Archive for January, 2012

We’re offering special prices for you February and March travelers- in Lima, Cusco & Machu Picchu we’re offering rooms at prices

than regular. And since flights and bus transport are cutting prices for a short time as well, this means that February and March are the ideal time for budget-minded travelers!

How low can we go?:

Dorms as low as S/18.27 (soles) in lively and vibrant Pirwa Colonial Backpackers in Cusco, an ideal hostel for hanging out with other travelers, complete with bar, fast food stand, billiards, darts, ping pong and fun activities! At right: up on the bar at Pirwa Colonial.

Private rooms for two as low as S/51.00 in cozy Pirwa San Blas Familiar, located in Cusco’s bohemian San Blas neighborhood! San Blas is known for its many galleries and artists’ studios, as well some of the city’s best bars and restaurants. Cheery Pirwa San Blas Familiar has a real home-like feel; its patio is pictured at left.

Private rooms for two in Pirwa Posada del Corregidor B&B and Pirwa San Blas B&B, the first in the main square of Cusco and the second only a block away, at as low as S/90 S/76.50!

In Machu Picchu, you can get dorms as low as S/34.00 in Pirwa Machu Picchu Backpackers, and Private rooms for two in our Pirwa Machu Picchu B&B as low as S/114 S/96.90. Our prices include comfy beds, 24/7 hot water, friendly staff and fun atmosphere, internet + wifi, luggage storage and travel information, and more! In the case of our Machu Picchu Pueblo (colloquially known as Aguas Calientes) hostels, we’ll even come and pick you up at the airport for free!

Let’s not forget the City of Kings- in our Lima hostels, both located in the relaxed seaside neighborhood of Miraflores near the always lively Kennedy Park, you can find rooms for two with private baths for as low as S/82 S/69.70 in Pirwa Inclan B&B and shared dorms as low as S/20.40 in Pirwa Prada Backpackers!

Want to check availability and prices for your travel dates? Click here!

What’s Febrero Viajero?

We’re not alone! The commission for the Promotion of Peru in Tourism, known around these parts as Promperú has launched a campaign to promote tourism in February known as “Febrero Viajero.” It’s already begun, meaning that not only can you get your lodging cheap with Pirwa Hostels, but it’s also an ideal time for purchasing your flight or bus tickets as well. We know you need to watch your budget while you’re traveling, which is why we specialize in comfortable but economic lodging throughout Peru and Bolivia, so we wanted to make sure you knew about these deals too!

Special Feb Discounts for TACA Airlines…….

Buy from now until March 15th, for flights occurring between now and March 28th, and get some special discounts- the conditions are that you must have a 3 day minimum stay, or a Sunday, and you can only buy up to 3 tickets per flight.

Special Feb Discounts for LAN Airlines…….

Buy from now until February 29^th, for flights occurring between February 1^st and April 30^th, and get these special prices- you have to buy 7 days in advance, for a minimum stay of 3 days or including a Saturday, and it applies for certain flights only.

Special Feb Discounts for Oltursa…….

All February and March Oltursa is knocking down its prices as well. Open dates aren’t applicable, so you need to buy roundtrip. Bed Service is discounted, but not for online purchases, so you need to buy in person.

So if you’ve been dreaming about that South American backpacking trip, maybe that time has finally come. Take advantage of the lower prices and come experience all that Peru has to offer. Pirwa Travel Service, our own travel agency can even help arrange tours and excursions for you at rock-bottom prices- all you need to do is pack your bags and let us take care of the rest!

