Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra just gave his daily address to the nation in which he announced a 13-day extension of the mandatory national quarantine and curfew which includes the current border closure which should take it through April 12.
He started off by noting that there are now 580 cases of COVID-19 across the country and saying that 2,568 people were arrested yesterday alone — most were in Lima and La Libertad.
He also says that the government is evaluating restricting the current curfew hours in Loreto (Iquitos) and northern regions of the country. [Note: my Spanish is not great, but the President sounds pretty ticked off at how things are going in Loreto (Iquitos).]
Tag Archives: Peru
Peru and Cusco in Quarantine – Day 11
Thursday, March 26, 2020
The expected extension of the quarantine and curfew was announced by the President a little while ago. You can read about it here:
Quarantine and Curfew Extended 13 Days in Peru
COVID-19 Cases Continue to Rise
100 new cases of COVID-19 across the country were announced this morning bringing the total to 580.
Confirmed cases have been reported in Lima (453), followed by the regions: Piura (20), Loreto (18), Arequipa (15), Callao (15), Lambayeque (12), Junin (11), Cusco (10), La Libertad (9), Ancash (6), Tumbes (3), Ica (3), Huanuco (2), Madre de Dios (1), San Martin (1), and Cajamarca (1).
I’ve been keeping track of the percentage of tests which are confirmed positive and that number made a significant increase. While it had been holding steady around 6%, the latest figures for yesterday show an 8.5% positive rate. While this is only a one day snapshot, hopefully it doesn’t indicate a trend.
Parts of Peru Will be Getting Increased Restrictions
Peru’s Interior Minister, Carlos Morán, told RPP Noticias that the President will announce a new curfew schedule for some regions.
“It is being evaluated to extend the restriction hours in Tumbes, Piura, Lambayeque, La Libertad and Loreto,” he said.”
Plane Sighting in Cusco!
About 11:30 this morning I spotted a plane flying across the city before turning for the normal approach to the Cusco airport. I used to not pay any attention to planes as they came and went all day long, but now they grab my attention.
Maybe this is the flight coming in to pick up US passenger to take them to Miami (via Lima).
RPP Reports that Dozens of Tourists are Ignoring the Quarantine in Cusco
RPP just reported that “dozens” of tourists are ignoring the quarantine and going out in the historical center of Cusco.
Personally, I’ve seen large groups out without masks seemingly oblivious to the quarantine. Some have been escorted back to their place of residence by police and others have not. Perhaps it would be a good idea if the police started arresting people who are deliberately ignoring the State of Emergency as they are doing in other parts of Peru.
Peruvian Executive Branch Asks for More Power to Act Quickly
The Executive Branch of the Peruvian has requested that Congress delegate to it the power to legislate on in following areas: health, fiscal and tax policy, promotion of public investment, citizen security and internal order, work and promotion of employment and education.
Health Ministry Recommends Extension of Quarantine
Early this morning, the Minister of Health, Victor Zamora, said they are recommending an extension of the quarantine. He did not give a specific time they are recommending.
The Council of Ministers is meeting now look at all the data and they “hope” to make a decision today.
Early Morning Update from the US Embassy
Three flights for U.S. citizens are scheduled to depart Peru today: a flight from Iquitos to Miami, from Lima to Miami, & from Cusco to Miami via Lima. Please do not travel to the airport until you have received notification from us with confirmed flight details.
The Peruvian Government will release their final decision today on extending the State of Emergency and mandatory quarantine. We will disseminate this final decision via email and social media once announced.
[IMPORTANT NOTE: Unless the Embassy has been informed of something new, there is no guarantee that a decision on an extension of the quarantine will be made today. Though it’s expected, the President only said yesterday that the Council of Ministers “hopes” to make a decision today based after analyzing the latest data.]
Suspension of Payments Due for Utilities Proposed
The Popular Action (Acción Popular) caucus presented a bill to Congress that proposes the suspension for two months of the collection of water, electricity, gas, landline and cellular services, during the emergency by COVID-19.
Peru and Cusco in Quarantine – Day 9
Tuesday, March 24, 202 — Peru’s President Martin Vizcarra gave his daily press briefing this afternoon and shared some good news as the number new cases of COVID-19 in Peru is continuing to decrease.
Yesterday the number was 395, an increase of 32 from the day before. Today he said the latest total was 416 meaning there were only 21 new cases. While two days certainly don’t mean much, it is, nonetheless, something good to hang on to.
