(www.canada.com).- A tour of Peru has been organized for parents who want their children to experience the traditional values of Inca spirituality as well as visiting world-famous destinations. The Peruvian native culture has a deep respect for Pachamama (Mother Earth), and earth-based spiritual traditions will be emphasized as tour members participate in Andean ceremonies at Machu Picchu, Pisac, Ollantaytambo, the Sacred Valley of the Incas and other sacred places.
This 10-day tour for children and their families, "The Heart of the Pachamama," from July 11 to 20, is offered by Sacred Earth Journeys of Vancouver. There is an optional extension, July 20 to 23, which visits Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake, and ancient sites nearby.
Tour leader Jorge Luis Delgado is the author of Andean Awakening: An Inca Guide to Mystical Peru. He is also the father of three children.

(www.upstagemagazine.com).- Adventure is something that makes your eyes light up to think of it, and warms your heart to remember it. Too many people think of adventure as something for "someday." Almost everyone dreams of adventure, but those dreams seem to require more time and money than everyday life allows. And yet dreams of adventure can come true more easily than you might think. What's required is a change of attitude and a commitment to finding adventure wherever you can.
"Live your life like an adventure, not an existence," recommends adventurer and author Jay Toberman. "Adventure is simply the thrill of the unknown." In his book, Don't Quit Your Day Job! Adventures for the Working Stiff, Toberman says, "You don't need to encounter mishaps to make the trip exciting. Just being there, anywhere different, is the adventure."

(www.hamiltonspectator.com).- Last summer's heat is a distant memory, and spring seems a long way off. If you're pining for some winter sunshine, here are some of the best destinations to visit.
Are we still sun-worshipping lemmings?
Yes. Even though the sun has moved from friend to foe over the past 20 years, the idea of a shade-filled holiday doesn't really appeal. Despite the growth of "green" tourism in countries such as Spain and Italy, it's still the sun-drenched beach that decorates the cover of holiday brochures.
Maybe we don't spend quite so much time barbecuing ourselves, and expect a lot more seaside activities (kitesurfing, paragliding, banana-boating, jet skiing, snorkelling, etc.) but they're not the same under a grey sky.

(http://samudaya.org).- Royal Nepal Airlines has apologized to Peru after mistakenly using a photo of the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu to promote tourism in Nepal.

Peru’s foreign ministry said in a statement Wednesday the flagship carrier of the Himalayan kingdom, about half way around the world from the Andean country, had put the picture of Peru’s tourism icon, Machu Picchu, on a poster under a slogan “Have you seen Nepal?”

(www.businessportal24.com).- Do you want to explore Peru and see the Machu Picchu perhaps? Peru has a lot of sights for the hungry-eyed traveler whose fondness extends from history to archaeological adventures. In Peru you get them all!
If Peru seems to be a distant dream because money is a problem, when will you ever start to realize that dream? There are several agencies offering cheap airline tickets to Peru that could help you realize that long time dream of seeing the old ruins of the Machu Picch...

(www.americanchronicle.com).- Did you read that Nepal Airlines used a picture of Machu Picchu, the famous Inca ruin in Peru, to promote the airline and tourism in Nepal? The Palace must have actually encouraged dropping the “R” in RNAC.
Don’t we have Mount Everest and hundreds of other peaks right here in our back yard? Its not like its HARD to get a picture of a mountain in Nepal. You can’t help but take a picture without a home-grown Himalayan mountain getting in the way.
How did the whole thing happen? Did the peon assigned by the RNAC PR guy accidentally stumble into the Peruvian guy’s house who moonlights as a salsa instructor in Babar Mahal Revisited but has a day job as a photographer? Did the Peruvian salsa instructor simply give the peon a picture of Macha Picchu because those Peruvians just love a good practical joke?

(www.postindependent.com).- Corrina Gibson has been to Machu Picchu. She's seen the remains of thousands of mummified bodies in the Antumpapa Cave near San Carlos, Peru. She swam in the Pacific Ocean near Lima while shoulder-to-shoulder sea lions flopped around on the rocky coast. And she thinks you should go, too.
"I'd really like to encourage traveling," she said.
She's no stranger to international travel. The year before Peru, she traveled to Ecuador where she polished up her Spanish. A week after returning from Peru, she went to Greece.
The trip the Glenwood Springs High School Senior took to Peru in July 2006 provided a hands-on opportunity that taught her about poverty, different cultures and how much family means to South American cultures compared to what it means in the U.S., she said. She traveled with a group of 26 high school students from across the Western Slope.

