So...yes to Peru?

If my last couple of posts piqued your interest in going to Peru, which I highly recommend doing, here are some of my insights and advice. 

Start in Cusco, which is located 11,000 feet above sea level, yikes! This quaint and beautiful town is a good first stop to help acclimate to the high altitude that you will find up there in the Peruvian Andes. If you are from anywhere near sea level, this is a challenge! We went to our doctor and had several inoculations, as well as got prescriptions for altitude sickness pills and travelers sickness pills. I ended up needing them both! But don't let that dissuade you! My travel partner didn't need either. I would advise that you consult a physician and update your immunizations for the things they recommend. 

Cusco has so much to see, that I would suggest spending at least two full days in this friendly, little town. We stayed at the elegant Belmond Monasterio, in the old town section. We could walk eveywhere to shop and eat, which was wonderful.

 The colorful vendors had so many interesting, handmade items, that we spent hours just searching for Peruvian treasures like tourqoise jewelry, Alpaca sweaters and blankets, and a myriad of fun trinkets!

There are many delightful eateries scattered throughout the old town and all of them serve authentic Peruvian cuisine. Just ask your hotel for a recommendation.

 One thing you will see EVERYWHERE is Alpaca. They use this ubiquitous animal for just about everything!  Alpaca, of course, are well known for their super soft fur that is made into all manner of garments and blankets. The Peruvians also pride themselves on their delicious Alpaca meat. We definitely had to try it! It's actually very flavorful and tastes a lot like a lean beef. The Peruvian people are also very proud of their grilled Guinea Pigs...we couldn't quite bring oursleves to go there, but let me know if you are brave enough to try it when you go! (I'll spare you the visual!)

After seeing all that the town of Cusco has to offer, hire a driver and go out and see some Incan Ruins! They are quite spectacular!

 Hopefully, after a few days in Cuzco at 11,000 feet, you will be ready to head to one of the seven wonders of the world...Machu Picchu! This is the highlight of a journey to Peru. Also, it’s only at 8000 feet above sea level. Piece of cake!

We boarded the cutest little blue train to take us on the three hour ride to the tiny town of Aguas Calientes. The train ride was a lazy cruise through the Andes with an abundance of vibrant scenery to keep us interested. 

 We planned to stay in the small town of Aguas Calientes, at the foot of the mountian, for two nights. We left our large suitcases at our hotel in Cusco and just took our backpacks for the short stay, which worked out perfectly. There is some shlepping to and fro once you reach Aguas Calientes, so the less to shlep, the better!

The train drops you off right in town where all of the hotels are located. From the train station, it's very easy to walk a few blocks to the bus station, where the shuttle busses leave to take you up to Machu Picchu. We had purchased a two day pass at our hotel the day before, as well as hiring a guide to show us around. You can definitely go and see it on your own, though. The guide was a bit of a splurge!

You MUST purchase the entrance tickets in advance, as they don't sell them at the site. If you want to climb up one of the peaks, you should definitely buy your tickets well in advance, as they tend to sell out. We didn't do this and were not able to climb the easier and more popular Huayna Picchu, but were able to get tickets to climb the higher and more difficult, La Mountania (Machu Picchu). We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into! More on this later... Ugh!

Although there are many reasonable little hotels down in Aguas Calientes, we really wanted to go crazy and stay in the Belmond  Sanctuary Lodge, which is the only hotel that is actually at Machu Picchu. We were only able to reserve our first night there, as they were booked up the next night. This is something that is worth the extra expense if you can afford it. After a long day at Machu Pichu, it is nice to just walk out the gate and right into the hotel.  We stayed at the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo, in Aguas Caliente, the second night and loved it as well! 

Ok, back to Machu Picchu! We departed our train and got tickets for the shuttle bus to the top. It's about a 30 minute drive...which took at least 60 minutes off of my life expectancy! After the "e-ticket" ride (for those of us who remember the old days of Disneyland!)  up the very narrow and winding road, we made it to the foot of one of the most jaw-dropping spectacles I have seen, to date! Machu Picchu in all of it's glory!

 Yes! I was thinking the same thing...how did they get all those giant rocks up that mountain, and how did they carve them to fit so that you can't even squeeze a sheet of paper betweeen them? 

Our wonderful guide informed us that it took thousands of Peruvians to haul and carve these stones! They were fit together like a puzzle. So interesting!

Once you pick your jaw up off the ground, wander around the site and absorb the beauty and majesty of this ancient site. We did just that and stayed until the site closed, knowing we had a full day to explore the next day.

Day 2 at Machu Picchu! The day dawned with our guide, an older Peruvian lady, waiting for us in the lobby. How hard could this be? If our little guide could do it, it couldn't be too difficult...right? We were going to climb La Mountania and then see more of Machu Picchu. Little did we know, that this would be one of the most physically challenging things we would ever encounter! This "hike" is virtually straight up over 1000 feet (see picture below...this is no joke!). We had no idea what was ahead for us and asked the guide how long we would be "hiking" and she told us it was two hours up and one hour back down...uh oh....red flag! Why would it take twice as long to go up than down? I wondered to myself. And what did she mean by "up" and "down"? Well, we found out in short order. It was, literally, a climb straight up! To make a long story short, we climbed up for two and a half hours, then back down for an hour and a half (that three hour thing was not happening), all at 8000 feet above sea level. By the time we got down, we could barely walk, but we wanted to see more of the site. Seriously, my legs were shaking and I wasn't sure I could walk.  But, we sucked it up and limped around for another two hours, with lots of "sit down" breaks. 

The moral of this story is...make your reservations for Huayna Picchu in advance or start doing squats right now! All kidding aside, the views were incredible and once I could walk again, I was glad we did the "hike" up La Mountania. Also, part of the hike was a section of the famous Inca Trail, so I can say that I hiked the Inca Trail and check that one off the old bucket list! 

Machu Picchu lived up to it's reputation for being one of the seven wonders of the world! It truly is a wonder!

After experiencing the beauty of Machu Picchu and Cuzco, I would suggest that, if you can spare a few more days, you take a short flight to the Amazon Rainforest and go to Puerto Maldonado. It's an easy journey from Cuzco and so worth it! Spend a few days at one of the reserves and you will get to see the GIANT trees and walk through the rainforest canopy on wood and rope bridges. It is another experience in Peru that is not to be missed!

 We stayed at the Inkaterra Amazonica Reserva and had a wonderful time! They take you on guided walks and tours, which you can choose each day. The grounds are set right on the edge of the rainforest and on the banks of one of the Amazon River tributaries. We found ourselves in awe of the rainforest and wished we had more time there!

We loved everything about Peru!  The people were so friendly and warm. The country was beautiful and colorful.  And Machu Picchu! Enough said...just go!