Perusing Peru and the Virgin Islands

“Treasures of Peru” (Mentor Productions, 75 minutes, 1991).

A tour of the mystical lost city of Machu Picchu and a scenic train ride along the Urubamba River from Cuzco are the highlights of this well-produced study of the history of Peru.

Surveying the pre-Incan civilizations of the Chimu, Mochica and Nazca to the modern cities of today, the documentarytakes viewers to the Lake Titicaca area, believed by the Incas to be the birthplace of man; to the Amazon jungle, where primitive tribes perform ancient rituals, and to a High Andes village, where natives demonstrate traditional dances. The video tour includes aerial views of the mysterious Nazca lines; the candelabra traced in the hillside at Paracas; the adobe ruins of the Chimu imperial city of Chan-Chan; the Chavin temple carvings; Pyramid to the Sun and Temple of the Dragons near Trujillo, and the shrine at Pachacamac.

Modern but historic cities featured are Lima, Cuzco, Trujillo and Cajamarca, where Pizarro captured the Inca emperor Atahualpa in 1532.

Viewers also visit the colorful marketplaces at Pisac and Chincheros; travel along portions of the Inca roads; see the fortresses at Ollantaitambo and Paramonga, and watch natives as they weave colorful fabrics, make pottery and farm the land as they have for centuries.

Students as well as travel planners will benefit from this absorbing video. Tapes are available from Mentor Productions, P.O. Box 1148, San Clemente 92674, (714) 498-3954. Price: $29.95.

“Resort Guide of St. Thomas and St. John” (West Wind Productions, 30 minutes, 1990).

Viewers considering a vacation in the U.S. Virgin Islands of St. Thomas and/or St. John will find this video helpful in selecting accommodations because it covers 26 resort hotels and inns from luxurious to modest.

Included with film of the exteriors and interiors of rooms and common areas are scenes showing the facilities, amenities and scenic attractions.

There are overviews of the islands and scenes of spectacular beaches; the town of Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, with its busy shopping area and Coral World marine park, and the town of Cruz Bay, St. John, plus some of the islands’ historic sites.

The video concludes with a list of helpful travel tips, including such things as seasonal price ranges, duty-free shopping, local transportation and a list of hotel phone numbers.

It’s a well-filmed video and the hotels were chosen on merit, not for financial consideration. Also available are tapes on Antigua and St. Maarten.

The tape is available from West Wind Productions, P.O. Box 57646, Sherman Oaks 91413, (818) 981-0437. Price: $24.95.

“On the Road in Baja” (On the Road Productions, 40 minutes, 1991).

From the gaudy border town of Tijuana to the splendid waters and elegant resorts of the Cabo San Lucas area, Mexico’s Transpeninsular Highway (Highway 1) offers the adventurous driver 1,000 miles of wondrous scenery, uncrowded beaches, activities such as fishing and bird-watching, and visits to typical Mexican towns.

For the first-time traveler, this video, although amateurish in spots, is still an excellent source of information. The producers, who made the journey in an RV, provide narration that points out sites of interest and overnight stops.

Heading south, the video visits Ensenada, Colonet, San Martin, San Quintin and Guerrero Negro, and passes the whale haven of Scammon Lagoon. Here the highway turns east and crosses the Vizcaino wilderness area, with a stop at the town of San Ignacio before reaching Santa Rosalia on the Gulf of Mexico.

Also visited on the gulf are the palm-shaded oasis of Mulege, the beaches and camping sites on the Bahia Concepcion and the town of Loreto.

Viewers follow the highway as it returns to the west coast through the Magdalena Valley, then heads east again to La Paz for scenes of RV parks and beautiful isolated beaches. The route then circles the southernmost tip--the “land’s end”--of Baja at Cabo San Lucas, and on to San Jose del Cabo for views of beaches, coves and the city.

A tape is available from On the Road Productions, 3033 Cormorant Road, Pebble Beach, Calif. 93953, (408) 647-9253. Price: $24.95.