Trip Report: Impressions of Peru

I tried to stay awake on the flight to watch Paddington in Peru - a perfect transition from London to Lima! I couldn't do it, after my 330am alarm. We arrived close to midnight, same day, in Lima. One hour time difference and no jet lag. That's easy!

Our transfer driver sent me a WhatsApp message the day before my flight. How nice is that! How easy to communicate with him at the airport.

Nice guy. Warm and friendly - a theme, so far.

Stop signs.... optional.

The Banco de la Nacion ATM, around the corner from my hotel, did not mention any fees. Thanks forum, for that insight.

I withdrew two 50s. Soles (sew-lays). Vendors cringe and decline the large bills. The mini food market took them, grudgingly. Next time I'll take out 20 soles. And again. And again, if I need to.

ETA: not so fast, the bank says, multiple withdrawals in a row? Sounds suspect to us. I'll try again tomorrow.

We arrived 2 days early in Lima. Good decision. Other tour members arrived the day before the tour - because there's no time change, so why wouldn't you? Delayed flights will put them in at 430 am. They won't need to wait for their luggage, it didn't make their thrice rescheduled flights. So maybe they'll be at the hotel by 6am to catch a few winks before our 1030am tour meeting.

Don't let the "no time change" thing fool you!

I wouldn't come to Lima to see the Huaca Pucllana ruins, but it's right there in Lima, a 15 minute walk, so why not!

$2.11 entrance fee for 60+.

The tiny museum shows a nice timeline of the non Inca people who built it. The curious (going for food) llamas and emu at the end are a fun bonus.

Our food tour with Exquisito Peru was terrific!

We started in their little shop with an intro to locally grown fruits, vegetables and cacao. We tasted delicious fruits that I've never seen or heard of! Sweet fruits, slightly sour ones, and a milky white one that I'd love to have for breakfast every day!

We wandered through the Barranco district, with its colorful and Bohemian flair. We stopped in 3 historic places for demonstrations of making ceviche and Pisco sours. The oldest bar in Barranco, where we tasted that local drink, doesn't have any sign - because if you live in Barranco, you know what it is!

The front of the local Cathedral has been restored, but hundreds of vultures like to sit on top of the nave, which hasn't been. They keep the streets clean. (Along with lots of paid workers who I've seen everywhere, sweeping, cleaning, pruning, trimming and lots of constructing.)

The Miraflores Indian markets are blocks and blocks and rows after rows (after rows) of colorful handmade (and not handmade) articles: clothing and blankets and jewelry and scarves and Alpaca sweaters and jewelry and Alpaca socks and hand crocheted wall hangings (one is the perfect colors and will look great in my bedroom!) and toys and colorful journals.

And did I mention jewelry? Bright 950 silver with Inca (and other) designs and bright colorful stones that dazzle me in a way that precious gems do not.

If you like to shop, and you like colorful locally made artisan products, allow time. Plenty of time!!

Glad you made it and am looking forward to this report!

Looking forward to this, CW. Peru has never called to me but I expect after your report it will!

Hooray you made it!

We tasted delicious fruits that I've never seen or heard of! Sweet
fruits, slightly sour ones, and a milky white one that I'd love to
have for breakfast every day!

Oh, the fruit! A cab driver laughed at me when I told him one of the best things about my trip was the fruit. Granadilla (looks like fish eggs) and cherimoya (custard apple) were my favorites. And the avocados (yes, a fruit according to the Google).

Envious of your culinary and travel adventures to come.

Oh, I loved Peru. We stayed in the Barranco District, which was wonderful.

If you have the option, go to Machu Picchu later in the day. Most people go for sunrise, so it is much more crowded then, but the skies are often foggy at that time of day, anyhow. We found sunset very quiet and magical.

Enjoy!

Stop signs.... optional.

Don't you just love countries with flexible driving laws, lol!

Don't let the "no time change" thing fool you!

Distance matters. :-)

The fruit sounds luscious! I've had cherimoya before and it was like eating heaven. And Peru itself sounds really wonderful so far, and I'm bumping it up on my list in my head. I can't wait to read more! Have fun and enjoy the country!

Fruit sounds delicious! And thank goodness for WhatsApp. How did we survive before?