Tomorrow is Lima‘s turn to welcome the Dakar 2012 riders, who raced from Nazca to Pisco today and tomorrow will receive their prizes on the podium at the Plaza de Armas (Main Square) of Lima! This isn’t the only action that’s taking place this week in Peru’s capital, however, because this week is the 477th anniversary of the founding of Lima. Below is a selection of activities from the official program:

Sunday, Jan 15th: Lima Remix 2012 at the Magical Water Circuit

The Haciendo Pueblo Cultural Association will kick off festivities with a performance covering the Lima’s musical history decade by decade. The show will take place at the Magical Water Circuit at Reserve Park from 7:30-8:30pm. (Admission: S/.4.00)

Sunday Jan 15^th: Cultura Viva
Each Sunday this month in Parque de la Muralla you can experience the street art, street theater, music and dance of Lima, from 1-5pm. (Admission: S/.2.50)

Tuesday Jan 17^th: “Mácula” presented at the Plazuela de las Artes Municipal Theater

Presentation of ‘Mácula’, incorporating contemporary dance, theater, and musical performance. The show’s at 8pm at the Plazuela de la Artes del Teatro Municipal (Jirón Ica cuadra 3 in the City Center). (Admission: Free)

Tuesday Jan 17^th: Serenade in the Plaza de Armas

More than 400 artists will offer an incomparable spectacular created and directed by Miguel Rubio, the director of Yuyachkani, to showcase the history and diversity of Lima.

Provincial bands, flamenco guitars and dancers, and Peruvian Paso horses open the event, which then continues on to a variety of musical performances, some accompanied by Peruvian scissor dancers, Sikuris, Members of Cantagallo’s Shipibo community, and more. The show begins at 8pm in the Plaza de Armas and culminates at midnight. (Admission is Free)

Wednesday Jan 18: Offering to the Last Inca Chief, Taulichusco

Taulichusco was the chief of the Rímac Valley, when Pizarro and the other conquistadores arrived in Lima. At Pasaje Nicolás de Rivera in central Lima an offering will be made in homage to him on this day. (Admission is Free)

Wednesday Jan 18th: Homage to Lima at Magical Water Circuit

The Magical Water Circuit at Reserve Park will present a varied spectacular of music and dance from 11am to 10pm. (Admission is Free.)

Wednesday Jan 18thTourist Circuit for Lima’s 447th Anniversary

In celebration of the 477^th anniversary of Lima’s founding, a touristic circuit will be offered visiting the pre-Inca Taulichusco Monument, Lima’s Cathedral and Pizarro’s Tomb, Aliaga’s House, and the Municipal Palace, ending at the Municipal Library to view the founding document of Lima. Departures are at 10am and 3pm and information & sign-Up is at the Turistic Information Office of the Municipality of Lima (Pasaje Los Escribanos 145 in Lima’s Historic Center). (315-1542)

Friday Jan 20^th, Saturday Jan 21^st, and Sunday Jan 22^nd: Scenes of Old Lima at the Magical Water Circuit
Spectacular presenting characters of creole Lima which persist in collective memory: towncriers, vendors of picarones and anticuchos, the popular vendor of “Revolución Caliente” and other traditions of yesteryear to the music of the marinera and Peruvian sons. The show will take place from 7-8pm at Reserve Park’s Magical Water Circuit. (Admission: S/.4.00)

Between Dakar and the anniversary festivities, expect Lima to fill up. However, at the moment we still have availability in our Lima hostels, Pirwa Prada Backpackers and Pirwa Inclan B&B, both ideally located in the Miraflores district!

Pirwa Puno is pumped for this year’s Virgen of Candelaria Festival!

This festival in honor of Puno’s patron saint is one of the year’s most spectacular festivals of Peru and South America. Considered the folkloric capital of the country, Puno offers a vibrant display of costume, music, and dance in honor of the Mamacha Carmen. Folkloric dance competitions and parades create a spectacle involving more than 40,000 dancers and 5,000 dancers as well as tens of thousands of more indirectly involved embroiderers, boot makers, sponsors, and others.

Dancing Through History

Puno has almost 300 different classified dances with distinct music, dress, and choreography and charged with symbolism and significance. Different neighborhoods of the city and communities of the countryside train well in advance to represent their area and dances, investing heavily in elaborate folkloric costumes that pertain to each dance. To watch them perform is as if you were watching the millennial history of Puno dance past you.

Dances like the Phusa Morenos or Siku Morenos emerged from the black slave community of Puno after the conquest. They are danced in costumes of the devil, angel and Afro-Peruvian. These dances led to the famous Morenada (Black Dance) and Diablada (Devil’s Dance). Other dances, like the happy mestizo dance known as the Pandilla Puneña date back to the post-colonial Republican era. With the women clad in braids, bowler hats, many-petticoated skirts, shawls, and little boots they represent the typical Andean women.

