This week we are heading to Peru to explore Lima and the Sacred Valley. Lima is a bustling international city with a thriving food scene. The Sacred Valley, also known as the Urubamba Valley, is most well known for the Incan ruins at Machu Picchu. We are trying to make sure the content we suggest is accessible in different ways. Although it can be difficult to find websites that are fully accessible, we review many to offer you the ones that are the most accessible. As always, if you find barriers or have suggestions please reach out to us at info@bluetrunk.org and let us know so that we can improve! Visit the Museums and Sites
For a general overview of Lima check out Expedia’s video on YouTube, they also have an overview of Machu Picchu and Cusco (both videos have captions). Lima is a large city with many sites and museums to explore. To feel like you’re wandering the Plaza de Armas watch Renata Pereira’s video (captions available). El Museo Larco is frequently listed as one of the best museums in Lima, if not the best, and with good reason. The museum has a stunning collection of ceramics, including 30,000 pottery artifacts that are not part of the exhibitions. They have a page dedicated to “Museo Larco in your home.” This page is in Spanish and to get an English version you should use the web browser's translation. If you use the museum’s English toggle it will take you back to the homepage--so use the browser for this one! A note on the videos in the miniseries; they are in Spanish, but you can turn on English captions in a few steps. First turn on captions by clicking the captions icon, then click the settings wheel, click captions, click auto-translate, and then select the language you want.
Leaving the city of Lima we head to Machu Picchu. These Incan ruins in the Sacred Valley are designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They sit high in the Andes Mountains above the Urubamba River. YouVisit has a virtual tour of Machu Picchu and there is an accessible version. To turn this on click the eyeball icon in the bottom right corner of the screen. Google Arts and Culture also has several resources to virtually visit the ruins. If you'd prefer an audio experience you can listen to Travel + Leisure’s podcast Let’s Go Together. This podcast discusses Jesse Billauer’s visit to Machu Picchu in a wheelchair. Read about the podcast here and use the links in the article to listen. Tune in to Shows and Movies About Peru
There is a dearth of shows, movies, and documentaries about Peru. To explore the culture and history of Peru you can turn to Peru: Tesoro Escondido, a Peruvian documentary on Netflix (captions available). Passport to the World: Peru is another documentary, available on Amazon Prime (captions available). Magical Andes is a series on Netflix, with one episode focused solely on Peru (Season 1, Episode 4) and one episode about Peru and Ecuador (Season 1, Episode 5) (captions available). For an in-depth exploration of Machu Picchu turn to Disney+ for Lost City of Machu Picchu (captions available).
If you prefer shows about food you can turn to Netflix or Disney+. To explore the food capital of South America, Lima, turn to Street Food: Latin America on Netflix (Season 1, Episode 4) (captions and audio description available). Gordon Ramsay takes you out of the city and to the Sacred Valley to explore their cuisine in his show Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted on Disney+ (Season 1, Episode 1) (captions available).
Finally, Pachamama is a children’s movie available on Netflix about a young boy who lives in a village in the Andes Mountains (captions and audio description available). Get Lost in Books About Peru
Culture Trip has compiled a list of five essential books about Peru to read. Of these three are available on Kindle and one is available on Audible. OARS has compiled a longer list of books more focused on Machu Picchu. This list includes history books, field guides, travel writing, books for kids, and even a cookbook. Of these ten are available on Kindle and three are available on Audible. Bring Peru to Your Kitchen
Lima is referred to the food capital of South America, and with good reason. To recreate some Peruvian flavors in your own kitchen you can try your hand at ceviche. Ceviche is a seafood dish made of raw fish marinated in citrus juice. For a classic recipe check out Laylita’s Recipes. For those who are allergic to seafood or who are vegetarian, you can try out this vegan recipe. Another classic Peruvian recipe is lomo saltado. Lomo saltado is a stir fry made with sirloin steak, onions, tomatoes, fries, and it is often served with rice. For a classic recipe check out Tasty and for a a vegan version check out VeggiElation. Peru is also well known for pisco, a type of brandy (but it is much different than the brandy you are probably used to), and you can learn more about the drink here. Pisco sours are a very popular Peruvian drink that can be easily made at home. Traditionally a pisco sour is made with egg white, but you can also try out these recipes which have several ideas for substitutions for the egg white.
Where to Next?
Thanks for wandering Peru with us virtually! Join us next time as we head to Washington, D.C.