The Pacific Ring of Fire stretches from South America, where the Nazca plate dips beneath the South American Plate, and runs north along the pacific coasts of Central and North America up to Alaska. It then crosses over to the coasts of Asia all the way south to New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. It is along these fault lines that 75% of the worlds active and dormant volcanoes rest. It is also where 90% of the worlds earthquakes occur.

The Ring of Fire

Plate Tectonics in a Nutshell

To understand the Ring of Fire you must first explore plate tectonic theory as its likely cause. Some of you may say “what theory?” yes as incredible as it may sound plate tectonic theory, also known as continental drift theory, is still a relatively new idea that has just begun to be researched intensely within the last 80 years, even though it is almost regarded as common knowledge by the public.

It all goes back to 1912, when Alfred Wegener had this crazy idea looking at a map of the world. What he saw was continents that seemed to almost fit together like a giant jigsaw puzzle. He continued his research and came up with idea that millions of years ago there was a super continent on Earth, he named it Pangaea, meaning “all lands”. He thought that due to the Earths rotation the huge landmass had broke up into pieces which began to drift apart, he called this his continental drift theory and presented it to a scientific community which wasn’t quite ready to listen to the theory, he was dismissed and no one was the wiser. Wegener had no proof of his theory after all and it wouldn’t be until 1929 that scientists would revisit the crazy idea.

In comes Arthur Holmes who building on the research of Wegener tried to explain to the scientific community that the formations of mountains and volcanoes, as well as the cause for earthquakes could be connected with Wegeners other theory of thermal convection and its currents as the cause for continental drift. In short there is a molten sea underneath us with it’s own currents that move the landmasses (tectonic plates) on top of them. It is through the collision of these plates that mountain ranges are formed as they grind together skyward, kind of like when you shuffle two decks of cards together. Well amazingly the scientific community was still not ready for this theory and once again dismissed it as bologne. It would would be another 30 years and advances in technology and exploration of the ocean floor that would finally convince scientists that Wegener and Holmes were on to something.

The discovery of underwater volcanoes in the Atlantic, mountain chains and trenches beneath the pacific solidified Wegeners theory of plate tectonics. It is the movement of the Nazca Plate rubbing against the South American plate that caused the 8.8 earthquake in Chile, and hundreds, if not hundreds of thousands of other earthquakes in the past.

The Ring of Destruction

1906 San Francisco Earthquake

Perhaps the most significant events in American history regarding the Ring of Fire have been the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and the eruption of Mount Saint Helen. The Great Quake of 1906 measured in at 7.8 on the Richter scale and is remembered as the most devastating natural disaster in the History of the United States. While Mount St. Helen was equally the most destructive and deadly volcanic event in US history. Mount St. Helen today is just one of a chain of 160 active volcanoes in the Pacific Ring of Fire.

1970 Ancash, Peru.

Peru as well has seen its cities crumble to the ground. We seem to experience a major earthquake about every 20 years or so. In fact in the last 100 years alone Peru has had 7 earthquakes with the magnitudes of over 8.0 on the Richter scale. Our most recent was on August 15th, 2007 when a 8.0 Earthquake leveled the towns of Chincha and Pisco to the South of Lima, 514 people lost their lives. Relatively small to the quake of 1970 when a 7.9 earthquake leveled towns in the Province of Ancash, 66,000 souls were taken that day.

A man holds up a Chilean flag in a flooded area after the 8.8-magnitude Chile earthquake, 200 miles southwest of Santiago, Sunday. Roberto Candia/AP

Chile meanwhile has had 5 earthquakes in the last 100 years that have been over 8.0 including the strongest ever recorded, measuring in at 9.5 on the Richter scale. The quake occured on May 22nd, 1960 and took the lives of 1,655 people, including 138 dead in Japan and 32 dead in the Phillipines due to the tsunami that followed. For that reason tsunami warnings were quickly posted after Saturdays quakes, to avoid any loss of life.

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami killed over 200,000 people. It was caused by the Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake which measured in at 9.3 on the Richter scale.

The Ocean Wall

Indian Ocean Tsunami

Earthquakes and deep ocean volcanic eruptions due to continental drifts can trigger tsunamis of incredible size and destruction. They occur when there is displacement of a large volume of water, creating waves that as they approach land flow straight instead of in a natural circular motion. On open ocean tsunamis are hardly noticeable, not reaching more then 12 inches in height, however as they approach land and shallow water they can grow as large as 50 ft high.

As the tsunami approaches, drawback is commonly seen on the coast and serves as a warning sign for a tsunami. It occurs when a tsunami’s trough reaches the land before it’s peak.

The Ring of Fire

Ring of Fire off Alaska

The 452 Volcanoes that make up the ring of fire are also responsible for the name. These volcanoes release the pressure from the underground molten sea between tectonic plates. These volcanoes can be seen from space as running in a straight line and side by side. Powerful eruptions are common as was the case with Mount St. Helens and more recently Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia in 1985 which killed 23,000 people.

