Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25123
The snowboarding, and skiing, in -~--"'~~'~-~'=""'dangerous: steep slopes, long hikes, I"""-~r.p;;'!"""-""'~:::::"~~:,:",:=:,:,:,--r---.., no snowboard shops. Most of the peaks have never been snowboarded, and the snow is going fast (glaciers are receding at rate of 10 meters a year). The Cordillera Blanca itself is not really a destination area, but Huaraz, near the Cordillera Blanca Mountain range, is ground zero for snow sports in Peru with the season peaking in June. i~;'::';"":":":"';.,:....:;J The Inca Trai I is justifiably famous. 1 ---___ -= ______ --,. American nes, LAN Chi le, Avianca, Aeromexico and Faucett fly to lima. Most flights go through Miami, although direct flights from New York City are available. It takes about seven hours to get to lima from New York and about nine from LA. Expect to pay between US$750-1,100 for a ticket and keep in mind that the lowest fares fill up quickly. Local carriers Aero Continente (877-359-7378) and Aero Condor (51-1-441-1354, or 51-1-442- 5663) link lima with Arequipa, Cuzco, Puno, Iquitos and other Peruvian cities. Domestic air travel in Peru is relatively unreliable. Flights are often cancelled at the last minute so be sure to confirm it ahead of nspo choice ~ g~~~Jt~ L _____ ..J;; __ ~ ..... For almost 20 years, Communist-based guerrilla factions bent on established government have been active in Peru. The most mous rebel group is the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso), a Maoist-based ization that lost most of its early support among the rural poor due to its brutal methods. The Shining Path has long been considered by international law enforcement groups as serious as the PLO and I RA. Rebel fighting has resulted in an estimated 30,000 deaths since 1981. However, the 1992 capture of their leader, Abimael Guzman, and the July 1999 apprehension of his successor, Ramirez Durand, has significantly weakened the group. coca can cultural and economic history is inexorably tied to the ient shrub: coca leaves, the raw material for cocaine. Use of traced back at least 4,000 years according to Incan records. Originally confined to ceremonial use by priests and royalty, the use of coca leaves quickly spread among the general population. Chewing coca was used to ease the pain of childbirth, numb workers against the cold and damp Andean weather and increase energy. Coca has always been part of Peruvian life- and it still is. Today, leaves can be purchased in any market, and mate de coca, or coca tea, is widely available in cafes as a popular folk remedy for altitude sickness. But this powerful painkiller has also given rise to much of Peru's recent suffering. Peru and neighboring Bolivia supply about 90 percent of coca leaves to the world and while the brisk trade has brought money into the country, it has also brought corruption, bribery and murder. -_...;,.;;;;;...;;;;;;..";;;;;j~~~...;,,.;;liU Machu Picchu from Cuzco, which is about a four-hour trip. No rail service exists between Cuzco and lima, but buses and speedy electric autovagons are other good options. Taxis lack meters, so agree upon a price with the driver before you set out. Adventure Outfitters: If you want a Peruvian adventure but you don't want to go solo, consider the following companies: Mountain Travel Sobek, 888-MTSOBEK, www.mtsobek.com Tsanza Adventures, 800-831-3014, www.amazonrainforest.com Earth River Expeditions, 800-643-2784, www.earthriver.com Peruvians, who usually travel in huge groups and often with livestock, produce ~nd other materials for market. There are dai ly trains to