(www.news.com.au).- It meant Pacific Brands, the company that makes the 70-year-old sneaker design, were exposed to greater attention than usual when they relocated Volley manufacturing to China.
That was a few years ago. Since then, the sandshoe beloved by roofers, painters, 1970s tennis stars, your dad – and now trendy teenagers – has turned from sturdy survivor to flimsy fall-apart.
A few trips around the block, and the $19 all-purpose Volleys come undone like Marcos Baghdatis' service game. Volleys in 2007 need replacing as often as Pacific island heads of state.
Despite that – or perhaps because of it – sales are soaring. More than 26 million pairs have been sold since 1939.
And if PacBrands's spin doctor is to believed, the sales spike has nothing to do with fashion – and everything to do with that world-famous top-notch Chinese craftsmanship.

(www.jaunted.com).- Truth in advertising's a controversial subject: if you Photoshop the sky to make a travel poster for a mostly-sunny destination more appealing, is that such a bad thing? How about if you use a national tourism symbol from a country on the other side of the world to advertise your national airline?
We draw the line at that point. But that's exactly what Royal Nepal Airlines did--presumably accidentally. Yes, the national Nepalese carrier advertised their services with a beautiful picture of...Machu Picchu. Yes, Machu Picchu in Peru, on a completely different continent.
The airline offered apologies to Peru for using the picture of the Machu Picchu Sanctuary on a poster to promote their country and assured that the lamentable error has been corrected ... As a consequence, the Nepalese airline fired an employee in the rank of a manager

(www.emediawire.com).- Singles Travel International (www.singlestravelintl.com) takes the lead once again in 2007 and offers the best in adventures for single adults who love to travel and explore. Enjoy the true singles experience through luxurious trips all over the world and meet other singles just like you. It's easy to choose from a variety of trips in the new 2007 Singles Travel International calendar and book right online.
Boca Raton, FL (PRWeb) January 15, 2007 -- Singles Travel International (www.singlestravelintl.com) takes the lead once again in 2007 and offers the best in adventures for single adults who love to travel and explore. Enjoy the true singles experience through luxurious trips all over the world and meet other singles just like you. It's easy to choose from a variety of trips in the new 2007 Singles Travel International calendar and book right online. (additional trips to be announced)

(http://toledoblade.com).- You’ve hiked volcanoes in Nicaragua, browsed in Krakow’s medieval-era markets, dined alfresco in Dubrovnik, and cruised along Turkey’s gorgeous Mediterranean coast, so what in the world is out there that is new and exciting for the adventurous traveler?

For Cindy Carbine of Highland Park. Pa., it will be a Caribbean cruise — but not just any cruise. She’s headed to Panama, and will spend a day river kayaking there. And Marsha Berger, of Squirrel Hill, Pa., dreams of exploring Ethiopia’s rock-carved churches, if war doesn’t overtake that country. Whether you’re on a budget or are a luxury-loving pleasure seeker, there are still travel destinations on this shrinking planet that can easily fit under the category of “new,” not to mention “hot.”

(www.gulf-times.com).- Royal Nepal Airlines has apologised to Peru after mistakenly using a photo of the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu to promote tourism in Nepal.
Peru's foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday the flagship carrier of the Himalayan kingdom, about half way around the world from the Andean country, had put the picture of Peru's tourism icon, Machu Picchu, on a poster under a slogan 'Have you seen Nepal?'
Peruvian mountaineer Ernesto Malaga, who was visiting India last month, noticed the blunder on a poster hanging on a wall in the airline's office in New Delhi. Peruvian authorities requested explanations from the airline via the embassy.
"The airline ... offered apologies to Peru for using the picture of the Machu Picchu Sanctuary on a poster to promote their country and assured that the lamentable error has been corrected," the statement said.