Volcanoes of the Ring of Fire

It is important for engineers and city planners to take into accounts their locations within this ring as a number of natural disasters can be imminent. Many have asked why the recent earthquake in Chile hasn’t claimed as many lives or has not been as severe as the earthquake in Haiti, even though it was more powerful. The reason is because Chile has been dealing with earthquakes for most of it’s history and was a little more prepared. That is not to say that they are not scathed, as anyone can see from watching the news the incredible amount of destruction the quake has caused.

Help Chile

Go to www.DoctorsWithoutBorders.org to donate to this group that rushes to the crisis spots of the world to save lives.

SALVATION ARMY: Text CHILE to 52000 to give $10.

RED CROSS: Text CHILE to 90999 to give $10.

WORLD VISION: Text CHILE to 20222 to give $10.

Related posts:

1. Peru to be Affected by El Niño
2. 54 Children Dead in Puno Because of Extreme Cold Front
3. Supermodel Helena Christensen Campaigns Against Climate Change

Tonights big match (9pm EST) is between Universitario (Peru) and Libertad (Paraguay). Both teams hold the top spots with 6 points to their name in group 4 and should be a great match to watch as the winner will make in on to the knockout round of Americas most prestigious cup competition, comparable only to the Champions League in Europe.

if you have any problem with the video above head over to this link for more options.

Related posts:

1. El Super Classico! Universitario Vs. Alianza Lima Live
2. Alianza Lima Vs. Universitario, The Super Classico Championship Finals
3. Watch Argentina Vs. Peru Live Streaming World Cup Qualifying Match

Being that our own volunteer program is only months away we thought it a good idea to highlight why volunteering in Peru is such a special and rewarding experience. Right now there are thousands of volunteers preparing to travel to Peru for the Summer and hundreds of organizations taking applications. Whether volunteering in a coastal city, a small Andean village or in the jungle, the same reasons hold true for all who decide to journey to Peru and help make a difference.

Karikuy 2009 Volunteer Program

10. Behind the Scene Perks

As a volunteer in Peru you will have special access to services that you would never see as a tourist. Depending on your organization this could include backstage passes to events, discounted travel, opportunities to meet celebrities etc. Again this depends on your organization, for example Karikuy offer their volunteers special rates on travel as well as insider information, and writers for the Perupedia project also receive special press consideration to cover events which usually means discounted or free admission.

9. Skills and Experience

Backstage at volleyball tournament

Lets face it many jobs will not hire you regardless of what schools you might have went to if you don’t have any relevant experience. Volunteering is a great way to gain this experience in a wide range of skills. Depending on your organization you could see your skills improve in writing, social work, child care, maintenance, computer work and more, the list is really goes on and on. Just make sure you take the most out of your learning experience and enjoy it. Having a positive and enthusiastic attitude will also go a long way in earning you valuable recommendations from your host organization.

Peru is rich in learning experiences just due to the fact that the country is so diverse. In the coast you can choose to volunteer with maritime organizations or in the big coastal cities doing social work. In the Andes you can work with children or agricultural organizations as well as conservation and green organizations. Same goes for the jungle as there are plenty of opportunities to help indigenous populations as well as help save the environment and the Amazon.

8. Recognition and Feedback

Volunteers in Peru are often seen as sort of celebrities in their own right among the local people. Unlike regular tourists, volunteers are held in regard as generous helpers who come from afar to do good deeds in Peru. It will be common for you as a volunteer in Peru to be the center of attention and discussion when meeting a group of locals. Everyone wants to hear your stories and what your doing as a volunteer as well as how you are enjoying Peru. It is this recognition that keeps volunteers coming back to Peru, recognition is an especially important part of being in a volunteer position where the volunteer is not receiving any monetary recognition for their good work.

Peruvians are known for their friendliness.

7. Discover new Tastes

Home cooking at the Karikuy B&B

I don’t think I could have written this without mentioning Peruvian food. If you don’t already know, Peruvian cuisine is gaining in popularity and is considered among the best in the world. From Ceviche to Pachamanca you are sure to find a favorite dish while in Peru. As a volunteer you may often feel overwhelmed by the options before you, we do have over 3oo dishes and hold a record for most variety in the world. Volunteering in Lima gives you the opportunity to sample these dishes from all of our influences, after all our cuisine is coveted only because of all the cultures that helped inspire it. So whether going out for Chaufa in El Barrio Chino or Seafood in La Punta your sure to always have a happy stomach.

Going out to eat is encouraged.

6. Learn a New Language

Going to Peru gives you the opportunity to learn Castellano as we Peruvians call it. You might be thinking “hey, I thought they speak Spanish in Peru?” and although your right it isn’t exactly Spanish as spoken in Spain, there are subtle differences. How much Castellano you do learn depends on how much effort you put into learning it. You may find yourself volunteering with an organization where the majority of your fellow volunteers speak English, try to make an effort to go out and speak Castellano with the locals, practice makes perfect. If you already know Castellano or Spanish then try learning Quechua, the language of the indigenous population.

5. Personal Growth

Independent travel is a very rewarding experience and can lead to lifelong changes in character. Volunteering in Peru opens a window into how people in developing countries live, our conditions and what we care about. Never will your own lifestyle feel so distant as when you volunteer abroad, your view on the world will change and perhaps what is important to you. As a volunteer you might become more compassionate for people, becoming more emotionally involved to volunteer abroad elsewhere in the future. Volunteers returning home from abroad are usually more independent, courageous and adventurous then before they left.

