Hostal Alfredo

The coach of Morton baseball Team, Jeff Millard said that the Potters played extremely well. He usually does not show his emotions after victory or losing yet he could not resist after the Potters won by (20-4, 7-1). The Potters finished a complete home whitewash of Mid-Illini Conference in Washington last week, the expert coach could not help but exposed his emotions. It is no secret that superb pitching was considered the toast for Morton this period. But following Wednesday’s 10-4 victory over team Panthers, team Potters showed that they can strike the ball much better.

After Potter star Will Headean defeated Washington down with a score card of (19-5, 8-2) on Monday in a thrilling 3-0 shutout, the Potters fault went to work against the star of Washington Charlie Ludolph’s favor on Wednesday. 5 different Potters registered 2 or more knocks as Morton rammed out fourteen hits in the truimph. Millard said about his fault that the potters can really hit the ball well. He also added that they usually do not hit in this manner, but are capable of doing it when needed.

This season of Base Ball, the Potters have just a team member with a batting average of around .400 or more. Senior Matt Hungate goes into this week straight at .400. Brock Christianson has an average of .329, while Dakota Hill has an average of .316. Jordan Wanner who averages .307 and Brett Bispingwhose batting average is .300 are chief contributors on the Potters fault who are batting with an average of .300 or more.

After last week’s clean sweep of team Panthers, who got in as unvanquished in M-I play, the Potters are positioned in a first position tie with Limestone remains at the top of the conference rankings.

The town of Santo Tomas nestled in the Peruvian Andes. Since time immemorial, hill dwellers have had a reputation for toughness and stamina.

The strong, sure-footed, sturdy and the environment of the Andes is a tough place. The slopes are rocky, storm-blasted. Food is inadequate with the inhabitants feeding on potatoes and whatever animal one manages to hunt. On top of that altitude sickness chips in around 8,000 feet.

Regions across the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes have traditional fighting festivals as a means for this type of mountain-born aggression. It is not violent like that of a WWE fight. Rules regarding fights and weapons one can use differ from place to place, but the general idea remains the same. In Santo Tomas, the festival is known as Takanakuy, where everybody fights everybody. It takes place in the early Christmas morning.

After the first few days of drinking and merry making, the residents of Santo Tomas wake up and head to the local bullfighting ring to hit each other.

Men, children, women, the aged, the unwell and the intoxicated they all pair off, wrap their hands with scarves, give each other a warm hug before bashing each other with full might in the face. There are local referees with Roman-style whips to keep the fights from getting one-sided. The total crowd rushes in if anybody hits someone. The Peruvian legal system on the whole does not extend into this region. Therefore, the residents of Chumbivilcas save up their grievances all year then take justice into their own fists at Takanakuy. It is a source of enjoyment and fun for the natives.

People from far places visits this festival and get a great thrill out of it. Though the journey to this town is nauseating, but one can rarely enjoy the fights these people indulge in yearly to take pleasure in.

The ruins of Chavin de Huantar are located to the east of the Cordillera Blanca, about 110km from Huaraz, and at an altitude of 3250m. This fortress-temple was constructed between 1200 and 300 BC and is the only large structure remaining from the Chavin culture. It is thought to have been a major ceremonial centre. In 1985 UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Trust Site.

Most visitors come here on a day trip from Huaraz. It is a long 4-hour drive along a largely unpaved twisting road, but things should improve in the future when the road is fully paved cutting the journey time in half. The most convenient way to visit Chavin is by means of an organized tour from Huaraz (Try Chavin or Pablo Tours). Prices cost around US$15 per person including entrance fees. Tours typically depart at 9am and return to Huaraz at about 8pm.

The Chavin are considered to be one of the most influential people to have lived in the Andes prior to the Incas (who arrived some 2000 years later). They were certainly one of the most sophisticated.

The site contains a large central square, slightly sunken below ground level, with an intricate system of channels for drainage. Much of the site comprises a series of underground chambers. A broad staircase leads up from the square to a large pyramid structure called the Castilla. In the heart of the underground complex is the crowning glory of the Chavin religion: a 5m-high carved rock known as the Lanzon. This dagger-like monolith depicts important deities worshipped by the Chavin culture: the Serpent, the Condor and the Feline (jaguar or puma).

Other important artefacts from within the temple, including the Tello Obelisk and the Raymondi Stela, were removed and are now housed at the Museo de la Nacion in Lima.

* Mercado central. On the second floor you can indulge in a true Peruvian set meal of soup, rice and chicken and limonade. All for 2.50 soles. The first floor is good for stocking up for your trek.

* Chifas, there are several in town. Their dishes are cheap and feed two. And in contrast to Peruvian cuisine they tend to sneak in some veggies.

* Fuente de Salud. Very cheap, very tasty vegetarian food. Highly recommended for vegetarians and those who are feeling the effects of traveller's diarrhea.

* Siam de los Andes. A traditional Thai restaurant in the middle of small-town Peru, serves up delicious curry and stir fry dishes. Price range: moderate: 15-50 soles per meal.

* Creperie Patrick, Av. Luzurriaga 422. A well-known restaurant that serves up many different styles of sweet or savory crêpes, Creperie Patrick is also known to be relatively expensive: 25-50 soles per meal.

* Mi Chef Kristof, Parque del Periodista (through the last passage on the right side of the first block of Av. Luzuriaga going north from the Plaza de Armas). Great restaurant where Chef Kristof will prepare amazing meals for you. The Peppersteak en the homemade pasta's are a recommendation! It is a little bit more expensive but also a real treat to yourself!

* Jirón José Olaya, Jirón José Olaya is the only street that remained intact through Huaraz' various earthquakes. It gives a good indication of what the town once looked like. On Sundays there is a street market where the local population sells regional foods. Sit down at one of the little “restaurants” and enjoy your Picante de Cuy.

Huaraz is also the departure point for tours to see Chavín de Huántar, the center of a cultural and artistic revolution in Peru that took place between 600 and 300 B.C.E. Museums in Huaraz contain many fine examples of Chavin sculpture and older Cupinisque pottery.

* Puya Raimondi. Puya Raimondi are the biggest pinapple plants of the world. They bloom with 50-75 years once for 9 months with 8.000-10.000 niches and a flower altitude of up to 10m higth, then they die. They grow between 3500 and 4700m altitude. edit

* The Museo Regional de Ancash, The Museo Regional de Ancash houses the largest collection of ancient stone sculptures in South America. It gives information about all the cultures that have inhabited the Cordillera Blanca region. It is small but interesting, it has a few mummies, some trepanned skulls (an ancient form of surgery involving cutting into the skull) and a garden of stone monoliths from the Recuay culture (400 BC to AD 600) and the Wari culture (AD 600 to 1000). A pottery collection, textiles, and metal works cover the Wari, Chimú, and Inca cultures.