Spuds glorious spuds
Katie Harper, Destination Expert
I was in Peru researching new and innovative activities on behalf of cazenove + loyd. A particularly memorable day was spent in Lima, where I met up with our culinary expert for a tour of the city. The benefit of being taken round by Rosa is that she really knows how to take you off the beaten track. She personally knows the stall holders at the market and will go into great detail with each of them, explaining about the exotic fruit and vegetables. One particularly interesting lesson was about the thousands of potato varieties that are farmed high up in the Peruvian Altiplano.
Visiting the Altiplano later, I saw for myself the farmers working on their potato crops. Whole families were sorting the produce by hand, the women wearing customary Quechua dress, wrapped in colourful woven materials and wearing their distinctive hats. Having arrived early at the traditional village of Chinchero, before any other tourists, I was able to enjoy this scene all to myself. What made the experience even more unforgettable was that my guide, Juan, was able to introduce me to the farmers. Being a descendant of the Quechuas himself, he speaks their language fluently and personally knows many of them. Through Juan’s skilful interpreting, I was able to learn more about their fascinating way of life and traditions.
I have always loved the culture of Peru but travelling with cazenove + loyd is a far more enriching cultural experience. Guides such as Rosa and Juan are not only friendly and enthusiastic but can really show clients under the skin of a country. Our guides are highly knowledgeable specialists from the fields of archaeology, anthropology, the arts, agriculture and cuisine, who thoroughly enjoy sharing their passion with clients. They will cater their tours according to clients’ interests as we believe a guide can make or break a trip to Peru.
