The seaside town of Huacho, Peru just hosted what could be the world's cutest contest--if it weren't for how it ended. It was the Huacho Guinea Pig Festival.

Things got started when some of the small rodents got dressed up for the animal fashion show, where this year's big looks were miner and king. But the winning guinea pig was done up as a traditional folk singer; it won thanks not just to a great outfit but its name: Yasmina del Amor.

But those rodents not on the proverbial runway suffered a more brutal fate: They were fried, roasted and baked and enjoyed by festival goers as part of a cook-off. Who won? The pachamanca masters out of the nearby village of Curay.

Related Stories:
· Huacho Guinea Pig Festival [Huacho.info, in Spanish]
· Guinea Pigs Dress up for Dinner [Sky News]
· Festivals coverage [Jaunted]

[Original photo: Telegraph]]]> pbb 2008-07-23T15:20:21-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/5/5/142252/6304

Ever in search of the real (or imagined) next thing, The New York Times was off surfing in Peru lately. And the little surfing town of Punta Hermosa was the standout in a country fully stocked with deserted beaches.

It sounds like something we'd definitely wanna get in on:

Curling waves fan out in all directions like Neptune's block party. Each break point presents a different challenge. There's Kon Tiki, which offers untamed waves so massive that it takes a strong arm even to paddle out to it; La Isla, where homegrown pros...can often be found; and Pico Alto, a brawny break with swells that can range up to 25 feet high.

Most people won't be tackling those waves, so the Times has info on a couple other surf destinations that are well off the beaten path. (We're talking epic taxi rides and Soviet-era puddle-jumpers.) These aren't the types of towns you just jet to for a weekend, but from the sound of it you could definitely melt into the sand if you had a week or two to spend in Peru.

Related Stories:
· Riding the Waves of Peru [NYT]
· Honky Tonk Surf Towns Map [Jaunted]
· Surfing coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: quiquemendizabal]]]> pbb 2008-05-05T14:30:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/2/10/22915/6298

The area around Lima, Peru is just hitting its peak summer season now. But don't get overwhelmed by the bustle of the city. Get to some of the amazing towns further afield, like Lunahuana, south of Lima.

February brings the laid-back festival of grapes and wine, where the local harvest is celebrated extensively. Lunahuana makes some of the best pisco around and is a pretty peaceful agricultural town--but there's a nice dash of adventure sports to keep things interesting. The Caņete River makes a great spot for kayaking, fishing, hunting and hiking.

Since the snow is melting in the Andes, river rafting is a big draw this time of year. Ask around for local tour operators or go with Rio Caņete Expediciones, Lonely Planet's favorite outfitter.

Related Stories:
· Rio Caņete Expediciones [Official Site, in Spanish]
· Guide to Lunahuana [Yahoo]
· Peru Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· It's Summer Somewhere coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Rio Caņete Expediciones]]]> sedona 2008-02-11T10:00:14-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/10/2/63115/7897

We like to think that Machu Picchu really is a great destination, not to be detracted from just because it wound up on the biased and strange New 7 Wonders list. So it shouldn't come as any surprise to hear that tourist numbers to Peru's famous Inca ruins are rising rapidly.

Unfortunately we're not sure if this is a good thing. With tourist numbers constantly rising in the past decade--they'd already reached 400,000 a year in 2003, and 850,000 are predicted this year--they'll soon reach the one million a year mark. Disregarding peaks in tourist traffic, that means on average we'll have to share Machu Picchu with another 3,000 cameras and backpacks on the day we visit, and that makes a remote scenic ruin turn into something of a tourist trap.

Related Stories:
· 800,000 Tourists to Visit Machu Picchu [Living in Peru]
· Waterworld II: Machu Picchu Island [Jaunted]
· New 7 Wonders of the World Announced [Jaunted]

[Photo: Marc Schandro]]]> amandak 2007-10-02T09:15:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/9/20/135329/160

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but just a day trip in Peru can make you sick, too. Dozens of people reported headaches and nausea this week after going to visit a crater possibly caused by a meteorite near Lake Titicaca.

The 22-foot deep hole may have released gases that caused locals and sightseers headaches and nausea. (That, or it was an attack planned by aliens. Paging Will Smith!) While going to see a meteorite crater it isn't a day at Six Flags, but it can be hard to resist the allure of really big, exciting geologic events. How far would you go to get that "wow" vacation photo?

Related Stories:
· Peruvians Get Sick From Apparent Meteorite Crater [Yahoo]
· South America Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Yahoo! News]]]> egw 2007-09-20T16:20:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/8/16/152535/089

More news is rolling in from Peru after a 8.0 magnitude earthquake shook the country's southern coastal areas. (Early reports of the quake's magnitude have been revised.) Already online are a Wikipedia page and photos on Flickr, documenting the disaster that killed hundreds, injured many more and even damaged buildings in Lima, 165 miles away. The quake was so powerful that scientists predict an 8-inch-high tsunami will wash up in Japan. Tomorrow.

The hardest hit area, closest to the epicenter, is Ica Region, south of the nation's capital. Government officials say more than half of Pisco--famous for its namesake grape brandy--has been destroyed. Buildings throughout the region have collapsed and there are widespread power outages. With roads destroyed, getting around, for tourists, locals and rescuers will be problematic at best.

Related Stories:
· Peru Quake coverage [CNN]
· Rescuers Struggle to Aid Hundreds of Peru Earthquake Victims [VOA]

[Photo: Franco Mena]]]> pbb 2007-08-16T15:30:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/8/16/81613/1090

Something is seriously amiss with the Pacific this week. Just days after Hawaii gets walloped with both a trembler and a hurricane-turned-tropical storm, Peru suffers a massive earthquake that killed at least 337 people. The worst to hit the country in 30 years, it clocked in at 7.9 on the Richter scale, making it 100 times more powerful than the quake that rocked Hawaii.

Aftershocks continued to rattle the country after the main event last night, but a feared tsunami never materialized. Though the epicenter was 165 miles from Lima, the capital certainly felt the earthquake's effects, residents said:

Usually you don't feel a tremor when outside, but the pavement was rippling, so I fled to the park where the ground continued to move under our feet...What was even more frightening was the roar of the quake coupled with the sky lighting up. It was surreal - if felt like we had stepped onto the set of some war movie"

Related Stories:
· Powerful Quake Kills Hundreds in Peru [NPR]
· Peru Quake Death Toll Rises to 337 [Bloomberg]

[Photo: AFP, via BBC]]]> pbb 2007-08-16T08:33:14-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/