Monthly Archives: February 2021

The Most Significant Part of Cusco’s Cathedral Design

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Warning: this post is not going to give you anything except a starting point for figuring out something on your own. One day I’ll explain — I’ve already discussed it in a past post — but not today.


These two panels can be found on either side of the entrance to the Templo del Triunfo which is the south chapel of Cusco’s Cathedral. They’re about 2 meters tall and are generally ignored by everyone from tourists to locals.

For some reason, yesterday evening I noticed something that caught my attention because I’d noticed it before inside the Cathedral. I walked back to the other panel and, sure enough, there is was again.

I began to scan the outside of the Cathedral and was able to find 16 others! As I walked to the front of the Cathedral, I studied it’s facade and found another 27! On a previous visit inside the Cathedral itself, I’d counted well over 100.

Even more fascinating was noting that the northern chapel, the Capilla de la Sagrada Familia, had absolutely none on it’s facade.

None of these appear by coincidence. I was able to confirm that with the Cathedral’s “professor” once who was kind enough to take me on a special tour of some of the church’s hidden secrets. His knowing smile when he realized I’d stumbled on perhaps it’s most important “secret” was one of my proudest moments.

I’m not going to answer any questions or respond to comments, but I can assure that what I noticed last night is, indeed, the most significant part of the Cathedral’s design and perhaps represents the most important part of Cusco’s religious history. (That’s a hint, by the way.)

Can you see what they have in common and, even more importantly, do you know the significance?

[The Cathedral has a lot of fascinating things to learn and is one of my favorite places to spend time. Sadly, no photography is allowed, but it’s a rule I certainly can understand. I can’t recommend enough taking a long, slow walk through the Cathedral if you have the chance.]



MTC Releases New Regulations for Land Travel in Peru

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As of March 1, interprovincial transportation will be reactivated throughout the country with new provisions according to the alert levels of the provinces in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. (From January 31 to February 28 the service had been suspended in provinces at the Extreme Risk level.)

Ministerial Resolution 180-2021-MTC/01 published today in the official newspaper El Peruano, establishes the new characteristics and conditions that the interprovincial passenger transportation service will have in the provinces with very high and extreme alert level.

Extreme Level Provinces

For trips longer than five hours departing from provinces with extreme alert level, the capacity will be 100% and passengers must present a molecular or antigen test with negative result for Covid-19, obtained at the latest 72 hours before boarding.

For trips of up to five hours, the molecular or antigen test will not be required. However, in this case, seating capacity will be 50%, using only the seats adjacent to the windows.

Very High Level Alert Provinces

In trips longer than five hours departing from provinces with a very high alert level, the capacity will be 50%; while in trips of up to five hours it will be 100%. It should be noted that in both cases passengers do not need to present the molecular or antigen test.



It should be noted that in all vehicles it is mandatory for passengers to wear a mask, face shield and fill out an affidavit stating that they do not have symptoms of Covid-19.

Among the sanitary safety measures that transportation companies must implement to provide the service are taking the temperature of passengers and ensuring that they keep a physical distance from each other within the facilities. They are also obliged to disinfect vehicles before and after the service, place polyethylene or similar material between seats to guarantee isolation among passengers, among other measures detailed in the sectorial guidelines for the prevention of Covid-19.

The MTC urges the population to use formal transportation to ensure sanitary safety and thus protect their health and that of their families.



New Peruvian Rules Explained in English

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Yesterday the Peruvian government announced new rules hat will go into effect on March 1 for two weeks. I posted the provincial designations in Spanish last night, but here is a translation of everything in English.

Provinces Designated as Extreme Risk

Here is a list of the provinces in this group listed after the region in which they are located:

  • Ancash (Huaraz)
  • Ayacucho (Huamanga)
  • Cusco (Canchis)
  • Huancavelica (Huancavelica, Tayacaja)
  • Huanuco (Huanuco)
  • Ica (Ica, Chincha)
  • Junin (Huancayp, Tarma, Chanchamayo, Satipo, Chupaca)
  • Lima (Metro Lima, Callao, Huara, Barranca, Huarochiri, Huaral)
  • Loreto (Maynas)
  • Moquegua (Ilo)
  • Pasco (Oxapampa)
  • Puno (Puno)
  • Tacna (Tacna)

