After hearing about the Turkish vacation that I took with my little sister, my older sister wanted in. In the summer of 2005, my two sisters and I headed down to South America for the first time. To this day, our trip to Peru was one of the best vacations that I have ever had. Peru is an amazing country, filled with wonderfully nice people, an interesting mixture of indigenous and Spanish culture and microclimates ranging from beach to desert to mountains to jungle. In a short period of time, one could scale a mountain, raft through the jungle and absorb everything that a metropolis has to offer.
Pisco, Huacachina, and Nasca, Peru
After staying in Lima basically to sleep in some random hostel, we set off south to Pisco, home of a Peruvian liquor you've never heard of. Actually, the highlight of the city is a trip to the Islas Ballestras. These are 'guano islands' off the coast which contain thousands upon thousands of birds (including everyone's favorite -- the booby), sea lions, penguins and birds. It was a really amazing sight to see. Think Hitchcock's 'The Birds' times about 1,000. We then took a tour of a nearby national park which was, honestly, pretty lame. But we did get to have our first ceviche, prepared with fish no more than hours removed from the ocean.
Leaving Pisco the next morning, we headed to Huacachina. The entire coast of Peru is desert and Huacachina is a small oasis in the midst of several huge sand dunes. The highlight of the oasis-town was our attempt at sandboarding. Unfortunately, I am not blessed with athletic prowess or balance. So, needless to say, I tried and tried and fell and fell and fell down, down, down the sand dunes. But it was a lot of fun!
Next after Huacachina, we came to Nasca. Apparently things had been too easy for us (quick bus rides, easy-to-find hostels) and fate caught up with us. Nasca apparently is a mob-run town where everyone has their part in screwing tourists. A nice 'agent' took us to the hostel we wanted and then 'helped' us to find a flight over the area to see the famous Nasca lines -- for a nice $10 per person commission. After we balked at his crazy rates and his 'give me $180 now, just trust me', he left us with another scary agent who promptly took $65 via credit card and promised a flight the next morning..
This morning, after waiting 2 hours at the airport and envisioning leaving Nasca without having seen the lines and having to call Visa to cancel the $180 in charges, we boarded a little Cessna plane to view the Nasca Lines -- drawings of animals carved into the earth, visible only by airplane, carved 2500 years ago by the Nasca tribe. I thought it was a pretty awesome sight.
Arequipa, Peru
Well, it was finally time to leave behind the 1 llama towns and head out via overnight bus to Peru's 2nd largest city, Arequipa. By pure luck, we arrived just in time for Arequipa's 465th anniversary. It was perfect timing! Just as we headed into the main square, a parade started up, followed by a stage play of the founding of the city by Spanish Conquistadors, and an outdoor concert. That night, we experienced hyper-capitalism. It seemed as if every Peruvian was an entrepreneur, either walking around selling all types of food and candy or setting up mini-restaurants on folding tables. The streets were filled with all kinds of these tables, usually cooking either chicken of some sort or beef-on-a-stick. We decided to stop and sit at one table where an old woman served Puncha, which is some homemade type of fruity tea. We sat and spoke (as best we could) with the woman and a Peruvian family who had also sat down to enjoy the Puncha.
The next day, we went white water rafting on the Chili River. It was the coldest water I had ever been in, about 45 degrees! Our main motivation for not falling in the water was the fear of hypothermia! We had a great time, braving class 3 and 4 rapids! We arrived from the rafting trip in time for yet another parade. Peruvians lined the streets all through the city to watch the hundreds of dancers, floats, and marching bands.
The next day, we went white water rafting on the Chili River. It was the coldest water I had ever been in, about 45 degrees! Our main motivation for not falling in the water was the fear of hypothermia! We had a great time, braving class 3 and 4 rapids! We arrived from the rafting trip in time for yet another parade. Peruvians lined the streets all through the city to watch the hundreds of dancers, floats, and marching bands.