Looking forward to your updates!

I was hoping you would do an on the ground trip report! Looking forward to reading more!

cherimoya (custard apple)

That's it, CL, thank you! I never caught the name. Delicious!!

If you have the option, go to Machu Picchu later in the day.

Thank, you, BB. Our tour goes twice. The first afternoon for the "full city tour" and the next morning for the "view tour." I didn't catch the name of the circuits.

I’m glad you are having a good time, and I’m looking forward to the rest of your report.

This all sounds wonderful. who is the tour operator?

Thanks

I enjoyed Peru a lot. We went in 1994. You describe the flight there to a T! Our flights were delayed for hours so we were extremely tired when we arrived near midnight. Our next day pick up was 5:30 AM. We balked when told so an hour after we fell asleep, the guide called to say to be ready by 7AM.
I planned the trip using local guides and they were wonderful. Hubby got sick the last day and I got sick on the plane home. Be careful.

It seems many of us are branching out and visiting other continents. Does this mean we’ve exhausted Europe? No, never.
Will be following along with your on the ground report. Peru is not on my list but I do love to read about other poster’s adventures.

Fantastic! So glad to hear you’re having a wonderful trip. YUM too bad you can’t bring lots of fruit back. Have you tried the empanadas yet? It was a staple on my backpacking trip in 1975. That and the chocolate was pretty good I seem to recall….

Can’t wait for your next update!

You learn so many things with a tour guide.

According to our guide, for the best rates, you should withdraw dollars from the ATM and exchange those for soles at a Cambio de Exchange.

I have not verified this. But that's what we did today. So my $100 became 355 soles, con monedas .... with some coins.

"Thank, you, BB. Our tour goes twice. The first afternoon for the "full city tour" and the next morning for the "view tour." I didn't catch the name of the circuits."

Sounds like what we did, although we didn't use a tour. We did the city visit in the afternoon and did the walk to the Sun Gate the next morning.

I've had cherimoya before and it was like eating heaven

Perfect description, Mardee! Where did you have it? Any chance Sprouts carries it?!? I would drive to find it!

CL, you did tell me, but wow!! Fruit and jewelry might be my favorites so far. The grilled octopus at dinner last night was pretty delicious, with a very blue, and hence named, Margarita Azul.

I suspect in your neck of the woods you might find cherimoya at Whole Paycheck or a good grocer that specializes in Hispanic foods. I've never looked for it here, assumed it would pale in comparison to real life. Maybe a field trip is in order :)

And did I mention jewelry? Bright 950 silver with Inca (and other) designs and bright colorful stones that dazzle me in a way that precious gems do not.

(Star eye emoji)

This is so fun, I'll be following along! Have fun!!

CW, I'm racking my brain trying to remember. I know it was in California someplace (yes, not much help!). I had read about it in a book that I also can't remember, and happened to see it at some market. It was some years ago but I still remember the taste!

Peru is not on my list

It wasn't on my list either. It was on my tour buddy's list. At first I said no. But her husband won't go, so here I am!

He doesn't want to go to Egypt either. Can you see the situation I'm in :-)

who is the tour operator?

George H, this is an Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) tour:

https://www.oattravel.com/trips/land-adventures/south-america/peru-machu-picchu-and-the-sacred-valley/2021/itineraries

Ha, so when are you going to Egypt???

And did I mention jewelry? Bright 950 silver with Inca (and other)
designs and bright colorful stones that dazzle me in a way that
precious gems do not.

I'm assuming there will be some amazing bling to show us at our next in-person meeting??

I would check the Berkeley Bowl for cherimoya.

Edited to add that I checked with a friend who shops there regularly and she is sure she has seen them there, although they might not always have them.

Our food tour guide said It Never Rains in Lima.

Our bus tour guide said It Never Rains in Lima.

And our OAT Tour Leader said It Never Rains in Lima.

I'm not pulling out my raincoat, but there are teeny tiny water droplets shimmering down from the sky.

Our tour guide can't believe it.

check the Berkeley Bowl for cherimoya

Oh my, thanks Barbara N!!

Today we wandered all over Miraflores, down to the ocean and back. I thought 60 degrees was cold; the water here is 40. The surfers look cold, even with wet suits.