4. Appreciate Pachamama

Karikuy Volunteer Exploring Glaciers.

Peru is one of the countries in the world that is most vulnerable to Climate Change. Our receding glaciers provide most of the drinking water for the country and they are fast disappearing. As volunteers travel throughout the country you will hear stories and see for yourself the impact that the changing climate is having on communities. Some of the things you may experience may be heartbreaking, couple that with dramatic surroundings in beautiful scenery and it could almost be too much for a person to take. It is this reality that will hit you hard and leave a lasting impression on what until now might have been of minor interest to you.

The Andes of Peru is the front lines of the battle on climate change, it’s here where you will learn from first hand accounts from the farmers and general populace, the stories of fiercely cold winter and disappearing water. In short there may be no other place in the world where you will be able to stare the problem straight in the face as in Peru, and perhaps nowhere else will you learn to appreciate Mother Earth (Pachamama) as much.

Take in the incredible scenery.

3. Absorb a Culture

Spending a prolonged period of time in a new country is one of the highlights of volunteering. You can really get adjusted to a new lifestyle quite quickly and the opportunity takes you beyond the activities of an average tourist. Many volunteer organizations will give you the opportunity to house with a family giving the volunteer the chance to live amongst the local population and experience a traditional lifestyle. New venues will also open to you, locations off the beaten trail, local hot spots not found in the guidebooks. Among other things you will try new foods, meet new people and see incredible places like Machu Picchu.

Off the beaten trail in Huari, Peru

2. Make Lifelong Friendships

Friends carry one another. haha

There is a bond that always forms between people when faced with exploring a new culture together. It may be that through common difficulties such as language barriers or a particular project that these bonds form lasting relationships in volunteers. Together groups of volunteers share truly unique experiences with each other as they work together for a common cause. I can’t go into too much detail regarding friendships made as they are unique to everyone. However, as the person running the Karikuy volunteer program, I must put in my two cents and say that one of the most rewarding things about running such a program is the friends I’ve seen made as well the volunteers that I now call friends.

1. Have Fun

Self explanatory.

Volunteer organizations to check out:

The Karikuy Volunteer Program
Waves for Development
Aldea Yanapay

Click here for a full list of Programs courtesy of Perupedia

Photos from the Karikuy 2009 Volunteer Program

Related posts:

1. Volunteer with Karikuy
2. The Karikuy Volunteer Program: Year One
3. Volunteer Perspective

At a time when cultural tourism is most in need to preserve the livelihoods of thousands of Cusqeños, the world has all but turned its back on them and shuddered at the thought of voluntourism without Machu Picchu. Sure tourism will return, in 2 weeks Machu Picchu will again be accessible by the Machu Picchu by Car circuit. After all Machu Picchu is timeless, built to last forever by the Incas, a testament to our creativity, of things we can do when we work together; of our endurance. It is this endurance passed on to them by their ancestors that will inevitably sustain the people of Cuzco until the tourists return. Because without Machu Picchu, the old Mountain, there is no reward at the end of a hard days hike. There is no grand finale to an adventure that crossed the many lands of Peru. No spirits to warm you on a spiritual quest of a lifetime and most importantly no place to get away from it all. How wrong we all are.

What the world hasn’t realized yet is that Machu Picchu is but a taste, a very sweet and addicting sample of the nectar found in every flower of Peru. The rewards are overwhelming, grand finales cease to exist as one adventure leads to the next. The spirits are everywhere, after all it’s a bond with nature we live for, that puts us at ease and we try to protect. It is this same bond with nature and the living world that the Incas brilliantly mastered and built their Empire around. The Incas and their predecessors never built on just one Picchu (mountain) but hundreds, and many more await to be discovered.

Irmana Picchu – Choquequirao

Choquequirao. SUSANA RAAB/New York Times

First discovered in 1710, Choquequirao (The Cradle of Gold) has long been know as the sister site of nearby Machu Picchu. It’s location is just as stunning being located on a ridge of the Salkantay Mountain Range at an altitude of 9,255 ft. The site is more difficult to get to then Machu Picchu and requires a 2 day hike to the ruins,  comfortable 4 day tours are available as well. The trek itself is a beautiful one as you walk through cloud forests high above the Apurimac River.

Ruins at Choquequirao

Choquequirao is a  large site and is still being excavated and restored. Like all important Inca sites the city is laid out in alignment with the movement of the Sun and the Stars. Archaeologists believe that Choquequirao was an important stronghold and used as a gateway to the Vilcabamba region and on to Machu Picchu which is why we have nicknamed it Irmana Picchu (Sister Mountain).

Ñawpa Picchu – Chavín de Huántar

Chavín de Huántar

Up until 20 years ago Chavin was known as the oldest civilization in the Americas (Caral and Sechin now compete for this honor), it is still recognizes as a birthplace of civilization in the Andes. Chavin was a pre-Inca Culture and their stonework not as refined as the Incas, at their height their Empire spanned from Cajamarca and Chiclayo in the North to Pachacamac outside of Lima.

