Christmas and New Year's in Peru & a whirlwind tour through Southern Peru

Greetings and salutations everyone~
I hope life is treating you all well and that you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's with your loved ones. This was my first holiday season not spent in the Upper Midwest, and the traditions I found in Peru vary somewhat from the States. What didn't vary was the presence of family during these holidays and Marianella and I had a great time over the past couple weeks. We spent Christmas at Marianella's parents and then flew off to Southern Peru to visit many of Marianella's cousins, aunts, and uncles for New Year's, plus a few days. I have a lot to cover in this blog, so I'll break it down by event:

Christmas
As Marianella and I drove towards her parents' home on Christmas Eve, I was having a difficult time getting my mind around the fact it was Christmas. Seeing that I was wearing a T-shirt and shorts and had my window rolled down, you may understand the difficulty. Upon arrival at her parents' home, the feeling of Christmas began to overwhelm the lack of snow and cold that I felt was missing. We attended Church at 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve and afterwards returned home for the Christmas feast with the usual trimmings we find in the States. Sounds pretty similar to what we do in the States, right? Well, about a quarter to midnight the differences in Christmas traditions between the United States and Peru became quite apparent. Christmas here is marked by fireworks and lots of them, seemingly from every house in the city.

Access and cost of fireworks is also a lot easier and cheaper than in the States, so people love to "burn their money" (the saying in Peru) in celebration. As I looked at the smoke filled park across the street from Marianella's parents, I thought a Civil War reenactment was taking place. The sky was filled with multi-colored fireworks that lasted well beyond midnight. Taking a break from the amatuer firework show on display at midnight, we came into the house and went to the manger scene to uncover baby Jesus. At that point, we lit sparklers and sang a lullaby to greet him.

After all this excitement, it was tough to fall asleep that night, particularly with the random firework exploding and not aided by a teenager on the block who received a bullhorn for Christmas. But it was certainly a memorable way to celebrate Christmas.

New Year's
Marianella and I found ourselves in southern Peru for New Year's Eve, visiting close family members while ringing in 2009. Once again, I was treated to a unique experience on this holiday. Along with about twenty family members and friends, we formed a convoy to Sillustani, a pre-Incan historical site that is a popular destination for New Year's Eve. Evidently the pre-Incan people appreciated their pyrotechnics because we brought a great deal of fireworks with us to the site. Upon reaching the summit of Sillustani, we lit off our vast supply of fireworks into the dark sky.

After setting off the fireworks, we retreated back to the city of Juliaca and cousin Rocio's house, where Marianella and I stayed during our visit and where the New Year's party was held. This party began at about 2 a.m. and at 2:30 we were all served a delicious meal of roast pork, roast potatoes, and Waldorf salad. I can't remember the last time I ate at 2:30 in the morning, but I know it wasn't like the meal I had on New Year's. After polishing off this fine meal, the music was turned up and the dancing began. It was about 4:30 in the morning when Marianella and I said "no mas" and headed towards bed. I was a bit disappointed that we didn't see the sun rise, but there's always 2010.

Toasting the New Year:


Arequipa
Besides celebrating the holidays, Marianella and I also spent a good deal of time enjoying ourselves in the southern region of Peru. We flew out on December 27th to Arequipa, Peru's second largest city and probably it's most beautiful city. It's a quiet city, nestled between three volcanoes and vulnerable to earthquakes (the last big one in 2001). I had first spent time in Arequipa on last year's visit and was glad to see it again, even if as a brief stopover (our main purpose for visiting Arequipa was to gradually accustom our body to the dramatic elevation before heading to Juliaca). Here are some pictures of the city:


Copacabana, Bolivia

This isn't the Copacabana that Barry Manilow croons about. Instead, it is a tiny town located on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca that has long drawn visitors for its beautiful Basilica. I ventured there with Marianella and her cousins Patricia and Rocio and was taken with its charm. On our day trip we attended Mass in the Basilica, strolled the lakefront, and had a delicious meal of lake trout, potatoes, and salad. I can also add Bolivia to the list of countries I've visited, which is pretty cool too.

The Copacabana Basilica:
With cousins Patricia and Rocio by Lake Titicaca:




Colca Canyon & Chivay

After visiting Marianella's family in Juliaca, we retreated to Arequipa and took a two day tour of the Colca Canyon. The Colca Canyon lays claim to the deepest canyon in the world, although its canyon walls aren't as steep as those in the Grand Canyon. I've never been to the Grand Canyon, but Marianella has, and says one of the major differences is that the Colca valley that surrounds the canyon is very green and fertile, while the Grand Canyon is much browner and drier.

After a lengthy bus trip to Chivay (the largest town in the Colca Canyon and where we stayed), we took a two mile hike around the region and then were able to relax in the hot springs of La Calera. Our second day started off very early with a trip to the Colca Canyon area where we looked for the famous condors that fly through the canyon in route to search for their daily food. Unfortunately, no condors passed our way that day, but as Marianella and I agreed, there are worse ways to spend a morning than gazing at one of nature's wonders while the sun warms our bodies and burns off the morning fog.

As mentioned we stayed in the little town of Chivay while visiting the Colca Canyon. It's a remarkable community, situated about 12,000 feet above sea level. While we were in the town, the wind never stopped blowing and we both agreed that it took a pretty hardy soul to decide to make this place their home. While in Chivay, we came across perhaps the most remarkable Catholic Church we've seen yet in Peru. That says something, as this country has a number of spectacular, beautiful Churches. While you will find grander, more opulent Churches in Lima, Cusco, Arequipa, etc., we were impressed with the beauty of this Church which is situated in such a difficult, remote location. Across the street from the Church is a town square where Marianella and I spent one afternoon enjoying our lunch, interrupted only by a stray dog who was eager for us to share our crackers with him.

On the bus ride to Colca Canyon:


The Chivay Church:
Marianella with a furry little friend:
Some local girls, in traditional clothes, with their llamas:
Trying to stay on the falcon's good side:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My blog will be on hiatus for a bit, as I will be returning to Minnesota for about a month to take care of paperwork and business, while visiting family and friends. I'm already anticipating that there won't be enough time to see everyone I would like to, but hopefully we will be able to cross paths and if not, hopefully I'll catch you the next time I pass through. Take care everyone and I hope 2009 is off to a great start for you all.

Comments

KJuncewski said…
Timothy! Love your pictures that you include in your blog, they make me want a llama. Is it possible you could put one in your carry on? Oh by the way yesterday I was at the mall of america and they had this store (I can't recall the name), however, almost everything there was imported from Peru and it made me happy. And that's my story. Happy new year to you and Marianella! Kimmy

Popular posts from this blog

Baby News!

An Early Christmas Arrives Soon

I´ve Arrived!