Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [446]
October
La Virgen del Rosario Held on October 4 in Lima, Ancash, Apurímac, Arequipa and Cuzco.
El Señor de los Milagros (Lord of the Miracles) A major religious festival in Lima (Click here) on October 18, around which time the bullfighting season starts.
November
Todos Santos (All Saints’ Day) Held on November 1, this is a religious precursor to the following day.
Día de los Muertos (All Souls’ Day) Celebrated on November 2 with gifts of food, drink and flowers taken to family graves; especially colorful in the Andes. Some of the ‘gift’ food and drink is consumed, and the atmosphere is festive rather than somber.
Puno Week Starting November 5, this weeklong festival involves several days of spectacular costumes and street dancing to celebrate the legendary emergence of the first Inca, Manco Cápac; see boxed text, Click here.
December
Fiesta de la Purísima Concepción (Feast of the Immaculate Conception) This national holiday, held on December 8, is celebrated with religious processions in honor of the Virgin Mary.
Christmas Day Held on December 25, Christmas is less secular and more religious, especially in the Andean highlands.
La Virgen del Carmen de Chincha Frenzied dancing and all-night music in the peñas (bars or clubs featuring live folkloric music) of El Carmen on December 27 (Click here).
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FOOD
Reviews listed under Eating sections in this book are arranged by price, from cheapest to most expensive. Budget eateries generally serve meals (appetizer, main dish and dessert, not including beverages or alcohol) costing S24 or less, while meals at midrange spots typically cost from S24 to S45. Top-end restaurants cost over S45 for a three-course meal. This latter category generally also charges a 10% service fee and a 19% tax. The greatest variety of restaurants, especially at the high end, are in Lima (Click here), while Cuzco (Click here), Arequipa (Click here) and, to a lesser extent, Chiclayo (Click here), also serve as culinary destinations. Prices in Lima and in the major tourist centers will generally be more expensive.
Click here for more on Peruvian cuisine.
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GAY & LESBIAN TRAVELERS
Peru is a strongly conservative, Catholic country. While many Peruvians will tolerate homosexuality on a ‘Don’t ask; don’t tell’ level when dealing with foreign travelers, gay rights in a political or legal context does not exist as an issue. When it does arise in public, hostility is most often the response. As a result, many gays in Peru don’t publicly identify as homosexual, and some men, in keeping with the macho nature of Peruvian culture, will identify as straight, even if they have sex with other men or transvestite prostitutes. Effeminate men, even if they are straight, may be called maricón (which roughly translates as ‘faggot’), although this word has come to be a catch-all insult that is also used in jest.
Public displays of affection among homosexual couples is rarely seen. Outside gay clubs, it is advisable to keep a low profile. HIV/AIDS transmission, both homosexual and heterosexual, is a growing problem in Peru, so use condoms. Lima is the most accepting of gay people, but this is on a relative scale. Beyond that, the tourist towns of Cuzco, Arequipa and Trujillo tend to be more tolerant than the norm.
FYI: the rainbow flag seen around Cuzco and in the Andes is not a gay pride flag – it’s the flag of the Inca empire.
There are several organizations that provide resources for gay and lesbian travelers:
Deambiente.com (www.deambiente.com, www.introspektivo.com) Spanish-language online magazine about politics and pop culture, plus nightlife listings.
Gay Lima (lima.queercity.info) A handy guide to the latest gay and gay-friendly spots in the capital, along with plenty of links.
Gayperu.com(www.gayperu.com) A modern, Spanish-language online guide that lists everything from bars to bathhouses; also runs a multilingual travel agency (www.gayperutravel.com).
Global Gayz (www.globalgayz.com) Excellent, country-specific