The Lanzón

Chavín de Huántar is surrounded by all sides by the beautiful Andes and only a couple hours drive from Huaraz, full day tours are available for the site with direct access. Chavin’s massive stone pyramid contains more then 5 levels of underground tunnels that were used as a initiations into their religion. At the heart of their underground temple lies the Lanzón, a sculpture which is assumed to be a supreme deity of Chavín de Huántar. The Lanzón is perhaps one of the most incredible works of art from a culture as early as Chavin. Chavín de Huántar is as well known as Machu Picchu and has probably been visited by as many Peruvians, it is a standing emblem of our ancient past and is why we have nicknamed it Ñawpa  Picchu (Ancient Mountain).

Hayu Picchu – Kuelap

Kuelap Main Entrance

The famed city in the clouds and home to the Incas main rivals; the Chachapoyas. This civilization of northern Peru built their own massive monument, a structure 1,800 ft in length and 60 feet tall at an altitude of 9,000 ft. The site is made up of about 400 constructions that are very original in their design. Kuelap being situated on a ridge overlooks the Utcubamba Valley with views of the surrounding high jungles of northern Peru.

Kuelap has over 400 structures to explore!

Kuelap was rediscovered in 1843 and has only recently begun to gain in popularity among tourists. Access to the site is best during the dry season and Kuelap can be reached by booking one of many tours from the town of Chachapoyas. Even today Kuelap is considered to rival other archaeological structures in the Americas in size, we thought it befitting to give it the nick of the Hayu Picchu (Rival Mountain).

Tuyru Picchu – Marcahuasi

Small lakes and streams are found throughout Marcahuasi.

Our favorite Picchu by far is Marcahuasi, simply because it is always an adventure to visit and each time there is something new to see and explore. Marcahuasi is massive plateau located just a couple hours from Lima and relatively easy to get to. You can book a tour or go on your own, however a guide is always helpful especially to point out all the different shapes and Tuyru’s that make up Tuyru Picchu (Monument Mountain).

Photos never seem to do Marcahuasi justice.

Marcahuasi could be one of the most mysterious places in Peru, by last account no one really knows what it is, some say the rock formations are long eroded shapes of sculptures left by an ancient unknown civilization, others just think the formations are the product of wind erosion. What is true is that the area has been know to have some pretty strange features, such as bottomless pit that has since been boarded up, no need to watch your step anymore.

The area has also seen its fair share of UFO sightings and other paranormal activities. Rumors of Star-gates and portals are also abundant, however you will feel like you are in another world at Marcahuasi, it is that unique. The only way to explore the sight is by camping, you want to stay at least 2 days to explore, hiking from one end to the other can take a good 4+ hours. On a clear night you’ll feel like your on top of the world and unless your training for NASA this is as close as your going to get to exploring the Milky Way.

Mama Picchu – Huascarán National Park

Huascarán viewed from Huaraz

Huascarán is Peru’s highest and largest mountain reaching the height of 22,205 feet. Its unique shape makes it look just colossal in nature and something to really awe at. The surrounding area is just as spectacular as turquoise lagoons dot the landscape as well as the peaks of other giant glaciers such as Alpamayo and Artesonraju; the inspiration for Paramount’s logo.

Artesonraju.

We chose the nick Mama Picchu because in Runasimi, the ancient dialect of the Incas, this would mean Mother Mountain and Huascarán is the mother of all mountains in Peru, despite its masculine name. No there isn’t any ruins on Huascarán, although there are in the national park and around Huaraz, but it is almost obligatory to checkout Huascaran for it’s National park, it would be like not visiting Yosemite if you were a tourist visiting the United States. Here you will see incredible landscapes and unique flora such as the Puya Raimondi. Access to the park is readily available with a plethora of tours and treks available. We recommend the Santa Cruz Trek for it’s beauty and scale.

Lake Llaganuco from the Cordillera Blanca

There are many more Picchu’s that I could add to this list like Sacsayhuaman for example or Vilcabamba. However I just wanted to bring awareness like a lot of my fellow bloggers (Stuart Starrs and Jessie Kwak) that Machu Picchu is a small part of Peru, if us Peruvians hype it up it’s only because we want to get you here to see all the other amazing things we have to offer in Peru. Machu Picchu is one of a kind, but there are many different kinds of sites throughout the country. I only hope that this post has served as an introduction to these other marvels and that next time you visit Peru you’ll ask yourself ‘which Picchu should I visit first?’.

How to Help Victims of Floods Mudslides in Cusco and Southern Andes

(All Picchu’s in this article have been named by Karikuy and are not to be confused with their real names… although they do sound  pretty cool.)

Related posts:

1. The Karikuy Machu Picchu Contest Returns
2. Machu Picchu – No Regrets
3. Win A Free Trip To Machu Picchu

Lima's Chinatown. Photo:Andina / Archive

The first Chinese and Japanese who left their countries for Peru trusted that their hard work would give them the chance to return home. Many decades later, their children and grandchildren are well integrated into Peruvian society.