Cusco, Peru
It was finally time to leave Arequipa and its 465th birthday behind. We took yet another overnight bus to Cusco -- the capital of the Inca Empire. However, this one was different -- it was the most luxurious one I had ever been on! They served dinner, tea, we played bingo (which I thought I had won, but apparently my Spanish isn't as good as I thought it was), and I fell asleep watching Bridget Jones Diary (quite a step up from the last movie, 'Frankenfish')
Cusco is by far the most touristy city we have been to in Peru, for good and for bad. On the plus side, it is a beautiful, vibrant city. On the negative side, everywhere you go there are people trying to sell you crap, dinner, a tour of Machu Picchu, or all of the above. In our 4 full days in Cusco (2 before the Inca trail, 2 afterward), we really got to know the city, its museums, its markets, and its restaurants. We took a tour of the Cathedral, which, besides several ornate gold-plated Virgin Marys, had a huge painting of the Last Supper with an Andean twist -- they were all dining on guinea pig!
We also took a full day tour of several cities in the Sacred Valley outside Cusco. We spent the day visiting local markets (at one, we were offered a little piglet for only $20) and touring the ruins of elaborate Inca cities and temples. We also, for the first time, had a glimpse of the Dead Woman's Pass thousands of feet above us, which we would climb just 2 days later on the Inca trail.
Surprisingly, the food in Cusco is quite good. We've had our pick of tasty Peruvian, Mexican, Vegetarian, and Middle Eastern food, plus a pizza when we returned to Cusco after the Inca trail.
Cusco is by far the most touristy city we have been to in Peru, for good and for bad. On the plus side, it is a beautiful, vibrant city. On the negative side, everywhere you go there are people trying to sell you crap, dinner, a tour of Machu Picchu, or all of the above. In our 4 full days in Cusco (2 before the Inca trail, 2 afterward), we really got to know the city, its museums, its markets, and its restaurants. We took a tour of the Cathedral, which, besides several ornate gold-plated Virgin Marys, had a huge painting of the Last Supper with an Andean twist -- they were all dining on guinea pig!
We also took a full day tour of several cities in the Sacred Valley outside Cusco. We spent the day visiting local markets (at one, we were offered a little piglet for only $20) and touring the ruins of elaborate Inca cities and temples. We also, for the first time, had a glimpse of the Dead Woman's Pass thousands of feet above us, which we would climb just 2 days later on the Inca trail.
Surprisingly, the food in Cusco is quite good. We've had our pick of tasty Peruvian, Mexican, Vegetarian, and Middle Eastern food, plus a pizza when we returned to Cusco after the Inca trail.
Machu Picchu, Peru
We just arrived back to Cusco from our 4 day, 50 km hike through the Andes Mountains. It was an unbelievable, unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience. While a single submission cannot do it justice, I will attempt to provide you all with a brief summary.
Our group of 14 people and 2 tour leaders included 2 girls who live in DC and with whom we spent most of our time (and lent us 50 Peruvian Soles when we ran out of money), 4 Spanish women, an Australian, a couple Scots, and a father-son team from South Carolina. Happily, throughout the ordeal, we all got along and bonded through the pain!
Our hike was along the sacred Inca Trail used by the Incas to travel from Cusco to their winter home/religious center in Machu Picchu. We started at about 2700 meters (nearly 9000 feet), climbed to Dead Woman's Pass (4200 meters or 13,800 feet), and finished at Machu Picchu, situated at the end of a string of mountains, 2400 meters above sea level.
The Inca Trail snakes up and down one side of the Andean mountain chain, leaving us spectacular views of the other set of mountains, snow-covered peaks, and the lush Sacred Valley and Urubamba River which cuts right down the middle of the Andes. Along the way, we passed cows, pigs, goats, sheep, and llamas, both on Andean farms and running wild through the mountain brush.
The micro-climates of the Andes provided us a journey through forests and jungle and up past the tree-line for amazing views ranging for several miles in every direction. While much of our time was spent trudging up and down steep stone stairs laid down nearly 600 years ago by the Inca Empire, every rest stop afforded a view of landscape that exceeded the beauty of anything I had ever seen before.
