Saturday, April 18, 2009

¿Dónde?

Well folks it's election season once more. It's time to vote for which city in Peru you think I should move to. Here are the candidates in no particular order:

Tacna/ pop 250,000+/ elev 460m
Known for being the countries largest producer of olives,Tacna is a bustling border town not with out it's charms. It's home to some of the best schools and hospitals in Peru and just a stones throw from Chile, the Pacific Ocean and it's very own wine country (I hear they make a decent red). Temps from 48˚to 83˚
Check out: Video & picture

Moquegua/ pop 60,000/ elev 1420m
Located in the mountains of southern Peru, Moquegua is an oasis surrounded by desert. Grapes, olives and avocados are cultivated there. Cobblestone streets and a shady plaza featuring a wrought-iron fountain designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel makes Moquegua a quaint city in the mountains. Temperature fluxuates between 52˚ and 80˚. Pictures and more pictures.

Ayacucho/ pop 143,000+/ elev 2750m
This city in the central Andes is one of the most traditionaly colonial cities in Peru. The first road linking it to the coast was not finished until 1924 and the paving of a road to Lima was not completed until 1999, a fact which has kept Ayacucho culturaly sound. Despite it's beauty and culture it has not yet become a travel destination for foreign travelers. Ayacucho is also a famous handicraft center known for it's weaving. Temps from 43˚to 76˚. Check out: video and picture

Huaraz/ pop 88,000+/ elev 3091
Trekking capital of the Peruvian Andes, Huarez is a village with a lot of personality. It's beauty is not in the streets or buildings but in the mountain views and endless blue sky. It attracts adventure junkies from all over the world with mountain climbing, rock climbing, mountain biking. Temps from 65˚to 87˚. Check out the video.

Cuzco/ pop 322,000+/ elev 3326
South Americas oldest continuously inhabited city and gateway to Machu Pichu, Cuzco is on most every travelers destination list. Every year thousands of tourists file there way through this beautiful city on there way to Machu Pichu and the Inca trail. There is a huge Quechua speaking population, decendents of the Incas that once ruled the land and left there mark on it. The city is full of mueseums, remnents of the Inca empire and tourist snapping pictures of it all.
Temps between 32˚and 70˚. Check out the video.

Cajamarca/ pop 135,00+/ elev 2650
The most important city in the northern Andes, Cajamarca is a mix of the old and the really old. Delicate colonial structures line Inca built cobbled streets. Cajamarca is surrounded by fertile farm land and filled with both campesinos (peasants) and city dwellers. Few travelers make it here. Temps between 42˚and 70˚. Check out the video.

So, what do you think? Tacna, Ayacucho and Moquegua are my favorites so far. Let me know what you think, and don't forget to vote!

2 comments:

  1. Of your top 3 I like Ayacucho the best, but I think that work would be easier to find in Cuzco and I like it as well. It's hard to pick just one. I don't know how you will do it.

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  2. Tacna is good but so is Cuzco, so you decide

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