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In Search of the Vanishing Snow Star
El Fotografo and I are turning the house upside-down this weekend, as we air out camping gear to go to the glacier pilgrimage of Qoyllur Rit’i (“Snow Star” in Quechua) next week. The annual Andean pilgrimage takes place in a remote valley in southern Peru, at the foot of 16,000-foot-high Qolqepunku Glacier. Pilgrims travel from all over central and southern Peru, as well as northern Boliva, to attend this remarkable event, the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. The Catholic Church has its hand in Qoyllur Rit’i, but what really interests me and El Fotografo are the indigenous, ice-worshipping rituals that people perform at Qoyllur Rit’i. That’s why we’re…
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Why Twitter from Peru?
During my month-long hiatus from this blog, I got hooked on another form of social media: Twitter. Unlike Facebook, which facilitates staying touch with family and friends, Twitter is a freeform broadcast to just about anyone on the planet. That might not sound like a medium that would interest a relatively private person (like me), but it turns out that Twitter makes it ridiculously easy to connect with people you’ve always wanted to know. You can tweet with editors of magazines and publishing houses, ask a quick question of New Yorker writer Susan Orlean, compliment Dave Matthews on his latest album and keep up with environmental issues from the Guardian Online, The Climate Project and other…
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The Three Jacks & Breffni Dancers Conquer Peru
Just a bit of exaggeration in that headline. But I’m entitled to gloat about the success of my band last weekend at Auditorio Santa Ursula, in San Isidro. We had two fabulous concerts, Friday and Saturday nights (May 15 & 16), and got loads of people to contribute money to build a hospital in Pisco. Plus I met a lot of great people — Peruvians and expats and even some readers of this blog — which made the event truly special. [photo above by Robert Stolpe 2009, Three Jacks rehearsing in Miami] I’m still coming down from the high. Media buzz went into high gear two Sundays ago when TV…
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Irish Music & Dance Concert for Peru Earthquake Relief, May 15 & 16
Come out for a rousing night of Celtic rock, Irish step dancing and storytelling in Lima on Fri., May 15, and Sat., May 16, when my band The Three Jacks plays two benefit concerts for victims of the ’07 Peru earthquake. I promise it will be an excellent time because (1) the musicians and dancers are world-class; (2) our lead singer is a rowdy, sometimes bawdy storyteller; and (3) you’ll be helping to build a desperately needed medical center in the ravaged town of Pisco. Here’s the press release that recently ran in Living in Peru: Renowned Celtic Rockers and Irish Step Dancers to Entertain Lima May 15 & 16 The month…
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We Now Resume Our Regularly Scheduled Blogcast
If you’ve been wondering where An American in Lima has been for the past month — I’m pleased to say the site’s back and running fine. I didn’t know how much I loved blogging until a temporary software glitch prevented me from doing so. A number of emails and queries built up in my in-box over the last 30 days while I was trying to fix my blog. If you sent me a contact form and I haven’t gotten back to you yet: My apologies. I will be answering messages over the next two weeks. Thanks for your patience. What sent this site into hibernation was a bug in a recent version of…