Tonight we had churros with thick hot chocolate. Almost identical to the place in Madrid. I wonder if there's a connection! ;-)

Have you tried the empanadas yet?

Yes! The food tour was a progression from breakfast to lunch and dinner, then drinks and later dessert.

Empanadas and coffee were "breakfast". Yum!! The pastry was a tiny bit sweet and a whole lot delicious!!

I'm assuming there will be some amazing bling to show us

Those who know me will not be surprised that there will be some lovely Lapis lazuli pieces!! An Inca Cross necklace and cacao leaf earrings. And maybe a few other pieces ;-)

So you see, they're really souvenirs.

And some Alpaca socks for next week in the mountains!

Hubby got sick the last day and I got sick on the plane home. Be careful.

I accidentally ran my toothbrush under the faucet. Our tour guide said you can brush your teeth with the water, just don't drink it.

The restaurants we've been in make their ice with filtered water. And wash their foods.

So far so good.

And get this, you can take as much liquids as you like on domestic flights within Peru. Just not international ones.

Those who know me will not be surprised that there will be some lovely Lapis lazuli pieces!! An Inca Cross necklace and cacao leaf earrings. And maybe a few other pieces

Oh my goodness would I love to see photos!!!!

Well Peru IS on our list, very close to the top! We almost went 2 years ago, but civil unrest caused us to postpone. Thanks for reporting on your trip!

CW, for someone who didn't really want to go to Peru, sounds like you're continuing to have an amazing trip!!

Our food tour guide said It Never Rains in Lima. Our bus tour guide
said It Never Rains in Lima. And our OAT Tour Leader said It Never
Rains in Lima.

This is a funny memory - We camped somewhere in the dessert north of Lima along the coast, next to some ruins where 'it hadn't rained in 2000 years'. Then it rained & all the ruins looked like mud mounds.

So glad to hear your trip is off to a good start. My husband and I went to Peru with Imprint Tours (run by former RS guide Reid Coen) last September. We loved it! The people are wonderful, the food is delicious, the history is fascinating, and the scenery is incredible. Our trip followed a similar itinerary to yours except we also went to the Amazon, which I did not care for. It was 95 and humid and we stayed in a lodge with no AC and no glass or screens in the windows. I have never been so hot in my life. But as much as I hated it, I'm glad I did it. It was an experience and I learned a lot. Everything else was fun and interesting. And cool! As for Machu Picchu, there are no words. Just an amazing place.

The Imprint tour is going again October 2-12, 2025 and there is room. I highly recommend it. The tour guides are absolutely top notch; one is from Peru and one is a former RS guide from the US (William Rosendin).

But back to you, CWsocial... Looking forward to following you on your trip.

Catch of the Day

This morning we stopped at one of the many fish markets, where the men bring the fresh catch, in 22kg crates, from the tiny boats. One guy - one strong guy - hauls every single crate through the waves near shore from the boat to the beach next to the market. Again and again. From pre dawn until about 11am, depending on the day's haul.

All morning. One guy. He's been doing it since he was 11. He's 65 now, with no plans to stop working.

He makes 3 Sole per crate, about $0.85, usually about $35 per day.

He lives in the nearby shanty towns in the hills.

civil unrest caused us to postpone

There have been protests in the city center by the miners (as alerted by an email from our US State Dept) causing the Plaza Mayor to be fenced off. We got to go in anyway 2 days ago, and took photos of the Cathedral, the Presidential Palace and the Municipal Buildings. But not today.

Instead we walked the surrounding streets where we were the main attraction for the school children, who were snapping photos of us. They wanted to know my name and where I was from. In English, so they could practice. Adorable, wide eyed 5th-ish graders in their blue school uniforms, on their twice yearly field trip.

Carroll, thanks for sharing your trip! Our tour has an Amazon option that we didn't take. Apparently nobody on our tour did.

We have 2 OAT employees in our group, purely on vacation. And 3 or 4 twenty somethings.

A few of the delayed arrivers still do not have their luggage, after 2 days. They get to file baggage delay claims. Ugh.

Peru is a nice surprise. We enjoyed it much more than we ever dreamed.

Re: Local foods -- have you tried guinea pig yet? We didn't, but some on our tour did. I was shocked to learn it is a local favorite.

