A Karikuy Christmas, better late then never.

When we think of Christmas and the holidays, the majority of us envision a house full of relatives on a cold and snowy morning. As kids we would try to get some if any sleep the night before, our minds occupied by what could be under the tree. Heck even at 20 I was a bit restless thinking of what high tech toys I would receive or even accept from myself. These traditional scenes of Christmas have very little in common to how it is celebrated in Peru. And although I have always celebrated the holidays with a mix of both the Peruvian and American versions of Christmas, this year I was able to celebrate it in Peru among my family and friends with all the excitement which is Christmas in Peru.

The Plaza de Armas of Lima, light shows and other activities are common leading up to Christmas night.

To begin I must explain that Christmas in Peru is celebrated at exactly 12:00am on January 25th. The family begins arriving around 11pm on the 24th. Traditionally turkey or ham is prepared as the main Christmas meal. There is a calm leading up to midnight, family members greet each other as they begin to arrive. Salsa music begins to echo through the house, the artists singing their own creative mix of holiday songs, a favorite of mine being "Aires de Navidad" by Hector Lavoe. Five minutes to 12 and you can begin to hear the first firecrackers exploding throughout the neighborhood, and although it might seem outrages to us westerners it is common to see 5 year olds throwing firecrackers into the air as the streets explode at the strike of 12.

And so the celebration that is Christmas begins in a country where 89% of the population is Christian. The thunderous applause of a Christian nation can seem overwhelming as the firework tribute to the birth of Jesus lasts approximately half an hour at its peak. Fireworks are continuously heard through the evening of the 25th. Shortly afterward hugs and kisses and the customary "Feliz Navidad" as family members gather around a nativity scene, the children tare into their gifts, as it is only them who receive them. It seems older folk are left to break open the champagne or wine bottles and toast the night away. At the nativity scene (which all families construct and try so hard to out do one another with) the family gathers as a baby Jesus is brought out to take his place as the focal point of the midnight celebration. The Christmas meal is then served to a hungry family which is used to eating supper around 7pm. Depending on the circumstances Christmas parties can last throughout the night. It is also customary to leave your door open as your neighbors and friends pop in to say hello and receive their slice of Panetone (sweet bread) and hot chocolate, preferably beer or wine is handed out.

The Nativity Scene or "Nacimiento" every family creates their own version.

Family dinner after midnight, tired and full. More wine please!

The day of the 25th is spent lazily toasting to the day, remember that it is summer in Peru and the temperature is a lovely 70 degrees, perfect for going to the beach or playing a game of volleyball or futbolito (futsal) with the neighbors. As for me, I believe I was up till about 7 am having a few beers with my cousins. Christmas in Peru is very much different then from American traditions. Celebrating both versions I can say that the traditional South American Christmas is a little more lively then its northern counterpart. As an example you might find it rare to find a night club open and packed on Christmas night as opposed to in Peru where they are open until the last clients leave, usually around 8 - 9 am.

New Years on the other hand is very similar to festivities worldwide as it is primarily an adult celebration and is centered around parties. At 12 fireworks once again fill the streets with the only difference in customs being that in Peru you gather up all your old clothes to create an effigy and burn it at 12am. In a way you are burning past burdens and the old year away and bringing in the new. Now had I brought more clothes in from the states I would have probably contributed to this truly unique Peruvian custom.

The Karikuy Bed & Breakfast

I thought I would take some time off from preparing to head back to Peru to introduce the Karikuy Bed & Breakfast. Yes it has a new look! I'm sure most of you who've had the chance to book through Karikuy have had an overnight at the B&B. Depending on the time of your visit you probably got the chance to see it at various stages of its renovation. We continue the renovation process this winter at the good ole house by renovating some of the rooms and adding a dormitory for our backpackers.

Killer the guard dog waits outside to greet guests, don't let the name fool you.

Last season we laid down a new floor covering our traditional concrete floor; yes it might sound a bit old fashioned but that's the norm in Peru. Now over the rough finish that was concrete we laid down some Italian tiles that really make it stand out against the brilliant white walls.