Confirmed cases have been reported in Lima (322), followed by the regions: Piura (19), Loreto (16), Junin (10), Arequipa (9), Callao (8), Lambayeque (8), Cusco (6), La Libertad (5), Ancash (4), Tumbes (3), Huanuco (2), Ica (2), Madre de Dios (1), and San Martin (1).
So far there have been seven death across the country. An additional 6,597 samples have tested negative for COVID-19.
The northern region of Tumbes which borders Ecuador is now reporting It’s first 3 cases. President Vizcarra noted that this coincides with reports of a lack of compliance with the quarantine by many people in the region.
Environment Minister Fabiola Muñoz said that the government will not hesitate to use even stricter measures to control spread of the virus. Several processions were carried out in multiple regions across the country in defiance of the mandatory quarantine.
“As a government, we are making every effort to control the situation in two weeks. However, we have also been very clear: people have to stay at home,” she said.
New Health Minister Victor Zamora has assembled a team of experts and researchers “to evaluate the factors to be considered in determining whether to extend the quarantine period.
He said that data is being analyzed by experts from health and other fields. “However, we have collected opinions from other experts, and they suggest that we should include the effectiveness of our social distancing measures as well as climatic factors. All these elements are being considered to make such an important decision,” according to Mr. Zamora.
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Possible Hope for Tourists Stranded in Peru?
4:12 pm UPDATE: It’s now being reported here that the Peruvian government has, in fact, passed a decree to help tourists.
Here the link (in English) to all I’ve found so far:
Peru President: Govt approves decree to help stranded passengers after border closure
Details are hard to find, but reports of upcoming flights from Lima are starting to appear. I recommend contacting your Embassy ASAP to get help. Hopefully you reported your presence in the country already and they are reaching out to you.
——————————
About 2 hours ago the British Embassy in Lima put out this notice on their Facebook page:
They also wrote:
“The Peruvian Tourism Ministry is consolidating information on tourists who have not managed to leave the country. We recommend you to fill the form here, which is written in English and Spanish, here http://bit.ly/2QnLWkW .”
Obviously, I have no way of knowing what will happen or if this applies to more than UK citizens, but it appears that the Peruvian government may be considering ways to help stranded foreign tourists return to their home countries.
I have talked to quite a few people caught up in the quarantine unexpectedly and this might provide some relief.
The Sacred Valley Near Calca and Urqo
Yesterday I went with a group from Mundo Antiguo Spanish School to the Sacred Valley near the town of Calca to hike along the Rio Urubamba.
I had never been along that part of the Valley though I have hiked north of the town several times. Despite the rainy weather typical this time of year, it turned out to be a lot of fun and we saw quite a few places that were new to me. It was great going out again with our wonderful guide, Dorian, along with my friends Carina (Austria), Laurence (Luxembourg), and Caroline (Seattle/US).
After taking the hour-long colectivo (passenger van) ride to Calca, we walked across a bridge and turned north along the raging river in a light rain. Thanks to very heavy recent rains that had caused flooding in several communities, the river was threatening to overflow it’s banks the entire way.
Along the way, I spotted some rock paintings (“pinturas repestres”) on the wall along the wall as well as several Inca cemeteries. Unfortunately, rain didn’t allow me to pull out my camera and get any photos. That’ll have to wait for another time.
Eventually we made our way to the ruins of Urqo. I had seen the extensive agricultural terraces there which lie next to the main road running through the Valley, but I had no idea there was actually more lying behind the hills.
There wasn’t much to the ruins, but what was there was certainly worth the hike. Besides the amazing huaca (see the above photo), there was a circular building that likely was also built for ceremonies. (Round buildings are almost unknown in Inca construction as they are almost always rectangular. )
The complex was quite small with a number of smaller buildings next the huaca. These were likely rooms for Inca priests and attendants as well as storerooms.
The colors of the valley, while somewhat subdued on this rainy day, were still sparkling with the color of flowers and a million shade of green. Most visitors to Cusco and the Sacred Valley have no idea what everything looks like in the summer!
Like any walk through the valley at just about any time of the year, there are fantastic photo opportunities. Thank goodness the last half of the hike was mostly dry!
Thanks to Dorian for being such a great guide!
(Please feel free to leave a comment below. I love to hear what people think! If you like this, you can share this page with the links below or even subscribe so that you’ll be notified when I post again. (I don’t sell anything here, so you don’t have to worry about that.
