Fiestas Patrias!

PERU

My country with full of rich historic past is going to celebrate its Independence Day! Comparing to other countries, Peru has 2 days to celebrate it, July 27 and 28. Days that the country was freed from Spain in 1821. Costumes, typical food and dances, colloquial life experiences made Peru a special country like many others in the world.

SOME OF ITS ATRACTIONS

This place is called Moray located in Cusco. It is possible that this place was the agricultural research center. Each platform develop a microclimate. It was the potato, the corn a subject of such study, but it seems the most interesting for this researchment was the coca leaf.
From South, Arequipa, the White City, surrounded by three big enormous volcanoes standing out one of them, the Misti volcano; it is a city of dry soil but arid, sunny all year around rains in summer time! City of deepest canyons as Colca and Cotahuasi. In this city you can find the unique bullfighting without causing injury to the bull itself but sometimes either the bull's owner does not agree with the results, he might fight with the winner. The impressive monastery Santa Catalina is one of the more interesting to visit in the country.


By southeast is Puno city, with the floating island Uros and the highest navigable lake in the world called Titicaca lies between Peru and Bolivia.

In the Midwest is Paracas and the Cathedral a rocky formation caused by the wind and sea erosion. It dates of upper Eocene between 30 and 34 million years old.In the North part Chiclayo city is El Señor de Sipán one of the astonish tomb after the Tutankhamen tomb in Egypt, valuable pieces were found through 4 m deep.

PERUVIAN COLOQUIALL LIVING

What a formal annoucenment here in Cusco! It was located near to a central market where Michael and I had for breakfast fruit juice, hot chocolate and bread with skin milk... It says:

Mr. Thief, it is forbidden to robber in this market, there is an agreement to hung you and then to bring you to the police station (PNP). :) For Sunday lunch menu in a local restaurant of the Inca's Sacred Valley in Cusco is chicharrón (Pork rinds) with roasted potatoes and onion salad with hierbabuena (kind of mint). You pay in the Peruvian current money 13 soles (S/.) around $4.50. It is highly recommended to lunch with at least 3 persons otherwise you won't finish your meal!!!!
This cute lady from Arequipa is delivering milk door by door each morning, using as a vehicle a donkey. She feeds it with alfalfa along the walking.There are some corners as target which this ice cream vendor making sound with a special tool as a sign that he is arriving to the place to sell D'Onofrio ice cream, such as--> chocolate sandwiches with vanilla, bombons, cup Copacabana, delicioussss!

In the daily menu board it is omitted the "s" in the phrase "pecado frito" it should says "pescado" (fish) instead "pecado" (sin).

For Sorojchi or Soroche (high altitude sickness) this add suggests something important but also it works very well a cup of coca tea!
This is funny, this is a man dressed up as a woman with some balloons on his chest and backside. Then he goes to the beach or places crowded of people selling sweets in a ironic, and sarcastic feminine voice to the men:"Hey, handsome! buy this candy bars, come on honey I have bubble gum for your girlfriend". If the customer denies to buy something to this dressed up guy, he says in a normal voice: "You are bad classmate!" :)))

ENTERTAINMENT

Peru has food diversity as well as dances: marinera, festejo, huayno, vals criollo, chicha. (click to watch videos)


Video: typical dance from the Andes - Teatro de Arte Cultural Cusco

Playing a guitar and singing and old and nice Peruvian vals under the sunset...

Perhaps a 'festejo' in voice of Eva Ayllón singer, the Peruvian symbol, it is so fun! These are recorded videos from her perform in the Hopkins Center, Hanover, New Hampshire USA in octuber 2007. She got a successful night. Americans danced with the Peruvian rythm. Michael and I did the same! Eva is Perú!

video: Ingá - Hopkins Center, New Hampshire, USA - October 2007



video: Eva Ayllon: "I don't speak in English, I only sing."

Hopkins Center, New Hampshire, USA - October 2007

Tapping dance!


Video: "Shooting" Hopkins Center, New Hampshire, USA - October 2007

Thanks Eva!

NATIONAL PRIDE

Condor Flyght - Cotahuasi Canyon, Arequipa

Alpaca Suri - Alpaca Feast 2000, Arequipa

Inca's stone with 12 angles, Cusco

Still the list continues--> Pisco Sour, Ceviche,Parihuela, El Choclo con Queso (corn with cheese), Inka Cola (soda), El Señor de Los Milagros, Pollo a la Brasa, Christian Meir (a handsome), Mario Vargas Llosa, Radio Programas del Perú and its 'Mi Novela Favorita", D'Onofrio ice cream and cake, Sublime chocolate, Aji No-Moto , Gloria Milk...and ourselves the Peruvians.Peruvian Government Palace - Lima, Perú

Maine - summer vacations

Maine meaning so much for me. Its coast is one of the places for summer vacations with white sand, blue ocean, indeed, this is a nice place that Michael and I visited. Maine is a state in the New England region bordering New Hampshire state to the east and to the north with Canada. New England region has 7 states: New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Rothe Island, Massachusetts, Conecticut and Maine.