These are the movement restrictions:

  • Complete curfew on Sundays
  • Daily curfew from 9 pm to 4 am
  • Interprovincial land transportation limited to 40%

Capacity Limits and other restrictions:

  • Casinos, gyms, theatres, art galleries – 0%
  • Fiestas, events – 0%
  • Outdoor art exhibits – 20%
  • Stores in general – 20%
  • Restaurants (inside dining with air circulation) – 30%
  • Restaurants (outside dining) – 30%
  • Restaurant delivery permitted from 4 am to 11 pm daily
  • Banks and financial institutions – 40%
  • Churches and religious institutions – 0%
  • Libraries, museums, archeological monuments, cultural centers and galleries, botanical gardens, zoos – 30%
  • Beauty shops, spas, barber shops (with reservation) – 40%
  • Outdoor cultural teaching – 20%
  • No gatherings in open or closed spaces
  • Clubs and sports associations – 0%
  • Beaches – 0%
  • Deliveries from pharmacies and boticas permitted 24 hours

Provinces Designated as Very High Risk

Here is a list of the provinces in this group listed after the region in which they are located:

  • Loreto (all provinces except Maynas)
  • Amazonas (all provinces)
  • Ancash (all provinces except Huaraz)
  • Apurimac (all provinces)
  • Arequipa (all provinces)
  • Ayacucho (all provinces except Huamanga)
  • Cusco (all provinces except Canchis)
  • Huancavelica (Castro Virreyna, Huaytara, Angaraes, Acobamba, Churcampa)
  • Huanuco (all provinces except Huanuco)
  • Ica (Nazca, Palpa, Pisco)
  • Junin (Junin, Yauli, Jauja, Concepcion)
  • Moquegua (Mariscal Nieto, General Sachez Cerro)
  • Pasco (Pasca, Daniel A. Carrion)
  • Puno (all provinces except Puno)
  • Tacna (Tarata, Jorge Basadre, Candarave)
  • Tumbes (all provinces)
  • Lima (Cajatambo, Canta, Canete, Oyon, Yauyos)

These are the movement restrictions:

  • No private vehicles allowed on Sundays
  • Daily curfew from 9 pm to 4 am
  • Interprovincial land transportation limited to 50-100% (MTC will give details later)

Capacity Limits and other restrictions:

  • Casinos, gyms, theatres, art galleries – 0%
  • Fiestas, events – 0%
  • Outdoor art exhibits – 30%
  • Stores in general – 30%
  • Supermarkets, markets, boticas, and pharmacies – 50%
  • Restaurants (inside dining with air circulation) – 30%
  • Restaurants (outside dining) – 40%
  • Banks and financial institutions – 50%
  • Churches and religious institutions – 20%
  • Libraries, museums, archeological monuments, cultural centers and galleries, botanical gardens, zoos – 40%
  • Outdoor cultural teaching – 40%
  • Clubs and sports associations – 40%
  • Beaches – 0%

Provinces Designated as High Risk

Here is a list of the provinces in this group listed after the region in which they are located:

  • Madre de Dios (all provinces)
  • Ucayali (all provinces)
  • San Martin (all provinces)
  • Piura (all provinces)
  • Lambayeque (all provinces)
  • La Libertad (all provinces)
  • Cajamarca (all provinces)

These are the movement restrictions:

  • No private vehicles allowed on Sundays
  • Daily curfew from 10 pm to 4 am
  • Interprovincial land transportation – no restrictions

Capacity Limits and other restrictions:

  • Casinos, gyms, theatres, art galleries – 30%
  • Fiestas, events – 0%
  • Outdoor art exhibits – 50%
  • Stores in general – 40%
  • Supermarkets, markets, boticas, and pharmacies – 60%
  • Restaurants (inside dining with air circulation) – 50%
  • Restaurants (outside dining) – 50%
  • Banks and financial institutions – 60%
  • Churches and religious institutions – 30%
  • Libraries, museums, archeological monuments, cultural centers and galleries, botanical gardens, zoos – 50%
  • Clubs and sports associations – 40%
  • Beaches – no restrictions



Please note that these are the only areas where the government made announcements and changes. International flights, domestic flights, and land border restrictions and rules have not been changed.



