The city is composed of districts, and the district of Miraflores is definitely a shining star. This is the capital’s more wealthy area and is full of chic restaurants, boutiques, and shopping centers that would put many North American counterparts to shame. Also, surprisingly, it houses several Las Vegas-type casinos.

The very well-known Parque Kennedy is also known as cat park for its rather sizable population of stray felines, many of which are not shy about getting in your lap to get some attention. They are quick to beg for scraps of food, even though plenty of cat food is set out for them. It’s a great place to relax and to grab a taste of local culture, even if you aren’t interested in playing with its furry denizens.

Parque del Amor is a nice little park with some interesting sculptures.

Meandering along the very long malecón offers great views of the ocean, and if you’re looking for a little adrenaline boost you can get a nice fix by paragliding. A 10-minute tandem ride (you’re attached to an expert) costs 150 PEN or just under $45 USD.

The upscale Larcomar complex offers restaurants with spectacular ocean views and stores that can often be hard to find outside North America and Europe.

In the city’s historic center are a plethora of old churches and former palaces, the latter all serving as government buildings now. A good place to start is in the Plaza de Armas, also known as the Plaza Mayor.

Take a short walk from this main square to gaze at the beautiful Palacio de Gobierno, the residence and office of Peru’s president. Monday through Saturday at 1 PM you can witness the changing of the guard, and free tours are offered on Saturday mornings (call 3113908 for a reservation, but you’ll need to schedule it by the Thursday before your planned visit).

Nearby is the San Francisco monastery which also serves as a museum. If you’ve spent a lot of time in Latin America you may be yawning at the prospect of visiting yet another church, but this particular edifice is also the site of Lima’s catacombs which are interesting to view, as is the interior of the former monastery itself.

Unfortunately, they do not allow photos or video (with our without flash) and there are nearly a hundred signs spread throughout the building reminding you of this fact. Admission to the monastery, which includes a guided tour (bilingual guides are available for English speakers), when we went were 7 PEN for adults (about $2) and 1 PEN for children/senior citizens.

If you are traveling with children, it’s worth coming to the plaza (which is free) just to watch them feed and/or chase the large flocks of pigeons that congregate here. Don’t be surprised if several school-age children ask to have their picture taken with you or for your photograph if you look like you’re a gringo. They seem to derive great pleasure from this, and it’s harmless fun.

Parque de las Leyendas (site is in Spanish) is a fairly unique complex run by the municipality. It consists of a zoo, museum, botanical garden, a lagoon, and also is the site of many pre-Incan ruins. The park is open seven days a week, including during local holidays, from 9 AM to 6 PM. Admission is fairly reasonable at 14 PEN (about $4) for adults, and children ages 3-12 are 8 PEN.

Lima is a coastal town, and its beaches are popular year round, especially with surfers. Known as the Costa Verde it is not only highly walkable but also a great bike ride as the circuito de las playas transverses four different districts. While the waves probably can’t be classified as world class, it’s still a beautiful spot to surf, swim, or just to enjoy the fresh salty air. During the non-summer months, you’ll definitely want to wear a wetsuit as the water is quite chilly.

Another thing to remember is that Lima is one of the gastronomy hotspots of the world, and there are certainly enough diverse places to please even the most selective of foodie palates.

Tierra Santa has great Middle Eastern food, and Manolo has wonderful churros. Friends highly enjoy Wasabi for their all-you-can-eat sushi, which has some very unique twists.

If you’ve already been here, what are your favorite things to do in Lima?

While waiting for my change, I spotted a uniformed person watching me out of the corner of my eye. All I had was a backpack since LAX loved my baggage so much they decided to send it on the next flight.  I wondered what on earth I was doing that was so interesting to this official.

The cashier handed me my proof of payment, and I asked for directions for my next stop. As I headed to the stairs, the gentleman stepped in front of me with a clipboard. If you’ve been to malls in the US, this usually means someone is trying to get you to fill out a survey. I held my eyes in place so that if they rolled I wouldn’t offend the very nice person with a badge and a large baton. He handed me the clipboard. I skimmed it rapidly and realized I was to be checked to make sure I wasn’t smuggling drugs. No problem. I have 6 hours to kill and a small backpack. Knock yourself out, dude. I smiled, said OK, and followed him with an amused grin on my face. All part of the adventure, right?

We entered a room with a device that I had seen quite a lot of on TV back home. I looked at his desk with its 2 black flat screen monitors, one of which looked awfully similar to the ones used to review CAT scan images. Yes, I was about to be body scanned. The US news was currently ablaze over the images produced by these scanners, and now I was going to have the privilege of experiencing it first hand.

Now, I’m no prude. And with my . . . body habitus, if you want to see a naked image of me, well, go for it. Better that than getting groped by some guy who won’t even be buying me dinner or drinks afterward. Don’t you think if you’re going to get groped, we should at least have the ability to pick the person who is going to be goosing us?

However, now I was a little more tentative. I was in a windowless room with no other witnesses. No one else had seen me go with this guy who looked like he was wearing a military uniform. I still wasn’t sure why I needed to be scanned, and the paperwork, which was also in English, didn’t help much. Couldn’t I just lift up my shirt, empty out my pockets, remove my shoes?