Exploring More (Almost) Unknown Ancient Ruins – Video
A few days ago I wrote about the spectacular hike I took into the Andes mountains above Cusco where I explored some apparently little known (and even less visited) ruins that seemed to be quite significant. (You can read about the trip and check out the photos here: Exploring More (Almost) Unknown Ancient Ruins).
The scenery along the way is some of my favorite in the Cusco region, but the highlight was stumbling up the ruins which appear to be only old animal enclosures from a distance.
This was done with my GoPro Hero 7 which I never use, but carrying only a tiny camera should made hiking at 14,000′ above sea level a lot easier! I really would love to hear what you think about the video. Editing is a pain the #$% which is why I prefer photos, but video can show everything from a completely different perspective.
Please feel free to leave a comment below. I love to hear what people think! If you like this, you can share this page with the links below or even subscribe so that you’ll be notified when I post again. (I don’t sell anything here, so you don’t have to worry about that.)
Exploring More (Almost) Unknown Ancient Ruins
One of the highlights of exploring in the Cusco region is finding ancient ruins that are virtually unknown and rarely, if ever, visited, except by local people. A couple of days ago I was fortunate to get my “Indiana Jones” fix when I stumbled upon just such a site.
My favorite hike the immediate Cusco area is along the route from the popular ruins of Tambomachay up into the mountains above Cusco leading to the lesser known ruins of Huchuy Qosqo. Wednesday morning I woke up with the urge to do a long hike high in the Andes in this very spectacular area and see what was on “the other side of the mountain.”
What I found was far more than what I expected.
[Remember to click on the individual photos to see larger views.]
Best Hike around Cusco?
I’d been to the high Andean lake about 7 km up the trail before, but didn’t know what was on the other side of the high ridge that surrounds the lake on three sides.
The climb up itself isn’t all that difficult. Most of the climbing is done in the first 2-3 km, but the beautiful scenery makes it easy to forget just how hard you’re breathing!
The scenery as you hike high above a very impressive canyon is literally jaw dropping at times with expansive views that will take your breath away.
Once I made it to the nearly dry lake I was greeted by the pair of huge Andean geese who live up there year round before heading up the trail to the pass on the left side. At that point I decided to scramble to the highest point at the end of the basin where the views were spectacular.
Once having reached 14,340′ (4370m) at the top, I realized I was just above the small communities of Umasbamba and Tauca near Lago Piuray and Chinchero. Looking back down into the basin I noticed what appeared to be a collection of stone enclosures that had fallen into disrepair. These are commonly used in the Andes by local people to corral herds of llamas and sheep when necessary.
A Unique Site Hidden in Plain Sight
In making my way down to get some photos of the ruins, I began to notice that these were different from what I was expecting.
While there was a large number of stones scattered across the area, they appeared to be quite a bit larger than those normally used by local people. Also, almost everything had been knocked down except for a handful of very interesting structures that possibly had been rebuilt for more recent use.
The first structure I came upon was a small circular tower about 1.5 m across that possibly looked like a granary or storehouse of some kind.
A little farther to the south I discovered a couple of walls still in good shape and immediately noticed that one wall was built on top of a larger rock that appeared to have a channel carved lengthwise across the top.
Behind the carved stone — a ceremonial rock? — was another 180-degree circular structure open to the lower section. A few feet the the left was an opening in the wall that appeared to be for a water channel. I wonder if at one time there was a spring nearby providing water for this site.
Another circular structure cut into land and apparently opened at one end. 
This small structure appeared to be part of a tunnel or channel in which the top had collapsed. 
Does this look like whats left of a doorway to you? When I saw this it was clearly part of a doorway complete with steps down into the lower section. 
This smooth sided carved stone was obviously placed here in this position for a reason. 
I found this extremely interesting. On one end of what appeared to be a single structure, there were two smaller enclosures about 3 x 3 m in size. Notice that the far “room” has had the dirt turned up? This had obviously been done in recent months since the last rainy season. Why would a local person/people do this to one small part of the site?
The site contained several other mysterious structures (shown above) that left me with a lot of unanswered questions.
Circular structures were rarely used by the Incas and only in important sites. However, there were some pre-Inca communities in the area that used round structures.
Also, the walls were not of the quality of even rudimentary Inca sites which made me wonder if the site was actually originally used by one of the many pre-Incan cultures than existed before the Incas dominated the region.
Probably the most interesting thing I saw here was the presence of a small, egg-shaped stone that had obviously been brought up by someone from a river somewhere else. It had been there a very long time as it had settled into the ground.
