viernes, 28 de agosto de 2009

Peru Support Group visit - by John


An old friend, Gaby, recently visited us in Cusco. Gaby works for the NGO Peru Support Group (PSG) and she has written our blog this week to tell you all about what she was up to whilst here in Peru.

I spent five years working for a British travel company as a tour leader. As most of my time was spent in South America, I became increasingly interested in regional politics. This spurred me to go back to Uni and get a Master’s in Globalisation and Latin American Development.

I now work as coordinator of the PSG, a small UK-based non-governmental organisation. I visit Peru every year to maintain face-to-face contact with local organisations who work tirelessly to improve the human rights situation and development prospects of Peruvians.

As many visitors to the country know, Peru lived through a 20-year internal armed conflict (1980-2000) fuelled by the terrorist activities of the Shining Path. However, the various governments that tried to fight this extremist element often did so with equally violent results. One of those governments was led by a young Alan García, also Peru’s current President. Another former president, Alberto Fujimori, was sentenced to 25 years in prison earlier this year for human rights violations that occurred during his presidency.

During my visit this summer, I met with many human rights organisations concerned about the recent violence that broke out in the Peruvian Amazon. The reasons for the conflict centre around the government’s policy of basing the development of the country on foreign investment, companies interested in taking advantage of Peru’s natural resources such as gold, copper, oil and gas. Many indigenous groups are also angry at controversial government legislation introduced last year which they feel give preference to the foreign companies whilst ignoring their rights to be consulted on issues affecting the land they are living on.

Steve Mellor, General Manager of http://www.escapedtoperu.com/ explained “This sort of violence can and does occur sporadically in certain areas of the country. We do of course keep an eye on these issues to make sure that our clients are kept safe. The areas of the Amazon where we send clients for a Rainforest experience are a long way from Bagua where this occurred, and so has not affected tourists or tourism in any way. Thankfully tourism is seen as having a positive effect, by feeding money into local economies”.

The Peru Support Group was established in 1983 as an independent membership organisation without any party or political affiliation to campaign for and strengthen the rights of Peruvian people - particularly those from the poorest sectors - to become effective actors in the development of their country. The PSG raises awareness in the UK through research and policy analysis, public education and advocacy. http://www.perusupportgroup.org.uk/

lunes, 24 de agosto de 2009

Amazing deals on Galapagos Cruises and Tours

For Galapagos Island tours taken with us before the end of 2009 there are some amazing deals and up to 40% off on offer at Escaped to Peru. http://www.escapedtoperu.com/english/galapagos-specialoffers1.html

6, 7 or 10 Day Guayaquil & Galapagos itineraries.
6 days for US$1,995, 7 days for US$2,195 and 10 days for an amazing US$2,995 per person.


Day 1 – Arrive Guayaquil.
On arrival in Guayaquil you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Here we recommend the Hampton Inn Guayaquil a convenient, modern downtown hotel.

Part of the Hilton family of hotels, this modern hotel has all the amenities you may need.

Day 2 – Fly to the Galapagos for your cruise aboard the luxury Catamaran Athala II (B, L, D).
Cruise options are for 4, 5 or 8 days subject to availability.


The new luxury Catamaran Athala II was specifically designed and built to cruise the Galapagos Islands in style. The elegant design provides comfort, superior speed, excellent stability and meets all the latest safety standards.The Athala II is unrivalled in offering the generous comfortable accommodation and amenities of a larger boat while still preserving the relaxed exclusivity of a smaller vessel. You are sure to find the layout, furnishings, food and crew to be at an excellent standard.

All cabins on board are deluxe, with well-appointed private bathroom, water, air conditioning, wall to wall carpeting. All have ocean views with large portrait windows (not portholes). All cabins are a minimum 175 square feet and the main deck rooms have the additional luxury of a private balcony.The main deck also boasts the dining area and a separate comfortable lounge area complete with plasma TVs, lap tops, DVD player, stereo and library.

The upper deck has a well-stocked bar, Jacuzzi and a beautiful open teak deck area for relaxation, alfresco dining and barbeques. The huge sundeck is great for whale and dolphin watching or to simply relax and soak up the sun between island excursions. In the evenings there is no better place for star gazing.


You have a crew of 10 + 1 naturalist guide. The crew is friendly, full time, experienced and highly professional. Your guide is guaranteed to be bilingual (minimum fluent English and Spanish) and of the highest standard.

lunes, 3 de agosto de 2009

Office Party for Independence Day in Peru (any excuse really!) - by Gary







To celebrate the Peru´s Independence Day on the 28th of July we had a party at the office in Cusco inviting our small band of staff and alot of friends to have a few drinks, a BBQ and a few games of darts. I hasten to add that the dart board is a temporary fixture as we would never get any work done and probably ruin all the computers.






With desks and computers cleared away and copìous amounts of food and drink consumed fun was had by all and we raised a few glasses to the libertador San Martin who suceeded in freeing Peru from the clutches of the Spanish Empire in 1821. This liberation didnt do much for improving timekeeping but we all need to hold on to some traditions don´t we! Speaking seriously though the 28th of July is very important for Peruvians (as are independence days in all the other Latin American countries) and by law you must fly the Peruvian flag from your window.






If future passengers are planning to come to Cusco around this time, plan ahead, as many Peruvians come up from Lima for nice change in environment.