Liliana Com believes that she has the power to change her life dramatically from one day to the next, should she choose – just like the snake of her Chinese zodiac. She could move to China at any time.

Com devoted 15 years of her life to running a restaurant, the renowned Wa Lok in Lima, where the cuisine combines the Chinese heritage of her parents with the traditions of her native Peru in a harmonious blend called “chifa.”

Her parents chose not to keep statues of Buddha in their home, but they regularly visited the temple in Lima’s Chinatown to stay in touch with their Eastern roots. Com grew up being “the Chinese girl” at her school, as her identity evolved between the ancient traditions of China and Peru.

She eventually decided to embrace both cultures as her own.

“As a child I had identity problems. Because of my way of talking, because I am very sociable, my mum used to tell me that I didn’t look Chinese,” Com told the German Press Agency dpa in an article published by the Earth Times.

Fifty years after Com’s mother arrived in Peru, she and her two daughters travelled to Sun Pun Chung in China’s Guangzhou province. Little had changed in what remained a quiet, rural area.

“When I went to China I felt very Peruvian, because everyone there realized that I wasn’t fully Chinese,” said Com, who speaks fluent Cantonese.

The Chinese were the first Asians to arrive in Peru, replacing the slaves of African origin in coastal plantations. Japanese followed after 1899.

Many immigrants died amid the tough working conditions and endemic diseases that they encountered. The survivors drew strength from their tightly knit groups and eventually left their employers to start their own businesses and carve out their own niche in Peru.

With an estimated 600,000 descendents of Chinese and Japanese migrants, Peru has the second-largest population of Asian descent in Latin America behind only neighbouring giant Brazil. And Far Eastern cultures have had much greater influence on Peru, with a population of 29 million, less than one-sixth that of Brazil.

Chinese and Japanese integration with Peruvian culture is most apparent in cuisine. In Lima, Peruvian-Chinese food is so popular that every neighbourhood has its “chifa” restaurants.

The “Nikkei” immigrants, as the Japanese are known, and “Tusan,” or Chinese immigrants, are greatly influential in Peru’s political and economic life. The most prominent example is former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000), who eventually faxed in his resignation from Japan.

After his exit from power, Fujimori took refuge in the land of his ancestors. Peru sought his extradition to answer charges of corruption and human-rights abuses, but Japanese law forbids the extradition of Japanese citizens.

He was later arrested in Chile and extradited in 2007 to Peru.

Dante Valenzuela said he was called “El Chino,” the Chinese boy, since he was little. Yet, the fact that his grandfather migrated from China did not mean that the family followed Chinese traditions.

Valenzuela was a tourism entrepreneur until a left-wing insurgency in the 1980s badly hurt Peru’s tourism industry. An engineer by training, he decided to look for a job in Japan to support his wife and three children.

Despite his own Chinese descent, Japanese friends helped Valenzuela gain the right to work in Japan, where he eventually spent six years working and exploring his Asian roots.

“For the first two years I saved money, the next two when my family came over I spent it, and the last two I had to stay in Japan alone again to be able to save,” he told the German Press Agency dpa. “That was how I finished building my house in Lima, and I could return to tourism.”

Like his Chinese forefathers who migrated to Peru, Valenzuela found factory work in the car and meat industries.

“They looked at me in a strange way, because while I do have Asian traits they are not so apparent. So, when did they confirm that I was Japanese? When they saw me work,” Valenzuela recalled, though his roots are actually Chinese.

While Valenzuela and Com have always regarded Peru as their home, many in the younger generations of “Nikkei” and “Tusan” Peruvians see their futures in their ancestral homelands in the increasingly prosperous Far East.

S0urce: Andina

Related posts:

1. The Downfall of Machismo in Peruvian Garage Rock
2. A Revival of Peruvian Cuisine
3. Peruvian gourmet food to be promoted in US fair

Machu Picchu

At midnight tonight you will be able to begin participating in our 2010 Free Trip to Cusco and Machu Picchu. The grand prize of course is a 6 day trip to Machu Picchu.

Stay tuned at www.karikuy.org/contest for contest rules. This is not a sweepstakes so you are firmly in control of whether you win or not. The contest will differ in rules then last year and will use twitter exclusively.

Best of luck to all who participate!

Related posts:

1. Win A Free Trip To Machu Picchu
2. Machu Picchu Town Celebrates Anniversary with Artistic Show
3. Hollywood producer Ron Howard visits Machu Picchu

- Julio Cesar Tello, Karikuy Founder

Karikuy Tours 2010

This year we will be including dozens of tours that have yet to be uploaded to our website. In addition to our 50+ tours you will see destinations such as Huaraz, Puno, Iquitos, Arequipa, Ica, Trujillo and more added to our catalog. The truth is we already offer tours in these locations, we have since 2007, it’s just that it takes time to upload all the information up to the site. We will be taking the entire month of February to upload all the new tours as well as updated pricing for 2010. We remain dedicated to our guests as we continue to offer very affordable tours and full customization of tour on your schedule. We hope that you will lets us be your hosts as we show you the amazing country of Peru. We also want you to know that your business helps with the success of our many projects which you can read about below.