We went in October (2 yrs ago) , and bugs were not bad. We did take altitude meds.

Machu Picchu was beyond what I dreamed (from photos).

Glad you are having a great time :)

How did we survive before?

I don't know how we did it before WhatsApp and Google Maps and international cellphone plans.

I remember my A to Z spiral bound map of London, and if you were delayed, you just hoped your friend would wait for you. Maybe you had a backup plan. We'd be frantic if someone took our technology away today!

some ruins where 'it hadn't rained in 2000 years'. Then it rained

Yikes, that doesn't sound fun! If it ever really did rain here, I hope the quixotically planted Morning Glories would hold the hillsides and keep them from sliding into the ocean!!

have you tried guinea pig yet?

Maggie, I haven't tried it yet, but I will.

They've made a big deal of saying that guinea pigs are not pets here, they are food. More like chickens to them. (I wouldn't eat my "pet" chicken, either, if I ever would have one!)

I'm also surprised how much I'm enjoying it. I do gravitate to big cities, though of course we're staying in nearly the best part of Lima, far from the areas of dismal poverty.

Speaking of cuy (guinea pig), if you go to Cusco, the cathedral there has a painting of The Last Supper in which cuy is served.

I would have tried cuy chopped up in a stew or something, but I only saw it offered whole (or whole on sticks) with the little head and feet intact. Nope. Couldn't do it.

Oh, head and feet intact, I wasn't planning on that myself.

Thanks for the tip about the painting in Cusco!

It seems many of us are branching out and visiting other continents.

True, Barbara, and that's been contagious! I'm signed up in February for the Villages of Central Mexico tour that Tammy shared with us a while back.

And as she made me realize when she asked the question, interleaving these trips (London, Peru, Mexico) means I haven't even thought about Schengen time.

I forgot that our trip to Peru also included a seven day Amazon river cruise from Iguitos, Peru to Leticia, Columbia. We took a taxi from Leticia across the border to Tabatinga, Brazil and had a beer! So, I’ve been to Brazil ha!
At some stops, children would come on our boat. One little girl admired my painted fingernails so I painted hers. Well, hours later, she brought five of her little friends so I painted their nails too.
One of our crew members said that the school would not allow them to wear polish in class.
Hubby caught piranha. He was so proud ha!
There were pirates along the stretch near Leticia so we had Military onboard for that part of the cruise.
I enjoyed every second. I did refuse to try manioc beer. Look up how it’s made by the natives along the river. No thanks!

Diane, that's so cute that you were polishing their fingernails! Piranha? I hope he wasn't planning to eat them!

That's right, I can officially add Peru to my countries visited!

We visited our first two Inca ruins. The first at Pisac, at a very slow pace to acclimate to the altitude. With llamas strolling by.

This morning a raft trip on the Urubamba River, which flows into the Amazon. We saw a crazy campsite that looked like Airstreams hanging off the rocks. The hard core types sleep in those for rock climbing adventures. We're "roughing" it in a beautiful lodge, with space heaters and heavy blankets.

This afternoon, we hiked at our second Inca (and likely pre-Inca) ruins at Ollyantaytambo, with 250 steps up and 250 steps down. More llamas as our reward at the end.

We were up close to see the gargantuan building blocks and how they fitted them together, including small connective keyhole cutouts filled with molten brass and copper.

We helped prepare lunch, including a salsa that I mashed between an oval rolling pin type stone and a stone base. And we sampled cuy.

Tomorrow we take an overnight bag on the train up to Machu Picchu city for our first visit (Circuit 3) in the afternoon.

The weather has been high 60s, super comfortable! My O2 levels were 92 today. No problems with the altitude.

Off to our discussion of coca leaves.

We saw a crazy campsite that looked like Airstreams hanging off the
rocks.

I saw something like that too, but you had to zip line between the pods. My first thought was "nope, never!"

Enjoy MP, you're going to love it.

CW, I'm so enjoying your posts! I did a similar OAT tour in 2022 and loved it! Enjoy Machu Picchu!

We also took an OAT trip to Peru and Machu Picchu and the Galápagos Islands. We loved the tour! And the company!

