Princess Diana, 20th anniversary of her death

August 31st 2017 marks the 20th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. I never met her, nor did I ever see her in real life, but she touched me and millions of others with her smile, kindness and incredibly big heart. May her legacy live on forever.

Photo's taken at MATE, Museo Mario Testino, in Lima, Peru.
Read more about this amazing museum here:
http://tarasdolcevita.blogspot.nl/2015/05/mate-museo-mario-testino-lima-peru.html

Second photo courtesy of MATE, Museo Mario Testino.

Chilcano cocktails

Following the popularity of the Peruvian cuisine, Pisco sour has become a famous cocktail. Another cocktail from Peru that is not as well known yet is Chilcano. Chilcano is made with pisco, ginger ale, a few drops of bitters and some ice cubes. And I have to admit... I like it even better than pisco sour, Peru's national drink.

The primary ingredient in chilcano is (just like in pisco sour), pisco, a brandy similar to italian grappa. But it's lighter, fresher. My first and best chilcano ever, was at restaurant Mayta in Lima and it was prepared by bartender Renzo Amaya. He has won several awards for making the best cocktails based on pisco.

To mix a chilcano, you can also use pisco infusions, called "macerados" (second photo), made with fruit, leaves or roots. I especially loved the ones made with mango, camu camu and goldenberry. Although it will never taste as good as in Peru, I tried to make chilcanos at home.... and they turned out pretty well if I may say so myself (last photo). Salud!

Read more about Mayta here:
http://tarasdolcevita.blogspot.nl/2015/04/restaurant-mayta-lima-peru.html

Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel

Machu Picchu… one of the seven world wonders…. for many people it’s a dream destination, to put on their “bucketlist”. I can honestly say, visiting Machu Picchu was a dream come true. The town at the bottom of Machu Picchu, is called Aguas Calientes, a place where travelers from around the world gather before and after their visit to the ancient Inca citadel.

Aguas Calientes is filled with hostels and hotels in every price range. There’s only one that will take your breath away though… and that’s Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel! This ecological resort has 81 small "casitas" and 2 private villas scattered over the terrain (12 acres), making it feel as though you were in a little Andean village.

You are in the middle of the cloud forest here. There are many types of tropical birds, including the tiny but oh so beautiful hummingbird. Furthermore, Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo has the world’s largest native orchid collection (372 species). A few of them are pictured here.

Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo hotel is located at an altitude of 2020 meters / 6627 feet above sea level. The hotel is part of the ecological Inkaterra chain, which was established in 1975. It now includes 6 eco-friendly properties near Cusco and Puerto Maldonado.

The casitas and public areas (restaurants, bar, lounges) are all decorated with traditional materials and furniture. At night, there are candles and fireplaces lit everywhere, making it an incredibly romantic place to stay. My casita even had its own fireplace; a bellboy came to lit it at night. Pure bliss!

There’s a spa, a jacuzzi with spring water and a small shop with beautiful handmade souvenirs. Everything is sustainable, in fact the water used in the bathrooms is real rainwater! A small card in your room explains exactly how it is obtained and warns you that in case of heavy rain fall, the water might appear slightly muddy. That doesn't sound too atractive, but I can guarantee you, that the hotel feels very clean and luxurious.

To me, Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo hotel was a perfect place to stay, beautiful, authentic and very romantic. It's also an oasis compared to the busy town of Aguas Calientes. It’s only a 5-minute walk from Machu Picchu Pueblo train station to the hotel. Trains run daily from Cusco to Machu Picchu (3 hour ride) and from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu (1 hour 20 minutes).

For more information about the hotel, please visit:
http://www.inkaterra.com/inkaterra/inkaterra-machu-picchu-pueblo-hotel/the-experience
For more information about Peru:
http://www.peru.travel

Mistura... Foodlovers Heaven!

Mistura, the biggest food festival in Latin America, starts today! So if you’re in Lima, you should definitely stop by! It’s an outdoor fair, that offers food from every part of Peru and beyond. From Amazonian “chaufa” to coastal “ceviche”, from Creole cuisine to traditional Inca dishes, from Chinese “lomo saltado” to italian style “gnocchi”, from fast-food to superfoods, from pisco cocktails to “marine viagra”…. It’s all there.

Healthfood junkies wil love the superfoods section, where they will find chia seeds, quinoa in any form imaginable, tropical fruits and vegetables, sugar cane juice, green detox smoothies and more. For vegetarians there is little choice I have to say, but the wonderful atmosphere and delicious drinks make up for it.

Make sure that you bring your walking shoes and a big appetite, because the fairgrounds are huge! Last year I was there and I was impressed by the big variety of dishes. But I’m not a big eater, so after having tried a couple of things, we headed over to the cocktail department, which wasn’t too bad either…

While in some countries food festivals consist mainly of street or junk food, at Mistura you will be able to find famous, award-winning chefs, such as Gastón Acurio (Astrid e Gastón), Virgilio Martínez  (Central), Mitsuharu Tsumura  (Maido) and Jaime Pesaque (Mayta). But that shouldn’t come as a surprise to foodlovers, as these Peruvian chefs are among the most influential in the world. Infact, in 2014 Virgilio Martínez’ Central was voted No. 1 in Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list!

Peruvians are serious about their food. And as you can see in the photos, they’re serious about hygiene as well! Practically every chef, cook and bartender wore a disposable face mask. (Not very photogenic, but hey, what can you do?)

It was great to see how the locals had fun eating together with family and friends. Kids running around, young couples enjoying the food and each other’s company. Mistura lasts 10 days (4-13 september 2015), so there’s still plenty of time to book a plane ticket and go!

For more information, please visit:
http://mistura.pe/english-info

Special thanks to PromPeru and USP Marketing PR!