(www.cnn.com).- Peru's government, seeking to boost tourism in the Andean country, is urging residents and visitors to vote for the ancient Inca site of Machu Picchu as one of the world's new seven wonders.
Maria Seminario, general manager of the tourism promotion agency PromPeru, said Monday Machu Picchu was in the top seven out of 21 finalists before the July 7 announcement of the winners in Lisbon by the New7Wonders Foundation.
"Now we need to consolidate that. Being No. 1 would be ideal," Seminario told Reuters. "We think now is the right time for the big push."
Posters on city streets call on Peruvians to vote for the well-preserved site on a mountain ridge.
Built in the 1460s and abandoned for three centuries after the Spanish conquest, Machu Picchu, or "Old Peak" in the Quechua language, was rediscovered by U.S. archeologist Hiram Bingham in 1911.

(www.livinginperu.com).- The Peruvian government began a publicity campaign to help the Incan citadel of Machu Picchu, located in near Cuzco, become designated as one of the seven wonders of the world.
More than 50,000 fliers will be placed throughout Peru's internet cafes and will urge users to vote for the Peruvian landmark at www.new7wonders.com, according to a spokesman from the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Commerce and Tourism.
The contest, started by Swiss businessman Bernard Weber, will end next July. Among some of the potential wonders are the Roman Coliseum, the Great Wall of China, the Egyptian pyramids, Stonehenge, and the Taj Mahal.

(http://travel.canoe.ca).- No matter if you are in pursuit of sports adventure, or an archaeological phenomenon, a visit to Peru truly satisfies.
Nestled between Bolivia to its south and Ecuador to its north, this seaside country also shares borders with Chile, Brazil and Columbia.
For the nature enthusiast, Peru's oddly contradicting natural features produce a fascinating array of wildlife, including whales, giant otters and jaguars. Head east of the Andes into the Peruvian jungle, where you'll glimpse some of the richest biodiversity on earth. Peru has several well-established national parks along the desert seacoast, at the edge of the "Altiplano", and among the high Andean Cordillera.
Rich in ancient culture and tradition, Peru is also home to imperial ruins of great civilizations, including the lost city of Machu Picchu and The Nasca Lines, an enigma of mysterious desert etchings.

(www.winnipegfreepress.com).- Jana McDade has trekked across much of the globe. The 23-year old Toronto native has backpacked across five continents and lived in Europe, North America and Africa. Although she admits there's still plenty in the world for her to see, she hopes one day to return to a place she describes as "simply breathtaking" -- the ancient Incan city Machu Picchu.
Two years ago McDade and her boyfriend, Ottawa-area musician Tony Raybould, caught a plane from Toronto to Lima, Peru. They travelled to Cuzco in the Peruvian interior, where they set off in search of a lost civilization.
For the next three days they and a group of like-minded adventurers hiked through desert, mountains and jungle. On the fourth day, they rose before dawn, climbed to an altitude above the clouds and watched the sun rise over Machu Picchu.

(www.therecord.com).- Jana McDade has trekked across much of the globe. The 23-year old Toronto native has backpacked across five continents and lived in Europe, North America and Africa. Although she admits there's still plenty in the world for her to see, she hopes one day to return to a place she describes as "simply breathtaking'' -- the ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu.
Two years ago McDade and her boyfriend, Ottawa-area musician Tony Raybould, caught a plane from Toronto to Lima, Peru. They travelled to Cuzco in the Peruvian interior where they set off in search of a lost civilization.
For the next three days they and a group of like-minded adventurers hiked through desert, mountains and jungle. On the fourth day they rose before dawn, climbed to an altitude above the clouds and watched the sun rise over Machu Picchu.

(www.news.com.au).- UTOPIA is a grassy knoll of a city suspended above the clouds, where guinea pigs are food and a fat naked woman is God.
Visiting Machu Picchu is like hallucinating and entering a celestial world, where everything has an unreal, mythical quality. So, it doesn't seem odd that Mother Earth or Pachamama – depicted grinning broadly, bare-breasted and with a swollen belly – is the reigning deity.
Nor that furry little creatures we would consider more appropriate as pets are oven-roasted to feed hungry pilgrims after their journey up to the ruins.
The dream-like sensation is heightened by lack of oxygen at almost 2400m – about 150m higher than the summit of Mount Kosciuszcko – which makes the expedition literally breathtaking but forces some of our group to retreat to lower ground.