The one thing OAT does different from RS is that they handle your luggage and our advancing age that made a nice and welcome difference.

It almost (but not yet) made us decide not to do any more RS Steves tours (we've done 5) and go with small tour groups like OAT that handle the luggage.

I know we will use OAT to visit Egypt and Jordan in the future.

Handling the luggage is especially nice on this trip with all the gear we've had to pack... hiking poles and hiking shoes, bug sprays, clothes to wear rafting, shoes for rafting, both an overnight bag (for 3 days away from our main luggage) and a daypack for the hikes.

It's not a carry on trip!

This morning we had a healing and thanks ceremony to Pachamama with a local Shaman. He prepared the offerings. With 3 coca leaves in our hands, we made our wishes and blew 3 times. Then he came around and waved the offerings across our bodies to heal, taking extra time with our co traveler with extreme scoliosis. 3 more breaths and he burned the offerings to Pachamama.

Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us, wow, such variety!! I hope you find Machu Picchu magical!!

Yes, it was magical - they must have been magicians to build this place!!

Standing next to a perfectly inclined stone wall that's withstood earthquakes for hundreds of years is remarkable! And the sun temple for the equinox in summer and in winter is amazing!

We had perfect blue skies, not hot / not cool. And not a single mosquito in sight.

Practicals - lots and lots of uneven stone staircases. Maybe half with handrails, most with higher rise than we're used to. Definitely a quad workout!

The High and Winding Road to Machu Picchu

I forced myself to look out at the view as we rode in and out on the bus, on the seeming one way road with lots of switchbacks. Somehow incoming buses found room to pass.

CL, I kept repeating to myself "they make this drive thousands of times per year!"

Tour vs DIY trip

Today was the classic tradeoff of a tour. Someone took care of every little detail for me. The train ticket. 2 bus tickets. A timed Machu Picchu ticket. I didn't have to think about it. I didn't have to worry about it. And today, I didn't have to stress about it.

At the site, I would have spent far more time, and I would have spent it differently. Would I have learned as much, no. Would I have seen more of the site and spent more time looking into every little corner, yes.

Having said that, by going at 2pm, there were (according to our guide) far fewer crowds. We had lots of great photo opportunities all to ourselves.

Our bus leaving from the Machu Picchu ruins back to the train had a cute little boy helping us onto the bus. He was about nine, I think. As CW said, the road has hairpin curves and a very steep grade. This little boy ran down the very steep hillside between switchbacks and waved as we turned each corner. He did this all the way to the bottom ( a very long way). He missed meeting us at onlyone switchback the entire route. At the bottom, he helped us all off the bus. He got a lot of tips.

CL, I kept repeating to myself "they make this drive thousands of
times per year!"

Definitely merits a repeat (or two). Glad you had a magical day, it's definitely a magical place!

Today was the classic tradeoff of a tour. Someone took care of every little detail for me. The train ticket. 2 bus tickets. A timed Mach Picchu ticket. I didn't have to think about it. I didn't have to worry about it. And today, I didn't have to stress about it.

THAT sounds totally worth it!! I'm working on a DIY trip to Pompeii in December and there's countless details to figure out. Although I love the planning, there's just stuff I DON'T want to do, so I'm adding more day tours so I don't have to think about it!!

4 out of 5 on the OAT Activity Level

If you're thinking of going to Machu Picchu, get your legs in shape for stairs.

The Incas built beautifully even and surprisingly smooth surface walls. If their stairs started out that way, they're not now.

On Circuit 3, the most stairs in a single go was about 50 tall, uneven stairs. But there were little sets of 5 or 10 or 20 uneven stairs between rooms and connecting different areas. Each "stair" might be 4 or 5 or 6 rocks that are not flat and not even.

Today we're doing Circuit 1 to the top.

The good news is that our Tour Leader gives us information breaks or photo stops as we ascend the longer staircases. But he was moving at a pretty good clip on the smaller ones. We had a 2nd guide who took some of our group on a shortcut route.

If you go on your own, you can set your own pace.

I'm very glad that I incorporate the little hills in my neighborhood into my daily dog walks. I think it made a difference.

Thanks for taking us along! It sounds like an amazing trip.

