On the five hour flight from Sao Paulo to Lima I finally saw Lake Titicaca! There it was below us, on the border between Bolivia and Peru. I remember learning about it in school, and every time we heard the name as 10 year olds, we would start to giggle, because of its obvious association.
This part of the Andes is pure rock and sand. Not one tree in sight. Not one cloud in sight. Flying over you actually notice how inhospitable the land is.
Peru has so many different associations for me. As a kid I loved to read Tintin comics, and Prisoners of the Sun was based in Peru. Then there is the beloved poncho. Who hasn't seen that. Perhaps most famous of all though are the Peruvian pan-flute performers, of course dressed in ponchos, performing on street corners the world over. The famous tune being El Condor Pasa. Can you hear it already?
That has got to be some of the best destination marketing I’ve ever seen :-)
Did you know that the potato comes from Peru? They have more than 400 different types of potatoes and it is only the Spanish conquistadors that introduced the potato to Europe in the 16th century. Who knew!
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