The Karikuy-Haugen Fund

To date we have raised more then $340 dollars to send porters to Machu Picchu. These same porters have helped countless tourists reach Machu Picchu on the Inca Trail and amazingly have never been inside the site itself due to the high cost. In 2010 we plan to send our first two porters to explore the citadel for themselves. Our Machu Picchu Contest winners will accompany the porters on their visit so we can read about and appreciate their experience, but most importantly help raise money for more porters to visit Machu Picchu. It may not seem like such a big deal until you have hiked the Inca Trail yourself and seen the amazing feat that this real life supermen do on a weekly basis. For all those who have hiked the Inca Trail this is a great way to give back to the porters who made the hike such an enjoyable experience.

Project Animu (Life)

We’ve been working hard to gather donations for this project and amazingly have seen very little interest in it. You would think that helping children who are on the verge of death would be a priority for any human being. Unfortunately the topic has gone ignored for too long and so in 2010 we will be paying more attention to inform the public about the decreasing temperatures in the Andes throughout Peru and not just Puno. With the help of our volunteers we plan to make a short documentary on the topic and provide more information on the Project Animu page to increase interest in donations. Our goal of course is still to accumulate enough donations to send our first load of warm clothes to the children of the Altiplano. We also look to make alliances with charities to help us in our cause as well as find means through technology to provide warmth for the people of the Andes. Whether the changing climate is due to Global Warming or not, the topic should not be ignored or we are condemn future generations to freeze to death.

Karikuy Volunteer Programs 2010

Our volunteer program returns in 2010 for a whole new season of discovery and participation. In addition to writing,  this year volunteers will help out with our current projects such as the Karikuy-Haugen fund and Project Animu. We will also be laying down the framework for projects in 2011 which includes our Free English Language School as well as the expansion of the Karikuy Bed & Breakfast as the permanent home of the Karikuy volunteers. Click on this link to read more about the volunteer program and to submit an application.

Project Bintu (Wind)

The Future is Now... Planeta 2010

This is our newest and most ambitious project. The goal is to manufacture affordable wind turbines to generate power, these turbines would be small and cost efficient, mounted on the roofs of homes and businesses beginning in Lima (which is a very windy city). In 2010 we will be recruiting engineers as volunteers to begin work on the project using modern technology and everyday tools. This will not only release Peruvians from paying high energy prices but will eliminate the dependence on fossil fuels and use of the energy grid. If you would like to help, again fill out an application to our volunteer program and help bring change to Lima.

Tariy 2010 – The Amazon

just like in the movies...but with real people and snakes!

Every year I head off on some ridiculous adventure to find the best of Peru in locations you wouldn’t find in the guidebooks. This year I will be heading off to the Amazon Jungle, it will be a long dangerous trip by land from Lima to Iquitos. I will undoubtedly visit backwater towns and eat insects the size of guinea pigs all for your reading and viewing pleasure of course. I am in the process of planning the trip which I might take with some volunteers. You can get the latest information on this adventure by subscribing to our blog where all the post will be made, with updates on our Twitter and mailing list. And hey if you even want to join me that can be set up, just remember Tariy trips are anything goes. For Tariy 2008 & 2009 posts visit the Karikuy blog and search Tariy.

Related posts:

1. The Karikuy Machu Picchu Contest Returns
2. Karikuy Announces Kawsay Humanitarian Program
3. The Karikuy Volunteer Program: Year One

Fighting the odds to keep Indian tongues alive
By FRANK BAJAK
Associated Press Writer

HUAMPAMI, Peru (AP) – In his first year at San Marcos University, Hermenegildo Espejo barely spoke, and certainly not in class.

His Spanish was rudimentary, his accent an embarrassment. Classmates in Lima, a two-day trip from his Amazon home town, laughed at his grammatical stumbles, his odd pronunciation.

“I didn’t understand anything. I couldn’t pronounce words well,” the 22-year-old Peruvian Indian recalls, wincing as he gazes out a taxi window on a rutted jungle road near his home.

Six years later, Espejo is a thesis away from an undergraduate degree in linguistics at Peru’s top public university. And while his Spanish is now excellent, it is not his priority. He aspires to produce the first unified grammar of Awajun, his native tongue.

Espejo’s story highlights the two biggest challenges Latin America’s indigenous peoples face in their struggle to preserve their cultures: keeping their native languages alive and empowering themselves through education.

Throughout Latin America, native languages are disappearing and Indians are under intense pressure to speak Spanish. At the same time, Indians have little access to post-secondary education. They are ill-prepared by substandard schools, afflicted by high dropout rates and usually short on financial help.

More than a fifth of the 557 languages spoken by Latin America’s natives are at serious risk of extinction, according to the ambitious “Socio-Linguistic Atlas of Latin America’s Indigenous Peoples” that UNICEF is publishing this month. Across Latin America, more than 100 native peoples have abandoned their mother tongues and now speak exclusively Spanish or Portuguese, says Inge Sichra, the book’s lead author.

In coastal Peru, speakers of the Andes’ dominant native languages are routinely shamed into abandoning them, says Peruvian anthropologist Rodrigo Montoya.

