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38 of 42 found the following review helpful:
 Possibly worst travel report everJan 12, 2005
By F. Nielsen
"Whitehat"
This DVD has no subtitles or language options. The reporter speaks a British dialect which is nearly unintelligible to an American listener. His Spanish language skills are perhaps on the level of a London cabbie with a Cockney dialect (pronounce name of Taquile Island like "takwuil").
The report starts in the capital of Lima and shows a few glimpses from the city, then covers mostly the shantytown of Villa el Salvador. Most major sights of Lima are not covered at all. Nearby ruins of Pachacamac are not mentioned, the historical quarter in Lima, Barranco, Costa Verde, Miraflores are not mentioned. Why would anybody skip all the major sights, but cover the shantytown in detail?
The report goes on to Huaraz and shows mostly the ice and snow on nearby mountains. There is no coverage of important nearby temple ruins at Chavin. There is no coverage of the beautiful alpine lakes, or the nearby disaster area, where an entire village was buried in an avalanche in the 1970's.
Next is Trujillo with coverage of fishermen on reed rafts. No mention of the important ruins of Chanchan, or the archaeological dig at nearby Sipan. Chanchan is just on the outskirts of Trujillo and covers a huge area. It is incomprehensible, how it could be missed. No coverage of the traditions of marinera music and dance, or the famous Peruvian Paso horses.
The footage from Iquitos is also inadequate and uninformative. The DVD shows mostly a scene from Belen at the river - not the main part of Iquitos, and then skips to the Amazon and the jungle hut hotel.
The trip goes back to Lima (no additional coverage from there), then to Nazca. I have not been to Nazca, myself and won't comment on this.
Next point is Puno (no information about the city itself, not much to report anyhow) and Lake Titicaca. There is a brief report about the Uros and their floating islands, then a report about Taquile Island. Most of the opportunities for scenic photography are entirely missed. The differences between Aymara culture (on Taquile) and Quechua culture (in most of Peru) are not explained. Why was Arequipa not included in the itinerary?
The trip continues by train to Cuzco. The history and old architecture of Cuzco are not covered at all. Most of the report is on the Inti Raymi festival, which is a historically questionable revival of an old Inka tradition.
Finally, the trip to Machu Picchu and the Inka trail is included. Some erroneous historical "facts" are mentioned. The beauty of Machu Picchu is not done justice.
Don't waste your money on this DVD. If you have to see it, check your local library first. You'd be sorry spending your money.
11 of 12 found the following review helpful:
 Sadly, but reality nonetheless........Mar 19, 2006
By Johan
I am Peruvian American and saw this video on PBS. Although I see why it would offend most peruvians, it is the TRUTH of what a beautiful and culturally rich country has become. Those people that criticize this video should instead be urging their government officials to "clean up" their city and show a more presentable view to tourists throughout the world. I myself visited Peru back in 2003 and as a tourist was disgusted by how "unclean" Lima was. I felt ashamed that people living in the capital could let their city go to waste like this and all the blame goes to the President and the Mayor of Lima for not cleaning up their city. As soon as you step out of the airport you don't have to go very far to see that this video all is doing is showing how Lima really is(at least in most parts since the part where 'los blanquitos, pitucos' live, isn't like this at all and is where most tourists if not all go to stay.
People say: "This not not the entire Peru". Yes indeed, but why would tourist be lied about, then be dissapointed once they see the sheer reality? Because they cannot purchase a ticket back home on their first day of travel so they have to stay the entire trip?
All in all, I must say I enjoyed the video especially Iquitos and Cuzco. I can say that the provinces outside Lima are more attractive to go visit. Beautiful scenes!!! Someday I hope I have the privilige to explore Peru the way it is meant to be enjoyed.. Chauuuu
7 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Totally manipulated and malicious way to show Lima and PeruFeb 10, 2006
By R. Hoyos
"Kive"
Why would they like to concentrate on the bad side of a city that much? I almost think they purposely did it that way, maliciously, and it's a shame. Lima has so many beautiful places to visit, but this people went to Villa el Salvador instead. When they visit Brazil or New York, did they only showed the fabelas or the Bronx for instance? the answer is NO.
YES what they show is reality but only in certain areas of Lima, come on all cities have their shady areas, Lima's bad neighborhood are not more dangerous that the Bronx in New York City for instance. The way they show it it's manipulated to make the viewer think that Lima has nothing else to show than poverty, which if you ever visit Lima, you'll see that it's far from true. For those ignorant people below who wrote that it is the reality of Peru I would tell to get an air ticket and fly to Peru first and then talk all they want about it, it's not enough to sit in front of a Newspaper or TV news to know the reality of a country. Poverty is in deed the reality of all Latin America, not only Peru, and Peru's economy has grown more rapidly that any country in Latin American, except for Chile, in the last few years, That has made of Lima in sort of like the economic center on the region, a modern, vibrant, cultural and dynamic city... why do these people don't show that. I'd like to figure that one out.
4 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Very offensive and not at all informativeFeb 18, 2007
By V. Wilkins
"Josie"
I have traveled to Peru and am very upset that I spent my money to watch someone criticize and make fun of the country. He pays to see a shaman then makes fun of him, calling it "Mambo Jambo". Instead of pointing out the various architectural styles (the Spanish and the Moorish), he just says something like "Here you see some Spanish architecture, but look at all the rubbish on the ground." There's so much to see and experience in Peru, but it's like all he wanted to do was pick places he could make malicious jokes about.
I love watching the way Justine Shapiro shows a country, even when she sees things she does not like. I'm headed to buy some more that have her as the host and will never spend my money on any DVD with this Neil Gibson person again.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Fails to Do Justice to PeruOct 29, 2009
By Laura Penn Warren
"LPW"
I have visted Peru twice -- before the production of this DVD and after. The video fails to do justice to a remarkable country, particularly with respect to Lima. Lima is a sprawling metropolis of approximately 8 million people and has, as one would reasonably imagine, many neighborhoods that are ugly, unsafe, or in decay. However, the city also has great museums, restaurants, and shopping, and is close to an Inca (and pre-Inca) shrine, Pachacamac, which stands as one of many testaments to the genius and mystery of the indigenous Americans. Instead of showing only the ugliness of Lima, the film could have shown some of the city's landmarks, such as the Plaza Mayor, which is the spot where Francisco Pizarro founded Lima. There is a daily changing of the guard in front of the Presidential Palace and the music played during the procession is beautiful. (Incidentally, you can see the changing of the guard on YouTube.) Also located on the Plaza Mayor is the Lima Cathedral, which contains the tomb of Pizarro. The San Franciscan Monastery (the big, beautiful yellow structure seen in many Lima postcards), contains the city's first catacombs. The Lima zoo provides a great alternative excursion for those who are unable to venture into the jungle, and the city is full of colorful, vibrant markets. These are just a few examples of what the film could have covered. Instead, the coverage is basically negative and the film even opens with a man peeing on the city. The (perhaps unintended) message is "piss on Lima," rather than "visit Lima." You can see men publicly relieving themselves in practically any medium-sized or large city in North America. The coverage of Villa El Salvador is pretty good but not as relevant to the traveler as the city's landmarks. I am a huge fan of Globetrekker, but p*** on this one.
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