Acar,

Demonic Bull

Desafo

al toro mata
Challenge
Arequipa

Este negro no es de aqu, este negro es de Acar, dice la letra de un conocidsimo land. Todos o casi todos lo hemos escuchado, coreado y hasta bailado, aunque esto ltimo es de una generosidad absoluta en el caso particular de este escriba, danzarn de escaso ritmo y ninguna gracia que, en el colmo del desparpajo, ha tenido el descaro de exhibir sus pasos en diferentes localidades del pas. Pero jams en Acar. All no bail. Se sinti intimidado por unos nios que zapateaban de lo lindo en una esquina. Sus pasos acompasados, grciles, certerostransformaban en movimiento el palpitar del cajn. Se conform con mirar, deleitarse y aplaudir. Es curioso, esa no sera la nica vez que asumira la posicin de espectador y testigo, en este distrito de la provincia de Caravel (regin Arequipa). En su defensa podamos argir que l no haba recorrido el desvo de 20 kilmetros que se desprende de la Panamericana Sur (km 555), para bailar o ser el protagonista de un hecho extraordinario. La razn de su visita estaba relacionada con la duna de ms de dos mil metros de altura que resalta tras los trazos urbanos del pueblo. Esta se llama Toro Mata, igual que la citada meloda. This black man isnt from here, this black man is from Acar, run the words of a well-known Afro-Peruvian folksong. Almost every Peruvian has heard it, sung it or perhaps even danced to it, although dancing would be a generous description of the movements essayed by this writer, known for his lack of both rhythm and grace, but who has nevertheless had the nerve to display his lack of prowess in several regions of Peru. But never in Acar. He has never danced there. He felt intimidated by the children he saw dancing so well on a street corner. Their steps in time, graceful, precisetransformed the beat of the cajn into movement. And so he just watched, enjoyed and applauded. And that would not be the only time he would assume the role of spectator and witness, in that district of the province of Caravel (in the Arequipa region). In his defense we could argue that he had not traveled down the 20 kilometer road that leaves the southbound Pan-American Highway at Kilometer 555 to dance or make himself the protagonist of an extraordinary spectacle. The reason for his visit was associated with the more than two thousand meter high sand dune that rises up beyond the grid system of the town. It is known as Toro Mata [The Bull Kills], just like the tune quoted above.
40 an Per Camino Peruano

Acar

Texto y fotos / Text and photos: Rolly Valdivia Chvez

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Destino de arena. La duna Toro Mata en Acar, es un atractivo irresistible para los cultores del sandboarding. Desert destination: The Toro Mata dune in Acar is an irresistible attraction for sandboarding enthusiasts.

Hacia all ira. En carro y a pie hasta la cumbre. Escuchando los relatos fantsticos sobre el toro endemoniado que habitaba en esas soledades y el de una banda de msicos militares que fue tragada por la arena en una noche misteriosa. De ellos no se supo nada ms, aunque se rumorea que en ciertas ocasiones, cuando la obscuridad convoca al asombro, se escuchan las voces de sus instrumentos. Toro Mata tiene sus relatos y leyendas. Quizs, con el paso del tiempo, el hecho del que l sera testigo, podra sumarse a esas historias con visos de irrealidad; entonces, lo mejor es escribir con pretensiones de posteridad que, en lo ms alto de un valle sembrado de algodn y olivos, un grupo de jvenes se enfrentara a las arenas del toro endemoniado y de los msicos de sones perpetuos. Reto de adrenalina. Mil noventas metros hacia abajo, haciendo equilibrio sobre una tabla de sandboard. Descenso trepidante y arriesgado. El ms largo del mundo, aseguran los que saben, lo que disfrutan, los que estn seguros de que Acar es el escenario soado para aquellos que buscan la velocidad y el vrtigo en las turgentes dunas del desierto. El desafo est planteado para los deportistas de todo el mundo. Ellos pueden escribir su propia leyenda en el desierto costero de Arequipa. Es cuestin de decidirse, de dejarse llevar por las ansias de aventura, preparar la tabla y emprender el ascenso en carro y a pie. Lo del el baile es opcional, como lo son tambin los platos bien servidos de camarones y las visitas a un par de complejos arqueolgicos. Ustedes decidirn el mejor momento para estar aqu, aunque no sean de Acar, parafraseando la letra del mtico land.
42 an Per Camino Peruano

Thats where he was heading, by car and on foot all the way to the summit, listening to fantastical stories about a possessed bull that lived in those parts and an army band which was mysteriously swallowed by the sands one night. Nothing was ever heard from them again, although it is said that on occasion, when darkness fuels the imagination, the sounds of their instruments can be heard. Toro Mata seems to encourage stories and legends. Perhaps, with time, the fact that the author would be a witness to events on those sands would be woven into a tall tale. If so, he must be sure to write for posterity, and record well how, in the heights above a valley sown with cotton plants and olive trees, a group of young people were preparing to face those sands associated with a demonic bull and endlessly playing musicians. It is an adrenalin-fueled challenge. One thousand and ninety meters down, balanced on a sandboard. It is a dangerous and frightening descent, the longest in the world, according to those in the know, those who enjoy this kind of thing and proclaim Acar to be the dream setting for those seeking speed amid vertiginous desert dunes. It is a challenge that attracts enthusiasts from all over the world. They come to write their own legends on the arid coasts of Arequipa. It is all about letting yourself go, giving yourself up to your own sense of adventure, grabbing your board and making your way up to the top by car and on foot. The dancing is optional, as are the plates piled high with shrimps, or a visit to the nearby archaeological sites. But you must decide on the best time to come, even if you are not from Acar, to paraphrase the lyrics of that legendary song.
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