Here's a shot of the small dining room and computer terminal. Also new this season is a faster and more modern computer replacing the old Pentium II as seen on the photo, boy it sure was a clunker. Now our guests can check their email and get up to date with the family back home, just make sure you don't catch yourself doing any actual work, this is your vacation!



The large and breezy windows at the B&B has always been a hit with guests. We'll continue to keep the shades open for ya! nothing like the sounds of a morning in Lima to get you out of bed with roosters crowing and street sellers yelling at the top of their lungs; "Frutas! Huevos! Tamales!"

An Xbox 360 and surround sound home theater system to keep the kids busy or even yourself.

So if you've missed out staying at the B&B for an overnight or two on one of your past tours? it is likely that you designated a three to 5 star hotel service for your entire trip with us. Our Bed & Breakfast caters to the budget conscious traveler and to Backpackers worldwide. Our rates are super affordable and in return you get a mini apartment of sorts, as there are rarely more then 6 people spending a night in the house at a time. The Karikuy B&B is that comfortable not so out of the way place that even top publications like Lonely Planet tend to miss. I mean where else are you going to shell out $15 a and have a bedroom, dining room, free Internet connection and a living room with an entertainment system at your disposal. Did we mention there are some really awesome Peruvian Hamburgers down the road?... or that the price includes a free breakfast? yes free continental breakfast!

So next time your in Lima check out or ask for a night at the Karikuy Bed and Breakfast. You won't regret it and you'll really get to see life in a traditional Lima neighborhood. We are 10 minutes from the Lima Plaza de Armas and 15 minutes from the Airport.

We are located at 1613 Alonso del Rincon in Cercado De Lima, you can book a night by calling me at the B&B, just dial our new Toll Free Number: 1888-802-INCA

Return to Paradise

In five days I will be heading back to Peru, I have been counting the days since I last left that beautiful country of mine. My adventurous spirit, coupled with my vigor to see Karikuy succeed in its broad vision, have reawakened my previously fatigued state of mind. You see, I've been spending about 10+ hours everyday hunched over a keyboard, my eyes enveloped in a mechanical light that has become my daylight the past couple weeks. Booking, planning, advertising, developing, its all very methodical work and nothing cheers me up more then knowing I'm only a couple days away from putting all that behind me and dealing with the exciting end of my job. Getting to know my clients and seeing their awed faces as I show them around my country is irreplaceable, I know of no other reward similar to it, at least not in any previous job.

So as I start packing and getting ready to depart the good old USA, I think to myself what adventures and surprises I will run into this summer, or then again I should say winter, even though I just returned from summer...oh wait a coastal summer in Peru is a Andean winter, either or. Ha ha yes it's all very incredible really, in the next four months I will have experienced every season and almost every micro climate. What a wonder Peru is, I look forward to meeting all of you who have signed up for one of the trips and those in the process of doing so. If there's adventure to be had, you will find it in Peru.

*Tariy Update* I will resume writing about the trip in my downtime in Lima. I have not forgotten about it, and have it organized in the blog links section of the blog for better structure.

Tariy, Days 10 & 11: Cumpleaños Feliz y la Resaca

I apologize for the lack of blogs as I have been real busy with Karikuy as of late. I'm also trying to finish the new company video by the end of this month. I started a new advertising campaign with facebook.com and that has kept me busy the last couple of days. So here is Tariy 2008, continuing where it last left off.

Wednesday March 19th

Ahh there is nothing like waking up to the sound of salsa in the morning. It's almost as if you could dance right out of bed and into the chilly shower to further awaken your senses. Surprisingly the music invades my floor in layers, salsa from the neighbor to the east, reggaeton from the neighbor to the north. Downstairs my cousin plays Grupo Nectar, a group whose tragic end brought life to their music that now lives on to awaken a people on a brand new day. It just so happens that on this day I turn 25.

I hopped out of the shower trembling as usual but with a bounce to my step. I wasn't necessarily thinking about turning a quarter of a century old as I was about what the night might hold in store. I put on some shorts and a t-shirt and climbed to the roof to check if my clothes for the night were finished drying.

