Peru in a (very large) Nutshell

Peru certainly does not lack diversity. From people, to geography, to climate, to topography, this country truly has it all. And it really packs it in—it's a relatively small country with a rich history to match. Mom and I found an analogy in our travels--we packed a staggeringly diverse array of activities into our short two week visit!

That is not to say we didn't have our snags. For one, I began the journey with a severe sinus infection, the worst possible affliction to have when changing altitudes by the thousands of feet at least every day, if not every hour! To top it off, with 4 days left to go, Mom got a head cold AND bronchitis, with a fever. But since when does anything stop us? Despite our questionable health, and a severe lack of sleep, we took every manner of trains, planes and buses from the coast to the mountains to the valley to the rainforest to the desert and back again. Yikes.

One consequence of our intrepid adventure was the lack of time to update this blog! To TRY to avoid an entry even longer than the first (I may have failed--I'm truly sorry! I don't expect you to read it all though), I have selected a few poignant photos, written short blurbs, and linked to online photo albums for each leg of our excursion. Click the headings to get to those albums. Photos have captions in the online albums to give a bit of background and chronology. I hope you enjoy reading about our adventure...and I hope I can update more regularly from now on. But I make no promises... :)

2/6: Lima – A wedding, a National Festival, and Pisco Sour

We had an adventure getting into Lima on a local combi--the chaotic minibuses that travel all around the cities of South America. After being dropped absolutely NOWHERE near where we intended, we commenced our exploration. Within 30 seconds of entering a quaint church, a bride began her walk down the aisle, and we caught a few minutes of a Peruvian wedding ceremony. A few blocks further, we found ourselves in the midst of a gigantic local celebration—the National Pisco Sour Festival. We watched the Lima Philharmonic play for free on the steps of the National Cathedral, and ran into a community Salsa dance party in Miraflores. We then had our requisite taste of Pisco Sour, the national drink of Peru, right on the Pacific coast of Lima.

2/7-2/8: The Sacred Valley – Land of the Incas

Starting in Cusco, we began our historical and cultural tour of the Inca (Quechua) culture. We stayed overnight in the royal city, which included a short history lesson from a local teenager and the most delicious mojitos we have ever tasted. The next day we started with some delicious Coca tea (yup, they make tea with cocaine plants...and chew them too--it helps with altitude sickness!) We then traveled by local bus to Pisaq to see the early-morning market. In Pisaq, we visited our first Inca ruins with a fellow traveler from Argentina (whom we met in our hostel). We had a fantastic private tour, and learned enough about the Inca culture to carry us through Machu Picchu and other Inca sites. We then continued to Ollantaytambo on more local buses (ours almost broke down 3 times--yikes!!). After a long journey--yes, that was one day--we went to sleep early to wake up at 4:30am for the train to Machu Picchu.








2/9-2/10: Exploring Machu Picchu – Did we really climb a 8900 ft. mountain?


Yup. With the good fortune of having two full days in Machu Picchu, we took our time getting there the first day. We walked to the site museum and learned all about the Inca culture, technology, religion, etc., then (probably illegally) flagged down the bus on its way to Machu Picchu. We explored the first day and resolved to hike up Waynapicchu the second day. The climb up was about an hour and 15 minutes--1200 feet straight up steep Inca steps. The tedious climb included a cave so small that even my tiny self had to basically slither out on my stomach. We stayed up there watching the clouds move over Machu Picchu, and then I almost died coming down the mountain on the rainy, slippery, two-inch-thick, impossibly steep rock stairs. I have small feet, and only about a third of my foot fit on each stair. I was definitely freaking! Although it was a harrowing experience, I recommend it to anyone and everyone—the tiring but breathtaking hike was so worth it! I was left wondering...how on EARTH did the Incas live like this??




2/11-2/13: The Amazon Rainforest – We went Piranha fishing and I caught a Sardine...

After the most idyllic boat ride up the Tambopata River to Posada Amazonas, our Ecolodge in the middle of the rainforest, we listened to the sounds of the jungle as two Howler Monkeys duked it out in the trees. The next day, we took a trip to an oxbow lake, where we were lucky to see 5 of the 250 giant river otters remaining in the world. We spotted some unique bird species as well, went piranha fishing (yes, I caught a sardine...and mom caught 2 PIRANHAS!) and then had a quick break before walking to the Clay Licks to watch Macaws eat some tasty lunch. On our way there, we ran into what must have been 5 packs of monkeys—they were everywhere! After that, we took an ethnobotanical tour through the gardens of the local Shaman, where we learned the medicinal values of some Amazonian plants. They have everything from anesthesia, to natural viagra, to a cancer treatment that has been coopted by a German company. Yeah Western capitalism...not. We even got to try some elixirs—impotence-prevention included. Don't worry though, the dose was too small to do anything :) After a night in our open room, with bats flying around and frogs in our bathroom, we said goodbye with another fabulous trip down-river to the airport.






2/14: En Route to Lake Titicaca – From the Spaniards to the Pre-Incas


We started with the “Sistine Chapel of the Americas,” an elaborate nod to the influence
of the Spanish. Then, we saw some more Inca ruins and ate a traditional lunch with a

baby alpaca (yes, we ate alpaca, but no, we didn't eat the baby. Just played haha). We then learned a bit about the people who inhabited Peru before the Incas. It turns out the Incas weren't so innovative—most of their culture was stolen from those they conquered. At least they weren't as brutal as the Spanish...

2/15-2/16: Lake Titicaca – Cultural Exchange and then some


Mom and I had an amazing stay on Amantani Island with a Quechua family. After visiting the floating reed islands of Uros, we arrived to a warm welcome and got straight to work gardening with Rufino, our host father. We hiked up yet another mountain to watch the most beautiful sunset Amantani has ever seen (according to our guide, who lived there his whole life). Then we danced the night away after being dressed in traditional clothing by Norma, Rufino's daughter. Finally, after saying goodbye, we visited the picturesque island of Taquile, where we hiked some more (whew), saw some beautiful knit-work, and then ate lunch overlooking Lake Titicaca (on an absolutely perfect day, to boot).

2/17: Arequipa – The White City


Our short visit in Arequipa, considered the most beautiful city in Peru, brought us to the famous Santa Catalina monastery, a city-within-a-city. We ate lunch overlooking the colonial-era square, and saw lots of white architecture owing to the abundance of Sillac stone in the area.



2/18: The Nazca Lines – Not even pictures can do it justice

I can try to explain, but it just isn't possible...the enigma of the Nazca lines still to this day baffles archaeologists and historians. Flying in a 6-seat Cessna with two other passengers (6 included the two pilots...) we marveled at the animals, plants, and other figures etched into the rocky sand by the Nazca people over 1000 years ago. What I can't fathom is how anyone lived here—I felt like I was on the surface of the moon or Mars.




So, are you dizzy yet? I certainly was...but in a good way :) To sum it all up, we had a busy, but fantastic, visit to Peru. We did more than I could have possibly imagined, and sicknesses and all, had a great time traveling together!

After our long bus ride back to Lima, we said a very tearful goodbye in the airport, and went our separate ways (I left for Japan and Mom for New York).

Now I'm on my own (so to speak) in bustling Tokyo after a great overnight visit in LA. I'll be updating again soon, and hope you can stop by to read about Japan...if you can still stand reading through all of this!!

Miss you all, and send me your address if you would like a postcard!

--Liz