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Lima, Peru
By Rita Cook

Forget about Machu Picchu on your next trip (or even your first trip to Peru). Spend some time in the capital of Lima instead. While most people just spend a day or two in Lima on their way to another destination in the country, there is so much to see and do that a week won't even really scratch the surface.

The culture in Lima is as old as the Incas who settled there thousands of years ago and the country ranges from desert to mountain to snowy regions all represented by the indigenous people that have migrated to the capital.

When visiting a city as old as Lima you can also expect to find some archeological finds unlike anywhere else in the world. There are museums displaying two-hundred year old mummies and even a collection of erotic pre-Inca pottery. As well, there is an underground cemetery, a pyramid set near the shore of the ocean and food that will bring you right back into this century with its tastes and modern presentation.

Museums

The National Museum of Archeology, Anthropology and History is set in an old colonial building that was once the residence of Peru's viceroys and later became the house of its Liberators. Noted as one of Peru's best museums you will find the Estela Raymondi and the Tello Obelisk monuments, which were two important carved stone pieces that date back almost 3000 years. There is also a large textile collection, with fabrics from the Pre-Ceramic period through the Inca Empire and a major collection of Ancient Peruvian metals.

The Larco Museum is another popular stop in Lima found in a gorgeous old Hacienda and housing the private collection of Rafael Larco Herrera. This museum actually is the largest and most complete collection of pre-Columbian artifacts and relics in the world and has about 40,000 pieces of pottery and 5,000 pieces of gold and textiles.

Many people stop in at the museum just to visit the erotic art and ceramics sections, which is politely set off from the rest of the exhibits by a garden. The pieces show that the early inhabitants of South America were quite uninhibited and the artifacts on display are quite interesting and occasionally humorous.

History

One of the most amazing historical sites you can visit is just outside the city of Lima. Explore the Pachacamac Oracle. The Pachacamac deity originated along the central coast and survived the Inca and Spanish Conquests and taps into the Inca mythology relating to the ancient deity, the god of fire and the offspring of the sun deity - the fountain of youth whose strength was linked to the earthquakes. The area was first settled in 200 BC, but the shrine's construction did not begin until the rise of the Lima culture (300-400 AD), where the Urpiwachak temple was built in the western sector and the Adobitos Complex, a set of large-scale constructions featuring complex architectural techniques.

Today, the Pachacamac shrine is an archaeological zone in the department of Lima and still being unearthed in some areas. It is considered an on-site museum and natural protected area, but tours are allowed and this site will indeed take you back into history giving you an idea of the Lurín River Valley and the central coast, the burial sites and temples. You can also see the ocean from the highest peak of one of the temples at this site.

Another major highlight and right in Lima proper is an historical center touting period architecture and many streets filled with old colonial houses adorned with Moorish-style balconies. In the middle of this Lima neighbhorhood known as Miraflores sits an ancient pyramid or better known as an ancestral, ceremonial site dedicated to the local divinities that were worshipped way back when and even today. It is still being discovered in the area. The ancient pyramid, which is typical of sacred buildings along Peru's coast were made of mud and are still being excavated. The actual site is called Huaca Pucllana meaning shrine, and while you are there look for the famous Peruvian dog known as a Hosh. You might also see Guinea pigs and llamas in the vicinity as well.

Where to Stay:

Stay at the Crowne Plaza Lima and be right in the center of the city in the Miraflores district, which is one of the best areas in Lima. Restaurants include Sumaq with local and international food and an excellent bar, Taki Bar, where you can try your first Pisco Sour.

The Komforts of Kosrae
By Rita Cook

Have you ever heard of an island called Kosrae? Most people haven't, so on my last trip when I told people I was heading to a place called Kosrae all I got were blank stares. It's in Micronesia I would explain, and again, more blank stares. It's near Guam, so once that was explained, most people had some idea at that point. In fact, Kosrae is in Micronesia near Guam and is one of the Federated States of Micronesia, which also includes Yap, Chuuk and Pohnpei. These are all islands and as well, these islands are American protectorates, they use the American dollar and most people speak English. Comfortable?

Depends on the way you look at it, but it is an easygoing way of life.
When you get to Kosrae there are a few things you must remember or you won't have a good time. There are no ATM machines and there is only one bank. Bring cash or traveler's checks - period. Your cell phone won't work. In order to check your email you have to buy a phone card and program some of the minutes into the computer and hope that your hotel has some sort of wireless connection, which is not that easy to find. I stayed at the Pacific Treelodge Resort and the property did have wireless, but not in the room - I had to go and sit in the main lobby to check my email everyday. Once you have the minutes in the computer it cost about .08 per megabyte to download files and check email. I have never had to be so frugal with my email time. In fact, unless you really have to have it then just leave the computer at home. Otherwise, it will feel like an extra appendage that you don't really need anyway.

The population is 7,600 on the island and the people are some of the warmest that I have met in all my travels. The history of the island dates back to when it was formed 1.5 million years ago. First settled around 100 BC to 100 AD a feudal system was in place from 1000 AD to the early 1900s. Missionaries came to Kosrae in 1852 and pretty much religionized the entire place so now there are quite a few religions, but no real belief in the ancestors like the other islands in which the gods and goddesses were revered. There are a few old ruins that are musts when visiting Kosrae including the Menke Ruins and Lelu Ruins. It is a three-hour trek overall to the Menke Ruins, which holds the temple of the goddess of breadfruit, Sinlaku. This is where it is said she spent her last days before fleeing to the island of Yap on the arrival of the missionaries.

The Lelu Ruins are noted as having been settled about 1000 years ago by a seafaring race with quite advanced skills. At Lelu Ruins you will see large boulders that have been piled on top of one another to form the village that was once inhabited and considered a stone city using engineering skills that are still not understood today. The city of Lelu was a small man-made island connected to the main island by a stone causeway. The high walls in the city and buildings were built from volcanic basalt and connected by paved pathways and canals. These ruins specifically are said to date back to the 13th century and when visiting you will see not only the large basaltic rock ruins, but intricate channels, streets, tombs and the living quarters of this ancient civilization.

Don't miss - the Kosrae State Museum. It's a quick visit, but it will help you acclimate to the island when you first arrive and give you a feel for where the natives are coming from and where they have been over the years that they have inhabited Kosrae.

A final stop (and worth every minute) is a trip to Walung Village (there are only five villages on the island overall). You have to take a boat to this village and it is here that you can see how the locals really live, many on the beach under thatched huts with no walls. It is a freeing feeling just watching the interaction and the simple way of life.

For more information contact the Kosrae Tourist Office at Kosrae@mail.fm.