We arrived to the Sun Gate above Machu Picchu in time for sunrise and trekked down for a tour of the immense city of Machu Picchu, where we viewed exquisite granite buildings, temples, and fountains built by the Incas in the 1400s. The area included agricultural platforms built into the sides of the mountain, houses for the 500 residents, and various assorted buildings for communal and religious purposes. Most of the buildings were in nearly the same form as they had when the Inca Empire existed. Machu Picchu was a spectacular finale to an exhausting yet exhilarating 4 day adventure.
As a side note, the tour was unlike anything I had ever experienced. The staff to trekker ratio was 2 to 1, including 20 porters who carried tents, food, cooking equipment, and hundreds of pounds of supplies along the trail. Each porter likely carried 80 to 100 pounds on his back and ran past us on the trail in order to prepare our campsite and unbelievable 5 course meals which awaited our arrival at the end of each day (plus equally as generous breakfasts, lunches, and teatimes). Our primary guide, Roberto, was a passionate Andean who regaled us with stories of both the Inca Empire and the Andean culture as it exists today. His commentary at each of the 5 Inca cities we passed along the way, along with explanations at various points on the trek, allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of the Peruvians of yesterday and today.
We were going to stay a day in Aquas Calientes after the trek, but seeing the tiny room reserved for us and the sorry state of the town, we begged Roberto to exchange our tickets for one which left that day and we hopped on the train back to Cusco, back to real beds, and back to modern civilization.
Our group of 14 people and 2 tour leaders included 2 girls who live in DC and with whom we spent most of our time (and lent us 50 Peruvian Soles when we ran out of money), 4 Spanish women, an Australian, a couple Scots, and a father-son team from South Carolina. Happily, throughout the ordeal, we all got along and bonded through the pain!
Our hike was along the sacred Inca Trail used by the Incas to travel from Cusco to their winter home/religious center in Machu Picchu. We started at about 2700 meters (nearly 9000 feet), climbed to Dead Woman's Pass (4200 meters or 13,800 feet), and finished at Machu Picchu, situated at the end of a string of mountains, 2400 meters above sea level.
The Inca Trail snakes up and down one side of the Andean mountain chain, leaving us spectacular views of the other set of mountains, snow-covered peaks, and the lush Sacred Valley and Urubamba River which cuts right down the middle of the Andes. Along the way, we passed cows, pigs, goats, sheep, and llamas, both on Andean farms and running wild through the mountain brush.
The micro-climates of the Andes provided us a journey through forests and jungle and up past the tree-line for amazing views ranging for several miles in every direction. While much of our time was spent trudging up and down steep stone stairs laid down nearly 600 years ago by the Inca Empire, every rest stop afforded a view of landscape that exceeded the beauty of anything I had ever seen before.
We arrived to the Sun Gate above Machu Picchu in time for sunrise and trekked down for a tour of the immense city of Machu Picchu, where we viewed exquisite granite buildings, temples, and fountains built by the Incas in the 1400s. The area included agricultural platforms built into the sides of the mountain, houses for the 500 residents, and various assorted buildings for communal and religious purposes. Most of the buildings were in nearly the same form as they had when the Inca Empire existed. Machu Picchu was a spectacular finale to an exhausting yet exhilarating 4 day adventure.
As a side note, the tour was unlike anything I had ever experienced. The staff to trekker ratio was 2 to 1, including 20 porters who carried tents, food, cooking equipment, and hundreds of pounds of supplies along the trail. Each porter likely carried 80 to 100 pounds on his back and ran past us on the trail in order to prepare our campsite and unbelievable 5 course meals which awaited our arrival at the end of each day (plus equally as generous breakfasts, lunches, and teatimes). Our primary guide, Roberto, was a passionate Andean who regaled us with stories of both the Inca Empire and the Andean culture as it exists today. His commentary at each of the 5 Inca cities we passed along the way, along with explanations at various points on the trek, allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of the Peruvians of yesterday and today.
We were going to stay a day in Aquas Calientes after the trek, but seeing the tiny room reserved for us and the sorry state of the town, we begged Roberto to exchange our tickets for one which left that day and we hopped on the train back to Cusco, back to real beds, and back to modern civilization.