The Incas along with other cultures in the region had a great respect for the relationships between the sun, water, and the land as all were necessary for their survival.
There are a number of examples of Incas incorporating water related items into their construction. (For example, the Main Temple at Machu Picchu and the Plaza de Armas in Cusco incorporated sand brought from the Atlantic Ocean.)
Also, the famous Ceremonial Rock next to the Watchman’s Hut overlooking Machu Picchu has a large number of river stones placed all around it. Some archaeologists have suggested that these were brought up as “water” offerings by those who were not allowed to enter the citadel itself.
The shape of the stone itself might likely be significant, too. Perhaps the most important Inca relic that is still revered by many in Cusco today is the egg-shaped Wiracocha Stone in the main Cathedral. You can read more about this incredibly important stone in this blog post: The Mystery of the Wiracocha Stone.
What is This Place?
To be honest, I have no idea. It obviously is not a llama enclosure! There are too many structures that do not appear to be Inca so I have a feeling it is a pre-Incan site of some importance.
I have never come across anything written about this place before and a couple of days of research hasn’t resulted in anything at all that might help shed a little light on who built it, what was its purpose, and why there seems to be some present-day acknowledgement of the site.
It is places like this that fill me with such fascination yet provide so much frustration because I know so little about them. I find myself doing the same thing as researchers since Hiram Bingham — studying as much as I can and making the best inferences possible based on the research of others.
What do you think?
Please feel free to leave a comment below. I love to hear what people think! If you like this, you can share this page with the links below or even subscribe so that you’ll be notified when I post again. (I don’t sell anything here, so you don’t have to worry about that.)
Back to Iquitos and the Amazon Rainforest – Part 1
Early tomorrow morning I’m catching an early morning flight back to the Peruvian jungle city of Iquitos located deep in the Amazon rainforest. This was where my love affair with the jungle began nearly 15 years ago and where I always feel at home.
I have been trying to blog once or twice a week, but I think for this one week trip I’ll try to blog every day to share all the different things I’ll be cramming into my time in Iquitos.
A lot will depend on the usual internet speed in Iquitos and the surrounding area. Being so remote and isolated, internet access is as slow as I’ve experienced in decades.
An upgrade several years ago was supposed to help things, but I think the explosion of internet use has only created huge bottlenecks on the amount of data traffic than can pass. Internet speeds were considerably faster just a few years ago than they are now.
Why This Trip to the Jungle?
Besides seeing all my many friends there, The main reason for this trip revolves around filming in and around the city and the rainforest.
I’ll be working on a project for a short outdoor film competition. The theme for the contest is “Family” and I’m hoping to put together something really unique. While I have a feeling there will be a lot of films about animal families, I want to show the effects of modernity (climate change, logging, gold mining, and incursions of the outside world) on families living in the Amazon rainforest.
Of course, I have until the end of November to submit my film, so it could certainly change depending on how filming goes. I don’t have the months that big time documentary filmmakers have. Patience and time is usually the key to getting interesting footage, but I’m going to count on my knowledge of the area and the jungle to help.
And, on top of all of that, I simply love the jungle. The mysterious rainforest has captivated my imagination since I was a child watching National Geographic documentaries. Now I get to explore the jungle on my own.
And it never disappoints.
What I’ll be Doing and Where I’ll be Going
I hate to admit this, but, like almost all my trips, I’ll be flying by the seat of my pants on this trip, too. Still, I have some ideas of places I may visit.
I’ll likely spend a couple of days traveling down the Amazon River to the Colombia/Brazil border. I’ve never been more than about 60 km down river (and even less up river) so I’m sure there’s a lot to see. I’ll especially be looking for evidence of logging along the river.
I know of one place where there is a huge cut through the jungle so that power lines from Iquitos can go to a small refinery a short distance away that will be a priority. It’s also an area where I can easily access part of the rainforest deeper in the jungle.
I’ll also spend a day or two traveling up river to the small town of Tamshiyacu where some large illegal logging operations recently closed down by the Peruvian government.
There is only one road leading out of Iquitos that goes about 60 miles to another small town. The road to Nauta opened up a few years ago to cut down many hours of the long trip down the river. There are quite a few places along the road to hop out and head off into the jungle. (Once in that area I was able to film a river otter in a place where locals told me they didn’t exist!)
I may also head up river several hours to the rarely visited community of Genaro Herrera that will give me access to even deeper, more remote areas of the rainforest.
