Well, the hype will hopefully die down now that the contest is over to name the new Seven Wonders of the World. Three of them are in Latin America:

Chichen Itza in Mexico

Machu Picchu in Peru

Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio, Brazil

I detect a bit of ballot-stuffing on the last one, but any contest like this is bound to be hotly contested no matter how the votes come in. I like Wendy Perrin’s post on the subject, noting that you’d have to be living under a rock to not know these places are worth a stop. Many would argue that they are already getting way too many visitors as it is, putting a major strain on what made them great to start with.

Frankly though, I’m glad that Chichen Itza made the cut instead of Tikal. We don’t need more tour buses heading to the latter, filled with obese people who can’t make the 20-minute trek through the jungle to get to the start of the pyramids. Difficulty can be a good thing when it comes to preservation.

If you’re a flower lover or a painter (or both) thinking of heading to Peru, you might be interested in this unique learning holiday from Orient-Express.

Inspired by the discovery of a new orchid in the Andes Mountains of Peru, the Miraflores Park Hotel in Lima and Hotel Monasterio in Cuzco are offering guests an eight day orchid painting course. It includes full day classes with tours and trips to collect specimens to paint, private tours of Machu Picchu, and optional hikes to see the sunrise over the mountains. Dinner on board the Hiram Bingham Train and welcoming cocktail are also included. (We assume that means the full Cuzco to Machu Picchu train ride as well, but check.) These courses are led by orchid enthusiast Carol Woodin and run from November 3 – 12, 2007.  Prices start from US$4,207 per person for nine nights. For more information, visit the Orient-Express Peru site.

If three makes a trend, then Peruvian cuisine is definitely becoming trendy. I’ve seen three articles on Peruvian food in the major media lately, including this piece from Reuters: Peru Lures Culinary Tourists.

You didn’t used to hear much about Peruvian food unless it was something about the nasty things they eat there, including the cuy guinea pigs. Most people who visit are pleasantly surprised at meal time, however, with more complexity and variety than expected. Who thought alpaca could be so tasty?
It used to be pretty tough to find a Peruvian restaurant outside Peru too, but that’s changing. More are popping up around the U.S. and one of Miami’s highest-rated restaurants in Zagat is Francesco, in Coral Gables.