[Originally published November 20, 2010] Starting in early 2011, Yale University will begin to return all 46,632 fragments and artifacts taken from Machu Picchu nearly a century ago by American explorer Hiram Bingham, President Alan García announced late Friday.
The weather in Cusco has been predictably unpredictable with the rainy season starting a month earlier than usual. Last week there was significant flooding in the town of Urubamba in the Sacred Valley. A recommendation for anyone interested in coming to Peru in the next couple of months: The northern coast.
You would want to take plenty of sunscreen, a hat and insect repellent, since there are mosquitoes — but the summer season has barely begun, so the bugs shouldn't be too bad.
The pace is less frenetic and much less touristy than Cusco. You can pick and choose any number of destinations, from amazingly beautiful nature reserves to the most active — and arguably the most significant — treasure trove of active archaeological discovery occurring right now in Peru.
There's Tumbes National Mangrove Sanctuary, the Cerros de Amotape National Park and the Tumbes Reserved Zone, with protected wildlife; to quote our friends at PromPeru, near Piura are the Colan beach resort, the town of Catacaos known for its arts and crafts and gold and silver jewelry, and the town of Chulucanas, famous for its pottery.
Our favorite documentary filmmaker Mitch Teplitsky, director of Soy Andina, and Peruvian filmmaker Gaby Yepes, director of Danzak, will be at the Lima Clubhouse of South American Explorers next Wednesday to offer a presentation on their new project about Scissors Dancers.
[Originally published September 2, 2010] Besides Cusco and Machu Picchu, what tourist destinations do travelers clamor to visit in Peru? What once in a lifetime vacation spots come to mind?
Peruvian and Russian scientists have set up a radio up-link from the citadel of Machu Picchu to communicate with Russian Cosmonauts on the International Space Station for an upcoming Congress on satellite technology.