OGUNQUIT, Maine

I love Ogunquit town, one of the well known place for vacations. Its name come from the Micmac Indians. There are many places with Indian names such as: Massachusetts, Conecticut, Missisippi, Queeche in Vermont, Kennebunk etc

video reference Summer 2006

The Marginal Way (1 mile) is a path along the beach, where we could enjoy the nature with lots of sea birds, flowers, trees.

Marginal Way, Ogunquit

The quite Atlantic Ocean impressed me so much. Also, the city is colorful because its flowers.

video: Swimming in the cold Atlantic ocean.

Lobster an exquisite typical food.

video Seafood lunch

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine

Kennebunkport is another town of Maine. It is known as the location of the summer home of former US president George Bush. The place is called the Bush compound.The entrance is guarded by secret service officers, though visitors can see the driveway leading up to the main house and a circular driveway, in the middle of which there is the American flag flying. We walked early in the morning the Ocean Avenue which is lined beside the beach, after 4 miles we saw the Bush compound.

We went to Goose Rocks Beach a quite place, with white sand and many things to do....

My first experience doing canoe. I was so nervous!...

...but Michael was fine.

July 4th - Independence Day

>>> PLANING A SHORT TRIP

This picture was taken to show the wild flowers along the road in the Summer time. The day was cloudy and rainy.

The celebrations of the Independence Day of the USA, well-known as 4th of July which is a remembrance of the declaring of independence from the Kingdom of the Great Britain The morning started with several events like, community breakfasts and lunch in parks, churches; barbeques, parades, picnics. In the green, close where we are living we saw horse back rides, people eating the popular French fries, popcorn, hotdog, drinking coke and American refreshment always with ice cubes.

In the afternoon we went to pick some strawberries but the farm was closed I made a mistake reading the newspaper. Anyway, instead the strawberries Michael swam for a while in the Connecticut river the weather was cold and the day was pleasant! In the night lots of fireworks illuminated the dark sky and we watched them with some neighbors. Everything was calm. We cooked some special plate to celebrate with the American such a symbolic day.


FORT TICONDEROGA, NY

Our initial celebrations stared some days ago when we visited one of the famous forts located in New York, opposite to Vermont. The Ticonderoga Fort is an essential meaning for the country. According with the history it began some thousands of years ago with the Native Americans. It took notorious importance in the 1800’s when the American Revolution stared. Some years later, the ruins of the fort was purchased by William Ferrys for summer home. By 1840 he designed it as a hotel for tourists. Later, at the begining of 1900 Fort, being other the owners began the restoration of Fort then was opened to the public.

Traveling by Ferry to New York

Fort Ticonderoga, originally Fort Carillon, was built by the French military in the 1700’s. It served as an important staging area for the American Army while invading Canada and holding the territory against the British forces.
Names like Le Marquis of Montcalm, a French commander, who defended the place from the British people, Benedict Arnold, specially this one who impressed me when I read the story which reminded me in a different version to the Indio Felipillo in Peru. (see below the text) Benedict Arnold V originally fought for American independence from the Brithis Empire as a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War until he obtained command of the American fort at West Poit New York and, switching sides, plotted unsuccessfully to surrender it to the Brithish.

Arnold was considered by many to be the best general and most accomplished leader in the Continental Army. In fact, without Arnold's earlier contributions to the American cause, the American Revolution might well have been lost; but after he switched sides, his name, like those of several other prominent traitors throughout history, has become a byword for treason in the United States.
>> Text taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_Arnold

This main entrance of the Pavilion was passed on for George Washington, Roosvelt, Montcalm and other notables.
The young guide prepared to explain about the army and soldiers of that time.
Custom way to dress.
A brief visit to the King's Garden located next to the Pavilion (Fort Ticonderoga), the former hotel and the family who made the restoration worked with a landscape designer in 1921. The generations of this family have enjoyed gardens where military troops once cultivated plants for food.

HIKING THE ASCUTNEY MOUNTAIN, VT

Next day, we run to Vermont to hike the Ascutney mountain (high 3140 ft, 955 m), the day was cool.

Uf, uf... ahhhh...finally on the hill. The tower is the sign that you are done with the hiking at least up to the mountain.

Then, we ended up for lunch in a popular restaurant in Woodstock, the place were has lived the rich, rich and richer Rockefeller. Afterwards, for 'kuchen' (dessert) we got some homemade icecream. We rest for a while near to a nice stream under a bridge. Woodstock has many interesting things to do, to visit, it is very touristic.

Under a bridge we noticed this sign as a reminder if we have some pet with us, we know what should we do in case the doggy wants to... to... you know that!