Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
minibuses run from Chincha to El Carmen all night long, and the
peñas
are full of fren-
zied
limeños
and locals dancing. One traditional dance not to try at home: 'El Alcatraz,'
when a gyrating male dancer with a candle attempts to set fire to a handkerchief attached
to the back of his partner's skirt.
AFRO-PERUVIAN MUSIC & DANCE
The mesmerizing beats and lightning-speed movements of this traditional art form are guaranteed to make you
want to get up and dance. During the colonial period, when Spanish colonizers banned the use of drums, African
slaves working on Peruvian plantations began using hollow wooden crates (now called a
cajón
) and donkey
jawbones to create percussion that now forms the base of this distinct musical style. Often music is accompanied
by an impressive flamenco-style dance called
zapateo
and impassioned singing.
Over the past few decades, groups such as Perú Negro and the Ballumbrosio family have garnered quite a fol-
lowing both nationally and internationally, making it their mission to preserve Peru's African heritage through the
performance of its music and dance. If you're in the right place at the right time, you can catch one of these shows
in the community that is famous for it, El Carmen.
Sleeping & Eating
Bare-bones cheap hotels and
chifas
(Chinese restaurants) surround Chincha's main plaza.
Most fill up and double or triple their prices during festivals, though you can always avoid
this problem by dancing all night and taking an early morning bus back to Lima or further
south along the coast.
In El Carmen, a few local families will take in overnight guests and cook meals for
between S10 and S20 per person per night - ask around. Or you can stay in the town's
only hotel, the
Parador Turístico
( 27-4060; Plaza de Armas; s/d S25/40).
BOUTIQUE HOTEL
Casa Andina - Chincha Sausal $$$
( 213-9739;
www.casa-andina.com
; Carr Panamericana Sur Km 197.5; d/tr S261/
290; )
A rather odd outpost of Peru's plushest hotel chain, glued to the frankly
horrible Carr Panamericana Sur 1km north of Chincha's bus station, the Sausel is aimed at
the corporate business market and is thus a bit stuffy and officious. Facilities are nonethe-
less, upper-crust with flowered grounds, luxury bed-linens and a decent restaurant.
Hostal El Condado $$
HOTEL