Please feel free to leave a comment below. I love to hear what people think! If you like this, you can share this page with the links below or even subscribe so that you’ll be notified when I post again. (I don’t sell anything here, so you don’t have to worry about that.)
Giant River Otters at Lago Sandoval
I’ve been lucky enough to have spent a lot of time exploring the Amazon rainforest. I’ve seen an awful lot of incredible animals in the wild including some rarely seen ones. Yet I’m still awestruck every time I get to watch the family of giant river otters in Peru’s Lago Sandoval.
Yesterday I made my 9th trip this year to Sandoval a few miles south of Puerto Maldonado just off the Rio Madre de Dios. (Lago Sandoval is actually a lake left when the river changed course years ago.) I love going here because every time the experience is different.
Of course, there are always lots of other animals to see at Lago Sandoval. Monkeys are a huge favorite — capuchins, spider monkeys, and red howlers. Since it’s not a park or a zoo, whether you get to see any depends on the animals themselves.
[You can check out my previous post with some fantastic pictures in this post: Lago Sandoval (Puerto Maldonado) is Wondrous!]
This time was special because for the first time I was able to watch the resident family of giant otters out of the water for a change.
Usually the otters are seen swimming across the lake hunting for nice meals of piranhas, but this time I was able to see them not only on land, but from only a short distance away.
These beautiful creatures are extremely social and their vocalizations can be heard from far away. They are constantly on the lookout for predatory black caiman that also reside in the lake. (I’ve seen one huge beast there that is close to 5 meters in length.)
We literally were just a few minutes from leaving the lake when we spotted the local family of otters swimming just a few hundred meters away. Needless to say, we turned the canoe in their direction and began paddling in their direction. (Reserve rules don’t allow us to get too close, but I think we stretched the rules as much as possible to approach within a short distance.)
At first we followed them as they were swimming near the shore feasting on fish, but soon they moved closer to the end of a long peninsula and surprisingly crawled out to dine some more and spend a little time out of the water.
I’ve seen then many times, but this was the first time I’d ever seen the giant otters on land. They were obviously quite aware of our presence, but didn’t seem to care.
Sadly, if ever there was a time to have brought my video camera, that was it, yet I left mine at home! Of well, guess I’ll have to go back again soon!
What the day did convince me was that I really need to upgrade my camera and long lenses if I’m going to be a serious wildlife photographer. I already have a plan for that, too!
Unfortunately for me, visiting Lago Sandoval requires a guide. I booked the day with a company near the Plaza de Armas, but as often happens, they put me in with a group organized by Tambopata Wild. I have to say that Tambopata Wild did an excellent job and the guide was spectacular. He apologized for not speaking great English, but it really wasn’t bad and he was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. I’ll book directly with them on my next trip.
Generally guides have allowed me to do pretty much whatever I want and be way from the group as much as possible. That has allowed me to do find animals away from the usually loud groups of tourists. Thankfully, I am usually allowed to sit in the front of the canoe, too, because I’m pretty good at spotting wildlife.
Hint: If you want to see more animals, go slow and quiet in the jungle. When the ground is dry, I stay off the boardwalk which now goes the entire trail. I can move much easier and in relative silence that way.
I can’t recommend enough visiting Lago Sandoval if you are in Puerto Maldonado. The cost is 100 soles (about $30 USD) and well worth it. I know I’ll be back again soon.
Please feel free to leave a comment below. I love to hear what people think! If you like this, you can share this page with the links below or even subscribe so that you’ll be notified when I post again. (I don’t sell anything here, so you don’t have to worry about that.)
Dancing in the Plaza
Inti Raymi time is upon us here in Cusco and about three weeks of celebrations have begun highlighted by dozens of groups performing traditional dances in the Plaza each day with enthusiasm and pride that simply has to be witnessed.
Yesterday was dominated by youth groups of very young kids and this afternoon high school groups filled the streets performing three different times as they made their way around the Plaza filled with cheering family and supporters and proud Peruvians.
I’m no expert on traditional dances, but I know that most (if not all) tell a story or act out some part of traditional culture. Some of the stories are obvious to anyone, but others have more complex meanings that I have yet to learn.
It’s extremely difficult to get a good spot to watch the performances as people line the streets 2-3 deep even on the extreme edges. If you want to watch in the main performance area in front of the Cathedral, you’d better get there very early to stake out a good spot amongst the thousands of onlookers.
Each group is different and performs unique dances in spectacular traditional costumes. This is an event that should not be missed.