We went to Machu Picchu for our second visit this morning. Absolutely positively worth the effort. And it was an effort. Some people didn't go back for the 2nd day. Too much for their knees or feet.

We took Circuit 1 up dozens and dozens and dozens of stairs, some modern woods steps with handrails, many uneven sets of stone steps with no handrails.

To the top. With perfectly clear blue skies and perfect views of the ancient city against the backdrop of the mountain. And the high cirrus clouds looked like they were an impressionist painting creating a sky halo above the mountain.

An absolutely perfect day for "the money shot."

And wow!! It was amazing. And magical. And for a little while, peaceful. Wow.

Amazing! I know you are so glad you went!

"And wow!! It was amazing. And magical. And for a little while, peaceful. Wow."

Sounds wonderful. I absolutely think it's worth going twice, especially since it can take so much planning, time, and money to get there. The experience and perspectives can be very different.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm enjoying your report.

It is definitely a WOW sight. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.

I’m looking forward to do seeing some photos!

In what seems like the middle of nowhere, we stopped for lunch at a cavernous Peruvian buffet that can surely seat more than 1000 people! They must host events.

Earlier we stopped at a tiny home bar, recognizable by its red flag outside, that serves Chicha to the local farmers on their way to work and again afterwards. She can serve about 50 glasses per day. In her back room, with its dirt floor, the proprietor raises guinea pigs.

What an exciting and beautiful trip! Thanks for this report! Looking forward to seeing some pictures.

Peruvian Restaurant in Cuzco

Tammy, or anyone, if you need a place to eat in Cusco, I found a fabulous option in this article:

https://luxlifelondon.com/best-places-eat-cusco-peru/

We went to Chicha, which is very near the main square.

Per the article:

"Chicha is one of Gaston Acurio’s restaurants, and if you’re a foodie, you’ll know that name.

He’s the godfather of Peruvian cuisine and is the man responsible for making it popular around the world through his collection of Peruvian restaurants.

Chicha is one of his restaurants in Cusco, and it was every bit as good as they say it is."

We had shrimp rellenos in a Thai crema that was fabulous. Best dish I've had in Peru! The decor was a tasteful contemporary Peruvian, and the service was just right.

Price for 2 people, each with 1 glass of wine, a starter and the main course was roughly $100.

Do make a reservation. At 630, guests without one were being told that the next availability was at 9pm. Travel clothes fit right in.

Electricity and Wireless Tips (for Tammy or others)

Every hotel we've stayed in (city, business type hotels) has had 220V outlets that accept both US blade and European round style plugs. I haven't needed any adaptor. No USB outlets that I recall.

Our tour guide was complaining that the new Lima airport only has European style outlets, which he says Peruvians don't have.

The wifi in hotels in the smaller towns has been spotty. In Lima and Cuzco it's been fast and steady.

We had shrimp rellenos in a Thai crema that was fabulous. Best dish I've had in Peru! The decor was a tasteful contemporary Peruvian, and the service was just right. YUM!!!!

CW, every time I see the word "Cuzco", I think of the movie "The Emperor's New Groove", as it was the name of the emperor (David Spade).

I love the movie, but in case you've never seen it, it's animated and takes place in Peru during Inca times.

Mardee, that sounds fun, I'll have to watch it!

Yesterday was the OAT Day in the Life activity.

We visited multiple street vendors and learned about their micro business models.

Then we were taken to the local outdoor market, split into teams of 2 and 3, and given shopping lists and a few key phrases in Spanish. We had to find out the prices of several items and purchase 1 item with 2 Soles. Then we had to flag down a tuk tuk taxi and negotiate the ride back to our bus with the 4 Soles we were given. In 25 minutes. Kind of an Amazing Race, in Peru :-)

There were only 2 of us who spoke a little Spanish, and mine is more Ital-ish than Spanish. So this was quite the challenge, but we all got a kick out of it!!

Today was the last day of our tour activities.

Tomorrow we begin the journey...

... from South America back to North America

... from Spanish back to English

... from a country where a microbrewery is a woman making Chicha in her kitchen for farmers.

.... from a country where you can buy bread from your neighbor who makes it on the ground floor of their house.

... from a country where I made a friend each time I made a purchase; I even negotiated into the price.... I'll pay 18 soles, with a photo!