Peru’s New Measures Against COVID Announced

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A press conference just concluded after today’s meeting with Peru’s Council of Ministers to announce new measures in the country’s fight against COVID-19 from March 1-14.

Prime Minister Violeta Bermúdez opened the press conference by saying “We can notice a slight slowdown in the number of infections and deaths…In Apurímac the contagion has been slowed down much faster than in Metropolitan Lima…We have decided to make a readjustment in the provinces with extreme risk.”

“This effort for two additional weeks will allow us with the immobilization during the nights that the deceleration (of contagions) continues,” she continued. “It is encouraging to know that 14 provinces are out of extreme risk.”

The Prime Minister announced that “53 provinces are at high risk, 119 at very high risk level and 24 provinces at extreme health risk…we have no provinces at moderate risk.”

“Considering the social and economic context and the need to reduce mobility, we have decided to adopt a set of specific restrictive measures,” she continued. “Mandatory social immobilization during the nights from 9 pm to 4 am…In some activities such as visits to archaeological monuments or restaurants, a minimum capacity.”

Bermudez made a special point to address false reports regarding the government’s acquisition of vaccines by noting, “To state clearly and emphatically that it is false that the Executive Branch has not signed any contract for the acquisition of vaccines.”

She also noted that some areas have been declared under a state of emergency due to severe weather events.

Here (in Spanish) are the new risk designations and the new measures to be applied beginning March 1 (Monday). Be sure to click on each graphic to see a larger size. [Note: These are corrected versions of what I posted earlier. The Council of Ministers left Arequipa off. There may be other corrections so check again.]


Óscar Ugarte, Minister of Health, reported that there is a trend towards a reduction of new cases. This can be seen in the reports of the Ministry of Health….There is a growth trend in the second wave that was almost vertical in previous weeks and what we are seeing is a slowdown.”

Ugarte continued by saying, “However, we have a critical situation at hospital level, in the demand for oxygen, in the use of ICU beds and this is notorious…We have very serious effects on the situation of people who are hospitalized and those who require ICU.”

The most important thing is how we reinforce the attention to people so that they do not reach serious extremes,” he said. “We are going to reinforce the first level of attention.”

As of Monday, the imports of oxygen from Chile began arriving with 40 tons per week that Peru imports from Antofagasta.






Rates of Transmission Across All Peruvian Regions

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Today Open-Covid-Peru released data on the Rates of Transmission (Rt) for each region of the country as well as for each individual region. The rates of transmission in most regions are dropping, but not all are seeing a decrease.

The Rt number is the average number of people that a person with COVID-19 will infect. Several regions are now under 1, while some are climbing. Peru itself has a Rt number of 0.9.

Anything under 1 means the increase in contagion is going down. Anything above 1 means contagion is increasing. The lower the number the better.




As of 4:30 this Wednesday afternoon, the Council of Ministers are still meeting to analyze data and determine what measures will be instituted across the country going forward.

As soon as an announcement is made, I’ll report on it.



Second Ferry Coming to Iquitos Next Month

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The citizens of Loreto will have a second ferry at their service in March of this year. The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC), through the operator of the Iquitos-Santa Rosa river route, is about to conclude the transfer to the capital of Loreto of the Amazonas II Ferry.

The Amazonas II ferry, designed and built in a European shipyard, will cover the 486 km route between the capital of Loreto and the border town of Santa Rosa.


The implementation of this new ferry service is part of the MTC’s commitment to improve river transportation conditions in the region and to have environmentally friendly and sustainable transportation for the Amazon.

The MTC promoted the acquisition of the second ferry, which will ensure that the river transportation service on the Iquitos-Santa Rosa route meets the needs of the citizens and guarantees the continuity of the service.

“The objective is to provide safe and dignified transportation for the citizens of the Amazon. The new vessel has all the necessary equipment for a comfortable and safe trip for users,” said the head of MTC, Eduardo Gonzalez.

The Amazonas II ferry, like the Amazonas I ferry, will connect the main cities and communities located along the 486 kilometers of the route between Iquitos and the border town of Santa Rosa (adjacent to the triple border with Colombia and Brazil). The intermediate towns of Indiana, Pebas, San Pablo and Caballococha will also be served.