“Racism isn’t a historical relic. It’s not something from the past, a colonial inheritance that’s lapsed. No sir, racism is a concept fully in force,” he says.

The legacy of suppression of language dates back to Spanish King Carlos III’s 1770 decree banning native tongues in the realm. The order provoked uprisings up and down the Andes that the Spanish brutally suppressed.

That enduring baggage of colonial rule _ Lima was the seat of the Spanish viceroy _ persists today.

“My parents were bilingual but they didn’t permit us to speak Quechua at home,” says one of South America’s most respected linguists, Rodolfo Cerron Palomino, a professor at Catholic University in Lima and a pre-eminent scholar of Quechua.

Alan Perez, an Ashaninka from Peru’s interior and an industrial engineering student at San Marcos, says his parents never taught him his mother tongue. He has made little effort to learn it. “Like it or not, you adapt to this place and gradually lose who you are,” he says of Lima.

For Espejo, the challenge of preserving his language and identity went hand in hand with getting a good education.

Espejo is among the few Amazon Indians at San Marcos, whose dusty campus borders a gritty industrial district and contrasts sharply with the well-manicured grounds of Lima’s private Catholic University a mile away, dominated by Peru’s light-skinned elite.

Upward mobility, limited to begin with for Latin America’s poor, is doubly so for its indigenous citizens. And Peru, along with Guatemala, are among the countries where racism is most ingrained, academics and rights activists generally concur.

Last year, 62 of San Marcos’ nearly 27,000 students, or 0.2 percent, were from the Amazon. Compare that to the 1.2 percent, or 350,000, of Peru’s 29.5 million people who are Amazon Indians.

The hostility and suspicion Peru’s natives encounter in Lima is alarming, says Wilfredo Ardito, anti-discrimination chief at the human rights group APRODEH. His files are thick with cases of indigenous people being denied entry to nightclubs, of dark-skinned nannies barred from exclusive beaches, of Indians beaten by police merely for venturing into exclusively white neighborhoods.

“People still think that the whiter you are, the better,” says Ardito. The worst, he says, is the racial profiling by police, themselves natives, whom he blames for the worst abuses.

Such behavior may explain why just 13 percent of Peruvians identified themselves as indigenous in the country’s 2007 census when anthropologists and linguists say the true figure is closer to 45 percent. Or why, in Ecuador, only 6 percent of Ecuadoreans identified themselves in a 2003 census as indigenous even though academics say they account for about 35 percent.

Espejo plans to use his schooling to help defend his people, the Awajun, who number about 45,000.

“We Indians don’t have chemical engineers. We don’t have lawyers, or doctors,” he says during his first visit home in two years to Huampami, a jungle-skirted town of 1,200 people near Ecuador that is reached by river.

“The poor Indian isn’t taught even to negotiate. How can anyone negotiate if he doesn’t have the educational grounding?”

Friends and relatives greet Espejo warmly and press him for news as he treads the footpaths of Huampami, a district capital of dirt-floor dwellings. The secondary and elementary school principals praise Espejo’s achievement and introduce him to their students, most of whom will likely end up subsistence farmers and hunter-gatherers like their parents.

“Eventually, I would like to train bilingual teachers,” says Espejo, wistfulness in his voice.

Such teachers don’t exist in Huampami.

Awajun is barely taught in elementary school; only rudimentary workbooks are available. And it’s abandoned altogether at Huampami’s high school, where half the students are boarders from outlying villages.

Espejo remembers ruefully how a high school teacher twisted his ear when he dared speak Awajun.

“We were told that we needed to learn Spanish so we could be successful in the city,” says Espejo, a short, muscular young man with rimless wire glasses and broad cheekbones. “Our language, we were told, had no economic value.”

Espejo first arrived in Lima in 2003 with 14 other youths from the Cenepa River basin. Only one other student stayed; the rest dropped out because they couldn’t cope with the academic rigors or couldn’t afford tuition and living costs.

Espejo’s parents _ his father runs Huampami’s tiny vocational high school and his mother teaches first grade at a village downstream _ helped him. But he sometimes couldn’t scrape together the $175 per month he needed for tuition, room and board. So he’d borrow from friends, or do translations.

Food became a problem.

At the residence hall where he lived, all the meals were free. But demand was great and quantities limited. Students had to line up two hours before each meal. Get in line late and the food would run out.

“I had to choose sometimes between my studies and eating,” Espejo said. “So I’d go hungry.”

Indian students are more afflicted by this problem because they are from distant provinces and tend not to have relatives in Lima.

One activity for which Espejo increasingly found time was martial arts. He joined San Marcos’ Kung Fu Wushu team and won first place in a recent tourney in his 75-77 kilogram (165-170 pound) weight class.

Espejo is also an avid soccer player. He says other club teams at San Marcos hate to play his squad, whose players are all from the small, tightly knit group of Amazon students.

And why is that?

Rarely does Espejo smile so broadly.

“Because we kids from the Amazon always win.”

___

Associated Press Writer Andrew Whalen in Lima, Peru, contributed to this report.