From a country where "Ayni" is both a bartering system and a way of life.... today I help you and tomorrow you help me.

This trip is rigorous... with high altitudes, strenuous ancient ruin hikes, and hotel changes every 2 nights. I'm thrilled that I was up to the challenge. The rewards were friendly people, magical views and that ever broadening perspective!!

I don’t know how you could make it sound more wonderful. :) I am beyond glad it was. I won’t ever make this trip (small possibility of something much less rigorous) but I have loved seeing it through your eyes.

Wow, fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing! I hope we are up for the challenge. DH has asthma, so those altitudes are a big concern!

This was so interesting and so much fun to read! Thanks for bringing us along, CW—it sounds like such an incredible country!

Departure Day

This afternoon is departure. We have our hotel rooms until 2pm. I'll arrive back in Denver just before 2pm tomorrow. During checkin for the overnight flight from Lima to Houston, I snagged the last seat in Polaris, in a fire sale offering that was 1/4 the cost of peak prices. Yay!

Independence Day

Peru still has surprises in store: their independence day (from Spain) is July 28. Today (oddly Thursday) there are parades, much like we would have in the US with schoolchildren, military, teachers, firefighters, the National Anthem, etc, which I'm watching in the main square along with thousands of Cuzqueños.

ETA: there is a massive show of Peruvian power, including some scary looking guys in jungle camouflage with Kiss-loooking face paint, German Shepherds and even a pit bull.

Vendors are selling everything from sunhats to cuy, churros, Chicha Morada, popcorn and ice cream. A guy just walked by selling coca leaves; even the locals chuckled :-)

DH has asthma, so those altitudes are a big concern!

A pulse oximeter has been very handy to measure oxygen levels. My readings stayed in the 90s, but there were still breathless moments. Our tour guide made lots of stops during our walks, and especially during the ascents.

The OAT tour is designed to help us acclimate, with increasing altitudes until our final days in Cuzco at over 11,000 ft. I had the advantage of spending a week in Denver prior to the trip.

And everyone I spoke to on tour was taking Diamox.

This sounds like a wonderful trip!
And thank you for sharing the altitude experience. I’ve always wanted to see Machu Picchu and have never had trouble with altitude – until I went to Tibet. The altitude there really got my attention, so I crossed Machu Picchu off my mental to do list.

It sounds like you did it right, though, and acclimated slowly.

Loved following along on your trip!

too old for the Yellow Fever vaccine

One more question… you mentioned the yellow fever vaccine, and being over the age limit (So am I).
Is the yellow fever vaccine required for Peru? Or just advised? I’m wondering, since my yellow fever vaccination was almost 50 years ago, and even though one shot is supposed to be good for life, I have not kept track of my old yellow WHO card, so don’t have proof of it. I always figured I’d get it again if needed - I didn’t realize there was an upper age limit. Yikes. So thank you for that information!

Normally, the Yellow Fever vaccination is not recommended for Machu Picchu and the typical tourist destinations. It's more often recommended in the jungle.

But I got an email this year from our State Department saying there had been yellow fever outbreaks in the tourist areas and so they were recommending it more than usual.

My doctor told me that over 60 they still considered the possible side effects of the vaccine to be higher risk than the likelihood of yellow fever.

I never saw anything saying it was required for Peru.

I wish I had known and gotten it when I was younger. Some over 60s do still get it, depending on their destinations.

ETA: in July, I never saw a single mosquito, even at MP. Not one. One tour member did get bit, by something, but didn't seem to have any side effects other than itching at the site.

Thank you. I’m glad there were no mosquitos! And thanks again for sharing your trip. I’ve never been on an OAT trip, but some of their trips sound intriguing. And I really like the idea of a small group like you had.

What a great adventure! I enjoyed reading your on the ground trip report and look forward to hearing more about it.

CW,
I am enjoying traveling with you...as usual. It is fabulous to read about your adventures!

Peru....thinking hard...

Archaeological Wonders Near Cuzco

We visited two archaeological sites with our tour that are both within easy reach of the center of Cuzco. While they aren't "wonders of the world" they were both awe-inspiring, and shake-your-head hard to believe how they did it.

