 1970’s, which are spread throughout the Santa Cruz region: Concepción, San Javier, San Ignacio, Santa Ana, Santiago and San José. They are now cultural centers promoting the arts in the communities where they are situated. The architecture and designs of the buildings as well as the art they contain have attracted tourists in recent years, bringing some prosperity to the people of the area. Most notably, the missions demonstrate the “mestizo” culture, blending the European instruments with the music of the indigenous communities, mixing the Spanish and indigenous language, design to produce something completely original. The festival, however, focuses on traditional baroque and renaissance musical works by both European and indigenous composers, which were recovered during the restoration. For anyone planning a visit to Bolivia this spring, the International Festival
All photos featured in article courtesy of the Association of Pro Art and Culture This April 24th the tenth International Festival of Baroque and Renaissance Music of America will commence in the Chiquitos Jesuit Missions in the region of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Taking place every two years, this year’s celebration…
In 2011 Aracari sponsored the exhibit of contemporary Peruvian art, El placer es más importante que la victoria, at the Tasneem Gallery in Barcelona. Next week this exhibition will showcase at the second installation of Art 14 London, a weekend-long art exhibition beginning next Friday, February 28th at the Olympia Grand in London’s Kensington district. The exhibit, El placer es más importante que la victoria (Pleasure is more important than victory), features the works of thirteen contemporary Peruvian artists, who offer multiple interpretations of the current movements culturally, politically, socially and economically as they are unfolding in Peru upon its return to the international community after a time of isolation and tumult that suppressed the country in the late 20th century. These artists explore the range of reactions to the economic upswing that has resulted in spirit of decadence in Peru, examining the role of image, pleasure and the body in a society coming out of a dark period marked by violence and stagnancy that lingers in the memory of those who lived it while the new generations learn from the scars it has left on the country. Striking works like the portraits by Alfredo Marquez or Harry Chavez’s “La Mente”, two conjoined skulls decorated by colorful stickers of popular images in Peru, as well as curious works like the tower of stacked, plastic glasses “Untitled” by Gilda Mantilla, reflect on stereotypes emerging from this new era marked by a celebration of aesthetics and fun in Peru. You can look at a preview of these pieces and read biographies on the artists on the Tasneem Gallery website: El placer es más importante que la victoria As a disseminator of Peruvian culture, Aracari became involved with the exhibition as part of our effort to interpret for our guests current movements in
In 2011 Aracari sponsored the exhibit of contemporary Peruvian art, El placer es más importante que la victoria, at the Tasneem Gallery in Barcelona. Next week this exhibition will showcase at the second installation of Art 14 London, a weekend-long art exhibition beginning next Friday, February 28th at the Olympia…
Sculptures Along Lima’s Costa Verde Walking along the sidewalk of Malécon Cisneros in Lima’s picturesque seaside district, Miraflores, you will find the iconic Parque del Amor with its larger-than-life sculpture of two lovers in a deep embrace called “The Kiss”. The monument to love, created by Peruvian artist Víctor Delfín, was erected on February 14, 1993—Valentine’s Day—when the park opened on the Costa Verde. The park takes inspiration from whimsical designs by Spanish architect, Antoní Gaudí, particularly the famous Park Güell in Barcelona’s hilly Gràcia district. The wall flanking the park waves along the coast and is decorated with a ceramic mosaic in which quotes from Peruvian writers about love have been embedded like the first line of the poem “Poetry in A Major” by Limeñan writer Jorge Eduardo Wilson: “estupendo Amor AmAr el mAr”. The English translation does not quite do it justice, but it is enough to know the poem is about love (el amor) and the sea (el mar)—two elements that the Parque del Amor unites. Pass by the park at sunset and you will spot the silhouettes of lovers sitting along the wall, holding hands under a tree or, taking note from the sculpture, embracing for a kiss. The sculpture is one of several contemporary works along the Costa Verde, created as part of an effort to beautify the city and bring art to the public. On the other end of the Puente Villena, the bridge that leads to the Parque del Amor, there is a rather formidable sculpture by artist Fernando de Szyszlo. Titled “Intihuatana”, the hitching post in Quechua, the stone sculpture pays homage to the culture that worshipped the sun, trying to capture it at the post. As Szyszlo explained during the inauguration, with Lima’s characteristic gray, overcast skies, a hitching post for
Sculptures Along Lima’s Costa Verde Walking along the sidewalk of Malécon Cisneros in Lima’s picturesque seaside district, Miraflores, you will find the iconic Parque del Amor with its larger-than-life sculpture of two lovers in a deep embrace called “The Kiss”. The monument to love, created by Peruvian artist Víctor Delfín,…