The second ferry will be used in situations that prevent the first ferry from providing services. Thus, the citizens of Loreto will have at their permanent disposal a safe and efficient means of transportation, which is subsidized by the MTC.

This Amazonas II is valued at 4 million euros and will have a capacity for 300 passengers. In addition, it has rafts and life jackets for travelers, digital information system for navigation and real time location, and adequate environments for luggage storage and displacement of passengers in need of medical attention.

The MTC will continue to subsidize the 200 tickets on the Iquitos-Santa Rosa section so that Loreto citizens can travel and have access to more alternatives for work, education and health.

The Amazonas I ferry resumed service on October 29, 2020, after interprovincial transportation was suspended to prevent the spread of Covid-19. From that date until January 31, 2021, it carried 12,206 passengers.



A Morning Hike Above Cusco

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Yesterday morning I decided to get out of Cusco for a bit and head up into the mountains above my apartment. Despite the heavy winds and light rain that blew in and forced me back down the mountains, it was still a lot of fun getting out and being able to put my mask in my pocket for awhile.

I even got to so some filming with my DJI Mavic Air 2 drone and my little DJI Pocket 2 video camera to make this short film so you can get an idea what it’s like hiking up there:


The scenery is breathtaking. Every day I have to remind myself just how lucky I am to live in a place so beautiful. This really is my backyard!

[Be sure to click on each pic to see a larger version!]


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COVID After 3 Weeks in February

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Last night Peru’s Ministry of Health released the final’s days report through the first three weeks of February and, while there are clear signs of leveling, it’s coming slower than expected.

The expected prevalence of the Brazilian P1 variant is starting to cause real devastation in Loreto again — a place where mask wearing and social distancing have never been popular among a great number of people in the region. (Massive Carnival celebrations earlier in the month involving thousands of people across the city of Iquitos will certainly result in increased problems for a region already suffering from lack of oxygen, hospital beds, and ICU capabilities.)

Hospitalizations

It appears that hospitalizations have finally started to peak across the country, but it’s going to take another week before this trend is clear.

ICU Care

The country’s continuing inability to meet the demand for ICU beds is aggravated by a shortage of personnel trained to work in these specialized units.

Unfortunately, while it looks as if there is steady leveling of patients admitted to ICU units across the country, this is just a reflection of the lack of beds available. There simply is no room to increase these numbers to fill the demand that exists.

Positivity Rates

This is the most disappointing area when looking at the data for the past week. While there was a precipitous drop in testing positivity rates in the first half of the month, the past week has seen a leveling off of the percentage of positive tests despite continued massive testing programs compared to previous months.

Indeed, there is even a very slight rise in positivity rates. Though it’s likely statistically insignificant right now, the data shows, at the very least, that the spread of COVID across Peru is no longer slowing down and may be starting to rise again.

Deaths

One somewhat surprising (and encouraging) area is the number of deaths that appears to have leveled off and is starting to go down.

This is usually what’s known as a “trailing indicator” — meaning it shows changes after other data begins to show trends. It’s not clear why the number of people dying is going down despite hospitalizations remaining so high, but it’s possible that the new variants spreading in Peru are not as deadly as the original virus.

Unfortunately, the Brazilian variant is perhaps the least understood thanks to the Brazilian government’s “head in the sand” approach under President Bolsonaro to dealing with COVID over the past year. (It is clear, however, that the Brazilian variant can re-infect those who have already recovered from the original COVID virus.)

Sadly, February still is easily the worst month regarding the number of people dying in the country. Peru is averaging 194.4 deaths a day through the first three weeks of this month. Previously, at the height of the first wave of COVID, the daily average of deaths was lower during June (175.6), July (188.4), and August (190.8).

What Does All This Mean?

On Wednesday, Peru’s Council of Ministers will meet to go over all the data. It’s likely that this is the extent of the nationwide data that will influence their decisions of the designations of risk levels across the country.

That means they will be looking at exactly what I’ve presented above as it’s extremely unlikely that one more day’s data will be enough to have an effect in their decisions.

The current designations and the corresponding rules and regulations are set to expire on Sunday. An announcement is expected on Wednesday afternoon or evening regarding new changes that will go into effect on Monday.

I think it’s very clear that there won’t be many changes — especially in the country’s largest population center of Lima.