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3. UN highlights Peru efforts to solve problems in the Amazon region

10. Freedom – During the low season you will have the chance to explore the country with relative ease with no lines, no overbooked hotels and lets face it there’s nothing better then having a secluded location all to yourself.  Whether you are visiting the remote Marcahuasi or on the Inca Trail you will more then appreciate the silence and tranquility. The best times to do the Inca Trail during the off season is March and Marcahuasi in November and late March.

Sunset over Marcahuasi

9. Virgen de la Candelaria – The great festival of Southern Peru takes place in Puno, along the shores of Lake Titicaca. Beggining February 2nd there are parades, colorful costumes, music and a lot of drinking and celebrating. People gather for days ahead to pray and to celebrate in a mixture of Catholic and native religions. The Virgen which is at the center of the festival is also associated with Lake Titicaca as the birth of the Inca empire, with the cult of the earth, Pachamama. Men, women and children dance in her honor, to show their devotion and their thanks for her blessings. The celebration continues as a prelude to Carnival.

8. Lima’s Anniversary – On January 18th, 1532 the great Capital City of Lima was founded as the City of Kings. Every year this date brings about great parties throughout Lima with gastronomic festivals, parades and concerts. The main festivity is centered around the main plaza of Lima, it was here that Francisco Pizarro, The founder of Lima, was said to have laid out the main plaza using his sword to draw on the barren soil. The city’s main festivities are  centered here with a parade, mass and free concert in the evening concluded by fireworks.

7. Christmas in Peru – As in many other Latin American countries, Christmas is the main holiday of the year. In Peru it is celebrated by a midnight feat symbolizing the birth of Christ. In the streets a deafening sound of fireworks are to be heard as all of Peru’s cities explode in celebration. Hot Chocolate and Panettone are served despite the summer heat, the festivities continue into the early morning.

6. Mysterious Machu Picchu – Because of the wet season in the high Andes, the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu take on a whole new atmosphere. No more are the clear blue skies and expansive views, instead the trail is shrouded in a blanket of fog, clearing every once in a while to give you a sneak peak of the environment around you. The ruins you visit on the Inca Trail are blanketed in a mysterious fog that makes the whole experience surreal. The fog also makes it so that you do not see the ruins of Machu Picchu from afar as you would hiking in the high season, but instead see the citadel reveal itself on the final day of your hike.

Early Morning at Machu Picchu

5. New Years – Peruvians love to party and the party of the year is always on New Years, Night Clubs also known as Discotecas are packed beyond capacity and stay open well into the morning. Drink specials and famous bands line the bill as Peruvians say hello to the New Year. Every city has it’s Boulevard de Discos so choose wisely. In Lima, los Olivos and el Barranco Boulevards are recommended.

4. The Food – Peruvian food is incredible year round but nothing beats eating some Ceviche on the Peruvian coast under a hot lazy sun. Or perhaps to the Andes where you can eat some freshly harvested Corn among other produce. BBQ’s are abundant on the coast during summer as in the states, take advantage of relaxing outdoors with a finely prepared pachamanca or finger licking anticuchos.

Doesn't get much better then this.

3. Beaches – There is no better place to go during the summer then the beach and Peru offers you plenty of choices. You can choose to go to the tropical beaches in the North, here beaches like Máncora and Punta Sal offer white sand beaches and incredible sunny weather to help you relax and drink pisco sours on the beach. Just south of Lima you have Punta Hermosa and Puerto Viejo where the majority of Limeñans go to cool of in the hot summer months. Peru’s large coast gives you all sorts of options from remote beach towns like Tortugas in Casma to more popular destinations like Mollendo near Arequipa.

2. Low Prices – Many hotels and tour services offer low prices for the off season, make sure to ask for seasonal fares, even here at Karikuy Tours we offer some off season deals. Make sure to book around the holidays as Christmas and Easter prices remain at regular price. If your good at bargaining you can even receive some great packaged deals and hotels at up to 40% off regular price.

1. Carnaval – February is by far the most colorful and fun month of the year. During this time it is not unusual to see groups of men and women battling it out with water balloons, face paint and talc. The victor is the one less drenched and dressed up with paint and water. On the weekends it is not unusual to see water fights between buses heading to the beach.  Yunzas take place on the weekend, they are large block parties where gifts are adorned on a large tree that is planted in the middle of  the road, people take turns dancing around it and cutting it down until the tree falls. Carnaval is most intensely played on Sundays and in the Andes are accompanied by colorful festivals, food, and drinking of course.

Carnaval in Lima

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1. Top 10 Reasons to Volunteer in Peru
2. Last Month of Tour Season – 50$ Off All Tours
3. The Karikuy Machu Picchu Contest Returns

If link above doesn’t work or seems too slow try this link or search for match on Justin.tv http://www.justin.tv/s/-rid-/cholotv

The Second Leg takes place at the Monumental Stadium this afternoon starting at 3pm EST and the Karikuy blog will be bringing you Live Streaming Video of the match, so be here to catch the Epic Clash.

For more on the history of the rivalry read: El Super Classico

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2. Copa Libertadores: Universitario vs. Libertad
3. Peru vs. Chile World Cup Qualifier Live