Saqsaywaman (close enough that some people walked back to Cuzco from the site)

This site is an incredible feat of construction engineering, with beautiful symetric walls made from gargantuan stones. Even when the guide explains the theories, it's still shake-your-head hard to believe that they could move those stones into place to make walls with such precision. And such strength to withstand earthquakes that take down our modern buildings.

Tipon (less than an hour from Cuzco)

This site is an incredible feat of civil engineering, with it's water collection system that reaches under the mountains to collect overnight frost and uses the sun to melt it for irrigation to create a 2nd winter growing season. It's shake-your-head hard to believe that they come up with the ideas and were able to do it.

There's a book about this one:
"Tipon: Water Engineering Masterpiece of the Inca Empire" by Kenneth R. Wright, who describes Tipon as "a stunning civil engineering achievement by the Inca, who were masters of irrigation and hydraulic technology."

https://www.amazon.com/Tipon-Water-Engineering-Masterpiece-Empire/dp/0784408513

I was fascinated by both of these archaeological parks and in awe of the engineering that went into each of them.

Peru....thinking hard...

This makes me smile, my work is done!

Loved your trip report! Exactly which tour did you do? This is a bucket list tour for sure.

I'm looking at the 18 day OAT tour to Machu Picchu and Galapagos with my two besties - my mom & husband for 2027.

Right now, we're in good health, but would be 81 and 61 when we go. Mom line dances, zumbas, and is pretty darn fit. My DH & I are working to get at her level, lol. Do you think it is doable?

Thank you for sharing this with us.

sciencegrrl,

I took the 11 day Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley tour:

https://www.oattravel.com/trips/land-adventures/south-america/peru-machu-picchu-and-the-sacred-valley/2021/itineraries

We were never on a ship, though the land based portion has a lot of similarities with the 17 day trip you're looking at.

Considerations are each of your abilities to handle altitude, with lots and lots of stairs, uneven and scrabbly stairs. Like a thigh master workout going up. And an equally tough one going down.

We had tour members in their 70s who all made it. One lady's ankles gave her trouble on the down stairs so she only went to Machu Picchu once.

I swim 5 or 6 days a week when I'm home, but not at altitude. I spent time in Denver (the Mile High City) to help acclimate before the trip. I did all the stairs at each place, with some breathless moments at the tops.

Our guide was better at pacing us than when I occasionally set off on my own. He knew exactly what pace to set for a bunch of 60 and 70 year old ladies and 2 gents.

I won't kid you, it was a challenge. And I would do it again!

We visited two archaeological sites with our tour that are both within
easy reach of the center of Cuzco. While they aren't "wonders of the
world" they were both awe-inspiring, and shake-your-head hard to
believe how they did it.

Saqsaywaman (close enough that some people walked back to Cuzco from
the site)

This site is an incredible feat of construction engineering, with
beautiful symetric walls made from gargantuan stones. Even when the
guide explains the theories, it's still shake-your-head hard to
believe that they could move those stones into place to make walls
with such precision. And such strength to withstand earthquakes that
take down our modern buildings.

Tipon (less than an hour from Cuzco)

This site is an incredible feat of civil engineering, with it's water
collection system that reaches under the mountains to collect
overnight frost and uses the sun to melt it for irrigation to create a
2nd winter growing season. It's shake-your-head hard to believe that
they come up with the ideas and were able to do it.

There's a book about this one: "Tipon: Water Engineering Masterpiece
of the Inca Empire" by Kenneth R. Wright, who describes Tipon as "a
stunning civil engineering achievement by the Inca, who were masters
of irrigation and hydraulic technology."

https://www.amazon.com/Tipon-Water-Engineering-Masterpiece-Empire/dp/0784408513 Sprunki Game

I was fascinated by both of these archaeological parks and in awe of
the engineering that went into each of them.

This is a fantastic summary of those two archaeological sites near Cuzco! You’ve really captured the sense of awe and disbelief that comes from seeing these ancient engineering feats firsthand. The “shake-your-head hard to believe” feeling is so relatable. Saqsaywaman’s stonework is mind-boggling, and Tipon’s water management system sounds absolutely ingenious. Thanks for sharing the book recommendation too! It’s amazing to learn about the sophisticated knowledge these civilizations possessed.