Additional Miscellaneous Recommendations

Your Guide: Catherine Criolla
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Periodicals Of Interest

National Geographic , Archaeology , Expedition , and Natural History all have occasional articles on Peru.

Spanish Language

If you speak no Spanish, try to take a beginner Spanish class, or get yourself a teach-yourself course such as Harrap's Spanish Starter Pack/Cassettes. I have found these and similar in my local public library, as well as in bookstores. It is a good idea to use a self-teaching set that include tapes as well as a workbook, so that you can get your ear and your mouth used to the language.

You'll probably want a dictionary while you travel. The best dictionary I know of is the Collins Spanish Unabridged Dictionary, which has useful things like letter templates in the appendices. It's a hardback so it may not be what all traveler's want. Whatever dictionary you do buy, try to have someone who speaks good Spanish (a college Spanish professor, for example) check it, because a lot of them - even those with reputable names and fancy universities in their titles - aren't very good, particularly for South American Spanish.

Quechua Language

The tiny and very portable Quechua Phrasebook published by Lonely Planet can be a lot of fun, and will allow you to greet people properly around Cusco (although you won't need Quechua to travel in most areas). It also has some great information in it.

Beginning quechua lessons are available on the internet at http://www.ullanta.com/quechua/

Do you want some music to get you in the mood for your trip? Try the The Rough Guide to the Music of the Andes compilation CD. You can get others in Peru, a nice compilation of different kinds of music from the Andean area, including both highland music with more traditional instruments and musica criolla.

Don't miss my Peru book recommendations & reviews
Top 3 Books on Peru		Peru Guide Books		Peru Archaeology
Peru Anthropology & Sociology		Peru History & Ethnohistory		20th Century Peruvian Fiction
Language, Peruvian Periodicals & Others