Puerto Maldonado, Peru
In order to get to our jungle lodge on the banks of Rio Tambopata (a tributary of the Amazon), we had to fly from Cusco to PM Airport, a 40 minute bus ride, and then an hour and a half boat ride. The trip started on shaky ground. At one point during the boat ride, the guide stopped the boat and pointed out "one turtle, just one turtle." If "just one turtle" was a highlight of the area, it was going to be a long 4 days.
Luckily, that one turtle was just the beginning of the amazing flora and fauna that we would see while at the Explorer's Inn, in the heart of the a National Reserve. Although we had assumed that finishing the Inca Trail would also be the end of early morning hikes, we were wrong. Each morning, we woke up at 5am. One morning for a 10km hike, another morning for yet another boat ride down the Tambopata. But, the early wake-ups were well worth it. We were able to see hundreds of Macaws, parrots, and parakeets, monkeys, butterflies, and toucans. We then had the afternoons off to relax and then each night we went on some sort of night activity.
The first night, we went out on the boat to see about a dozen caimans (basically small alligators) feeding in the river and the next 2 nights we went on night hikes to see all kinds of nocturnal animals such as spiders, opossums, and snakes. Of course, each time we saw something, our guide would inform us that "(blank) is extremely poisonous. If you get bitten, you have enough time to say goodbye to your family. And, the nearest hospital is miles away." That made me feel oh so safe as we hiked in the near-pitch black darkness of the jungle.
The trip to the jungle was a great addition to the trip. Since we were just about "cultured out", sick of the museums and cathedrals, it was a refreshing change to just head outdoors (no hot water, no electricity in the bungalows, a Tamarack-like atmosphere) and learn about the amazing diversity of wildlife in the Peruvian jungle.
On our 4th day, we got back into the boat and headed back to "downtown" Puerto Maldonado, whose airport is extremely high tech -- we went through a metal detector that was turned off, virtually no security and a basic free-for-all walking across the runway to get to the airplane.
Now, almost exactly 3 weeks later, we're back where we started -- Lima. So far, it is a much better city than advertised. We're in a hostel in Miraflores, an affluent suburb close to central Lima. Within 3 blocks, there's a casino, the nicest grocery store I've ever seen, a Papa Johns, and the best gelateria this side of the Atlantic Ocean. What more could one ask for? We have one full day in Lima to check out a couple museums and do our final souvenir shopping.
Luckily, that one turtle was just the beginning of the amazing flora and fauna that we would see while at the Explorer's Inn, in the heart of the a National Reserve. Although we had assumed that finishing the Inca Trail would also be the end of early morning hikes, we were wrong. Each morning, we woke up at 5am. One morning for a 10km hike, another morning for yet another boat ride down the Tambopata. But, the early wake-ups were well worth it. We were able to see hundreds of Macaws, parrots, and parakeets, monkeys, butterflies, and toucans. We then had the afternoons off to relax and then each night we went on some sort of night activity.
The first night, we went out on the boat to see about a dozen caimans (basically small alligators) feeding in the river and the next 2 nights we went on night hikes to see all kinds of nocturnal animals such as spiders, opossums, and snakes. Of course, each time we saw something, our guide would inform us that "(blank) is extremely poisonous. If you get bitten, you have enough time to say goodbye to your family. And, the nearest hospital is miles away." That made me feel oh so safe as we hiked in the near-pitch black darkness of the jungle.
The trip to the jungle was a great addition to the trip. Since we were just about "cultured out", sick of the museums and cathedrals, it was a refreshing change to just head outdoors (no hot water, no electricity in the bungalows, a Tamarack-like atmosphere) and learn about the amazing diversity of wildlife in the Peruvian jungle.
On our 4th day, we got back into the boat and headed back to "downtown" Puerto Maldonado, whose airport is extremely high tech -- we went through a metal detector that was turned off, virtually no security and a basic free-for-all walking across the runway to get to the airplane.
Now, almost exactly 3 weeks later, we're back where we started -- Lima. So far, it is a much better city than advertised. We're in a hostel in Miraflores, an affluent suburb close to central Lima. Within 3 blocks, there's a casino, the nicest grocery store I've ever seen, a Papa Johns, and the best gelateria this side of the Atlantic Ocean. What more could one ask for? We have one full day in Lima to check out a couple museums and do our final souvenir shopping.
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