Before any festivities could kick off I had reminded myself that I was to visit the cemetery and pay a visit to my grandparents. The story of me and my grandparents is a sad one, and so I try my best to pull myself together and go visit them once a year or whenever I am back in Peru. It took us a good afternoon before we arrived back at my house where I would get ready for the nights celebration.

You can probably guess that I didn't chronicle this day too heavily, it was a personal day and I was having way too much fun at my birthday party to really take pictures or videos but here are a few;

25 and still goofing off...

The party went on until the first rays of sunlight hit the dusty Lima streets. Well actually it went on way after the sun went up, I can last remember looking at a clock that read 7 am before I crashed. But that's the thing about Peru, the people here love a good party and most clubs don't close until the last patron has left.

Thursday March 20th

I remember waking up at around 3 in the afternoon and being greeted with another bottle of Cristal. Yes the party continued until about 5pm and a case of beer (12 large Cristal bottles) later I decided I was probably suffering of alcohol poisoning and retreated back to my house to crash. I slept from about 7pm until the following morning. It was probably for the best as the next day Maycol and I would be heading to Ica and Huacachina to continue our trek.

Tariy, Day 9: Ceviche in Callao

Tuesday March 18th

I woke up to the sound of our bus speeding it's way through the dusty desert coast of Peru. About half our bus was awake and watching a movie, in a little while the bus steward would be passing a small snack for breakfast. We soon entered the city of Lima, the city however is huge and it would take another forty five minutes until we reached the bus terminals in the heart of the city. I didn't mind the wait, I was glad that I would be in the company of my family once again and that tomorrow we'd all be together celebrating my birthday.

My uncle Freddy was at the station when we arrived, being a taxi driver he's the one that usually drives me around when I go home and it is him and his friends that provide the transportation for Karikuy. So as we made our way back to my neighborhood in Central Lima I had very little on my mind as to what I would be doing for the day, what I knew for certain though was that I'd be in Callao eating some of the best ceviche in Peru.

My neighborhood of Planeta, the smoke is of a train that just rolled on through.

I had a couple of hours to take a nap and get in a good breakfast before we set off again at noon. Before leaving for Peru I had failed to pack much clothing for myself due to all the gifts and donations I had received. So first on my list of things to do was to head to one of the large super centers found throughout Lima and pick up some shorts and a shirt for tomorrows party.

After picking up some clothes and sipping on a delicious fruit smoothie we headed to the port city of Callao. Callao has remained the biggest port in Peru since it was founded in 1537, the city was largely destroyed and vast areas flooded when a tsunami hit after a strong earthquake in 1746. I commonly hear that 1/4 of the original Callao lies underwater, however that number fluctuates with each story and it's hard to tell, I will do more research on that when I return later in the year. Here are some pictures:

And a short video of the ride up to La Punta, notice the fortress at the end of the video, it is the largest and strongest Spanish fortress built in Latin America.

There is a little restaurant at La Punta (The Point) of Callao and I recommend it for anyone who is in the area, it is called the Neptune. I bring tourists and guests there and frequently include it in my trip itineraries. It has to be my favorite place in Peru to eat ceviche, because not only do they make one amazing dish but they also provide the best setting and scenery to wolf down a plate of this signature Peruvian dish.

Everyone dig in!

Second course of fried calamari...mmmm.

All gone :(

Finishing up a meal at Neptune's is always followed by a stroll over at the oceanfront which is about a hundred feet from the restaurant itself. Currently a lot of La Punta is under construction which is slated to be finished by next year but there are still plenty of spots where you can go and watch the waves splashing against the barrier wall. The feeling of being under the warm sun after a filling meal of ceviche can be enough impetus for anyone to return to Peru and is always one of the highlights of my trip back home, I recommend it to everyone I meet.

There is not much to tell about the rest of my day, I spent most of it back home catching up with family that would drop by to say hello as well as doing some laundry and double checking my budget for the rest of the trip.


Knowing that I would get very little sleep the following day I made a point of heading to bed early. My birthday party would not disappoint.