Unfortunately, I don’t have access to the detailed data for specific regions that they are looking at. Anecdotal evidence suggests that at least one region (Loreto) may be raised to the “Extreme Risk” level and go back into another strict quarantine.

I don’t expect too many provinces to see their designations dropped and most will remain at their current levels.

What will be interesting is to see if the administration will make adjustments to how they are targeting efforts to reduce contagion. There is a great deal of pressure for different focuses allowing for increased economic activity to operate in areas that had previous been completely shut down again.

As they say, stay tuned.

If you’re not keeping up with things day-to-day, there’s a great deal of news happening that affects expats and foreigners in Peru that I report on each day in the News Updates section.

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An Afternoon Photo Walk Through Cusco

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If you’ve been following my blog, one of my favorite things is just to take my camera and just slowly walk around looking for new things to photograph along with new perspectives on things that have photographed thousands of times already.

One of my projects has been to write a book called “Secrets of Machu Picchu: Interesting Things the Guides Know.” While most of the book is finished, unfortunately the closing of the site has slowed down my final preparations.

So now I’m working on another project I’ve been putting off for a long time: photographing Cusco.

I’ve always been frustrated seeing people take typical tourist pictures that look like everyone else’s pics. It would be so easy to do a few simple things differently and get much better photos, but they just seem in a hurry to get their “bucket list” photo and move on without even trying to get photos that capture so much more about the city they spent so much money, time, and commitment to visit.

Today I decided to go out with a long (300mm) lens and see what I could do with some serious telephoto shots. Neither the lens or my camera is expensive. Both are over 10 years old so it’s not the quality of the equipment, but knowing how to find interesting things.

The trick is to take my time and look all around. I constantly am stopping and looking all around for potential photographs. Watching people and anticipating what is going to happen is something I’m not very good at, but it’s a skill I’m working to develop.

I’m not really good at photographing candid shots of people on the street. That’s why I like the really long lens. People rarely have any idea that I’m taking a photo.

I’m not a big fan of street photos of people anyway. People in Cusco really don’t appreciate tourists taking photos of them all the time as if they’re in a zoo. These are real people with real lives who deserve respect. Often I go up and show them the photo I just took and ask if they’d like a copy. If they say yes, I give them my card and ask them to send me their email so I can send them a copy.

I’ve even printed out copies and taken them to some people who I know don’t have the money to get a good one printed. Often they ask me to take more photos which I happily do as many may not have photos of their family.

These shot today were random photos taken with no particular theme in mind. Until the cold wind sent me back home, I think I got some interesting ones to share. I’d love to hear your thoughts on these.

[Be sure to click on each individual pic to see the larger, full version.]



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Officials Say Machu Picchu Will Reopen Soon

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Diario Correo is reporting that Machu Picchu will reopen to tourism by the end of February according to Cusco authorities

On February 1st Machu Picchu closed again due to government regulations. It had reopened in November and, despite a capacity of only 30%, it was already beginning to reactivate the ailing economy of Cusco.

Despite the fact that as a rule, all tourist attractions, archaeological sites, museums and others, opened only until January 31 this year, a large part of the Cusco population and even its authorities are sure that Machu Picchu should reopen.

The regional governor of Cusco, Jean Paul Benavente, the mayor of Machu Picchu, Darwin Baca, and other high-level officials from Cusco recently traveled to Lima to meet with the Peruvian administration to push for the reopening of Machu Picchu.

In an interview with Correo, the Benavente assured that they have already “informed” the Central Government that Machu Picchu will reopen to visitors at the end of February or the first week of March at the latest.

“We have imposed to the Central Government that Machu Picchu will open the last week of February or the first week of March. The Government has to accept because there is no other way out. The people can’t stand it any longer,” he said.

As part of the planning for the reopening of the ancient Inca city, a safe tourist corridor will be created, through which visitors, as well as tour operators and tour guides, will travel from Cusco to Machu Picchu, passing strict biosecurity and control controls.

The District Municipality of Machu Picchu also informed that they reached agreements with the State to reopen the historic sanctuary as soon as possible. “Important agreements were reached for the benefit of all, the opening of the Inca llaqta in compliance with biosecurity protocols to ensure the continuity of basic services to satisfy our visitors,” they said.