Its pre-Columbian dances of Aymara and Quechua roots include the Los Maris or Cahuiris, in honor of the gods of lightning and thunder of the same name, the Llullmitha with its long dragging dresses and representation of the sown fields, the alternating male and female circles of the Markheta, and the Inca Huallatha. Ancient dances like the Llamerada and Llameritos were some of the oldest, danced by the shepherds and llama drivers of the Andean altiplano.

Programmed Events of Virgen of Candelaria 2012

Jan 26^th the Queen of Folklore will be elected and crowned. On Feb 1^st the actual statue of the Virgen of Candelaria will be transferred in procession from the San Juan Bautista Sanctuary where it normally resides to Puno’s Cathedral. The procession in honor of the Mamacha Carmen is on February 2^nd, when the dancers from the countryside descend upon Puno with their instruments and vibrant costumes (studded with gems for the Morenada, with feather caps, or as Condors and Llamas.

The Indigenous Dance Contest, with dances performed in native and typical dress, will be on Feb 5^th at 7:00am at the Enrique Torres Belón Stadium. Afterwards, they will take to the streets and continue dancing in parade. The “Urban Festival” on the Octava showcases Colonial and Republican Era (‘Mestizo’) dances, mostly performed in bullfighters’ dress. This is when the barrios of Puno present their own troupes. The competition will take place on Feb 12^th at 7:00am in the Enrique Torres Belón Stadium. On the following day the dancers all participate in the Folkloric Parade to the Virgen of Candelaria. After dancing before the Virgen they will continue on to the cemetery. Feb 14^th is the concert of the musical bands, and Feb 15^th is the Parade of the Sicuris and Zampoñas. The festival finishes with separate parties and dances of the groups in their respective neighborhoods on February 16^th through 18^th, although prizes will not be awarded until March 25^th.

Remember that for this festival PUNO FILLS UP FAST! Try and make your plans as far in advance as possible to make sure to get the most of your trip. Pirwa Travel Service can help with transport, excursions and tours (after all, you can’t go to Puno without visiting the world’s highest navigable lake, Lake Titicaca, and its famous Floating Islands of Uros!), and Pirwa Puno Backpackers can provide comfy and cheap lodging within walking distance of the main square and the harbor.

This January is the 477^th anniversary of the founding of Lima as the The City of Kings by 70 year old Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, rumored to have traced the outline for the Plaza Mayor in the earth with his sword.

Thousands of people gather in the Plaza Mayor of Lima on the main day, January 18^th, festively decked out with lights and music. Concerts and shows by renowned dancers, singers, and poets continue into the wee hours of the night. The day starts with a street parade and continues with a program of folk dances, ballet, creole music and more! The day ends with the requisite fireworks.

So far it’s been confirmed that celebrated Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flores will head the Serenade to Lima (Limapaq Taki in Quechua) in the Municipal Theater this year. Other persformers thus far announced are the Youth Symphony Orchestra on Jan 17^th and the Municipal Ballet. Cultural and musical activities will take place in the Plaza’s Mall, Chabuca Granda, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Another recently announced event was the Jan 22^nd 12K run “Lima For All” organized by the Municipal Workers Syndicate.

We hope to have the official program detailing all the scheduled events for you soon, so keep checking back!

If you’re looking for the ideal base from which to explore the vibrant culture and cuisine that Lima has developed over the last 477 years, an exciting mix of its indigenous pre-Columbian, African, and Spanish influences, you can’t do any better than Miraflores! The relaxed seaside neighborhood boasts ample parks and gardens, exciting activities such as parasailing and and surfing, some of the best ceviche in Lima, and quality bars and clubs for those seeking to sample the nightlife. Pirwa Hostels has 02 locations in Miraflores, Pirwa Inclan B&B and Pirwa Prada Backpackers, with a warm and friendly staff eager to help you enjoy all that the City of Kings has to offer. (To the left a cheery sampling of the Pirwa Crew!)