(http://calsun.canoe.ca).- Each morning, shortly after the sun has poked its head above the Andes, we coax our tired bodies out of bed and down to the breakfast table.
We do our best to refuel for another day of high-altitude mountain biking.
The menu includes pancakes, eggs, bread and fruit, but the most important ingredient is a humble leaf, which is a part of life in this part of South America.
"Mate de coca, por favor," we ask the waiter, who produces a Thermos and a bowl overflowing with foliage. We stuff a handful of leaves into our cups and cover them in hot water.
Minutes later, we remove them, gulping down the tasty tea.
Unlike its infamous derivatives, cocaine and crack, the leaf of the coca plant is renowned for its therapeutic benefits.

(www.travelbite.co.uk).- A new archaeological site in Peru to rival Machu Picchu is being uncovered in the south of the country.
Choquequirao is an Inca city located at an altitude of 3,100 metres in the Vilcabamba mountain range and is thought to be substantially bigger than Peru's well-known Machu Picchu archaeological site.
It is thought the city was home to an estimated 1,000 people during the 1400s and is expected to reveal important information about the lives of the Incas during this time.
Relatively off the beaten track for most visitors to the country and an excellent opportunity for walking adventure holiday, the site can be accessed from Cachora, reached from Cusco by bus or other road transport.

(www.macchu-picchu.com).- The Peruvian government declared the air space over over the archaeological sanctuary of Machu Picchu as a “no-fly zone", reversing a decision to allow flights over the Inca ruins after an outcry from environmental groups.
The decision was announced after a meeting between representatives of the Ministry for Transports and Communications, the National Cultural Institute (INC.) and the Institute for Natural Resources (INRENA).
David Ugarte Vega, director of the INC. in Cusco, warned that aiplane sounds and vibrations would cause the disappearance of rare species like the condor, the spectacled bear, deer and birds such as the Andean cock-of-the-rock. Unique flora species such as orchids are also affected.

(www.gringoes.com).- Mysterious, mystical Machu Picchu. Incan religious center, vestal virgin hiding place, or Incan king's retreat? No one knows. Perhaps that is part of its intrigue. Ever since I saw the poster of it in my Spanish professor's office at college, I promised myself to go there someday. Twenty years later, I stepped out of the bus and into the world of wonder. Living in Brazil with its relatively close proximity to Peru made the trip a plausible reality.
In Cusco, our wake up call came at 4:30 a.m. and our small group was whisked off to nearby San Pedro Train Station. The rickety 112km train ride to Machu Picchu followed the course of the Sacred River of the Incas. The early morning horizon created a warm pale gray mist at the base of the mountains that gave way to dark, heavy rain clouds, abruptly interrupted by bright, golden, snow-covered mountains.

(www.seacoastonline.com).- Life can be complicated and often frustrating for diabetics, but for one local insulin-dependent teenager, the disease has provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Portsmouth High School sophomore Kelly Johnson, 15, was one of five diabetic teenagers chosen from thousands across the world to participate in a weeklong trek to Peru's famous landmark, Machu Picchu. The trek is the inaugural expedition of Team Insulindependence, a nonprofit association created by three world-class athletes with diabetes seeking to teach insulin-dependent teenagers how to live an active lifestyle.
"I've had people say, �I wish I had diabetes,'" said Johnson with a laugh. "I've always had diabetes and having diabetes can limit you, but I've never let it limit me."

(www.plenglish.com).- The Peruvian government Friday officially banned flights over the archaeological sanctuary of Machu Picchu, and declared a limited zone for flights over its surrounding area.
The decision was announced after meetings held among representatives of the Communication and Transport Ministry, the National Cultural Institute and the Natural Resources Institute.
The measure was adopted after the National Cultural Institute of Cusco and INRENA opposed a resolution of the Communication and Transport Ministry authorizing flights over that national park.
The director of Cusco s National Cultural Institute, David Ugarte, warned that airplane vibrations could lead to the extinction of some species, such as condors, deer, bear, and birds, apart from the orchids.
Government sources predicted that the parties involved in the new measure will delimit the protected areas, but refrained from providing information on the date for that to be put into effect.

(www.freepressreleases.co.uk).- Cusqueña pronounced “CUS-KEN-YA” is the finest premium lager from Latin America and is rapidly becoming a favourite of leading UK bartenders, beer writers and A-List celebrities alike.
Known as the Gold of the Incas and renowned for its pure ingredients Cusqueña is imported by two friends who acquired the licence to sell it in the UK after discovering its amazing taste and lack of a hangover whilst back-packing in Peru. They set up Chilli Marketing Brands to import and market the brand in the UK.
Despite it being Latin and light, its crisp flavour means there is no need to add a lime which may other Latin beers choose to do. CUS-KEN-YA tastes fantastic on its own and indeed they now have a range of fans spotted drinking Cusqueña that include David Beckham, Lilly Allen, Kate Moss & George Clooney who will testify to that!

(http://cruises.about.com).- South America is a great cruise destination for winter cruises. The weather is great, the dollar is strong, and the historical and natural sites are impressive. What more could an adventurous traveler be looking for? Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) has three South American getaways, two of which include most cruisers' dream destinations--the Galapagos Islands and the Amazon River. These small ship group tours allow a much more intimate look at the cultures and sites.
Amazon River Picture (c) Linda Garrison
Travelers Queuing Up for Winter Getaways from Only $1895, Including Round-Trip International Airfare
BOSTON, MA--Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT), which provides international small group travel for Americans 50-plus, reports brisk sales of its recently announced 2007 schedule of South America adventures.

(www.news.com.au).- MATT Harding can't dance particularly well. By his own admission, the 29 year-old video game designer from Seattle used to annoy his co-workers by "hovering over their desks and dancing".
But this did not stop Harding from being paid to dance around the world. During the first half of 2006, Harding danced his way through 39 countries across the seven continents, courtesy of sponsorship from a chewing gum company.
The end product is a short video that has become a hit on the web. Over two million people have watched a grinning, gangly Harding dance since the video was posted two months ago on YouTube, a video-sharing website.

(www.azstarnet.com).- After a torn ligament, nine months of healing and a bit of self-reflection, Jill Hewins has at last found her true professional calling.
As the founder of Sol Journeys, a Tucson-based outdoors adventure and backpacking company, Hewins is incorporating yoga and massage therapy sessions with hiking, kayaking, backpacking, and biking expeditions.
"The adventure experience creates space for a place to reflect on your life," said Hewins, who has spent about 20 years as a wilderness and outdoor-adventures guide. "It's a place where you can relax and clear your thoughts. It's about finding joy and learning self-care."
Through Sol Journeys, vacationers are accompanied by a personal outdoors and wilderness guide, a personal yoga instructor and a masseuse on trips ranging from three to 12-days.

(www.sanluisobispo.com).- It's a 20-something's fantasy: Travel around the world, dance a lot and get paid to do it.
Matt Harding of Seattle made that dream come true. And he's turning into an Internet star, thanks to a short video he made of his recent trip that's become wildly popular on the Web.
Harding's 3 1/2-minute video shows him dancing in dozens of countries. He dances at iconic sites, from China's Great Wall to the Machu Picchu ruins in Peru. He dances amid a crowd on a busy Tokyo street, beside bemused Buddhist monks in Laos, alone on a sand dune in Namibia. Altogether he danced and filmed his way through 39 countries during the first six months of 2006.

(www.sun-sentinel.com).- When Jean Paul Desmaison talks about the food of his homeland Peru, he gets excited.
"It's the only place in Latin America other than Mexico where there has been an extensive history of food. There has been 3,000 years of cooking in Peru," he says.
And it is this food he is serving at his restaurant, La Cofradia in Coral Gables.
Well, kind of.
"I also like Spanish, French and Mediterranean food. I like to cook it, and I like to eat it," he says.
So the 33-year-old chef, who was born in the Miraflores district of Lima, is fusing these flavors into those of his homeland, which is already a fusion of sorts.