The very polite and pleasant officer guided me to the futuristic-looking machine and gave me directions. I was to turn my head with my arms at my side. I almost asked if he wanted me to cough, but I think the humor would’ve been lost in the moment. Then lickety split we were done.

He was so proud, too. “We got this from your country!” he said with a huge grin as he proudly pointed at one of the monitors. I glanced over and did a double take. Understanding began to dawn on me as I viewed not only my naked body but also my organs. My layers of . . . adipose tissue looked even less appealing on the computer screen.

His pudgy finger jabbed at the screen as he pointed to my large intestine. “You have gas, but no drugs.” Best. Line. Ever. Admit it!  I fought the feeling to suddenly put on several more layers of clothes by checking out the image of my lungs. Yep, all clear. Good.

Gas, but no drugs. And no pneumonia or congestion either.

In the morning I enjoyed sitting outside eating my breakfast just a few meters from the gentle waves.  And then it was time to explore the town by my favorite method:  afoot.

A surfing mecca in Peru

This park is dedicated to peace between Peru & Ecuador

As I walked around the town, at first enjoying the colors and the occasional odd sight, including ducks, guinea pigs, and chickens for sale as food, I suddenly felt waves of depression wash over me.  They soon broke and changed into flareups of extreme anger.  I had never experienced anything like this before.  I was getting concerned.  I knew I had a big event waiting for me when I got home, but could it be attributed to that?  It was just so bizarre.  Friends made suggestions, I meditated, I walked, I ate. . . nothing worked.  I kept getting these rushes of extreme emotion.  When it persisted the whole day, I decided I was out of there!  I got online and made reservations for a hotel in Trujillo, arranged a cab, and then tried to make it through the night.

The next day I left Pacasmayo.  The further the taxi drove from the coastal town, the more my mood lifted.  I was smiling again!  Colors were fantastic.  Smells from restaurants and homes brought me joy.  I shrugged and said a silent prayer that whatever dark cloud was hanging over that town would quickly dissipate.

I ended up really enjoying my short time in Trujillo.  According to the cab driver, this is the 2nd largest city in Peru.  I checked into my hotel and was pleasantly surprised.  I couldn’t believe what I was getting for the price!  I dropped off my bags and hit the pavement to explore.  I loved Trujillo!  It’s on my list to go back and check out more, especially since there are some ruins nearby which are reportedly quite interesting.  Better yet, I was the only non-South American everywhere I went.  And any place that has street vendors selling flavored popcorn for 35 cents has to be good, right?

The original water distribution system for Trujillo, c.16th century

This picture above is why I love just walking around and taking streets that seem like they may be interesting.  I just happened to run into this.

Counterfeiters are chained up for an eternity apparently.

And those weird experiences in Pacasmayo?  Never happened in Trujillo.  On my flight back to Lima to end my trip and return to the US, I picked up the local paper to read.  What was on the front page?  Pacasmayo experienced a 4.6 earthquake the day I left.  No injuries or destruction.  Is that wild or what? So if I ever get that feeling again, we’re hightailing it out of there. The only unusual behavior from animals was that I didn’t see any dogs in the town, something that isn’t normal for Peru.  No dog except for this one who was doing a fine impression of a gargoyle.

Thanks for joining me on my trip to Peru.

Our first day was relaxed.  Our guide, Freddy, took us on a walk through the nature trail they’ve established, and we were quickly rewarded by our first sighting of monkeys and seeing macaws flying overhead.  For someone who is used to only seeing them in zoos and pet stores, it was surreal.  The food was fabulous.  They use only local produce and meats, although fish is not served.  Unfortunately, gold mining in the river has resulted in toxic levels of mercury poisoning, and therefore the lodge does not serve fish.  I was bummed because I was hoping to have some exotic fish dishes while I was so close to the river, but yeah, I could do without mercury toxicity.

Shell looks a bit like a coconut. When opened, this is what you find.

We went to bed fairly early since we had to get up at the butt crack of dawn.  Our unearthily happy guide was eager for our trip.  We were all too tired to have the proper energy required to wring his cheerful neck, so he survived.  We got into our boat, and all grumpiness rapidly eroded as the predawn views manifested themselves.

The whole purpose of this early morning jaunt was to watch hundreds of parrots come to the clay lick for their daily dose of minerals.  They also use the clay to aid digestion.  We had a very yummy breakfast of handheld pancakes with jam.  Don’t know why it had never occurred to me before that you could eat them this way!

As soon as the morning mist cleared, the short calls began announcing their arrival.  To avoid predators they fly in groups, do several passes to make sure everything is clear, and then settle on the high tree limbs before coming down to lower ground for their clay snack.

After this we headed to Lago Sandoval, one of many nature preserves in the area.  We got to see tons of other wildlife, including something I had been hoping to see: leaf cutter ants!

They keep their trail pretty immaculate

After hiking through the lush forest, it was time to get in our boats to tour the lake.  Thankfully Freddy was more energetic than the rest of us since he did all the paddling.

First, though, he had to bail out some water.

The lake provided outstanding views and plentiful wildlife as well.

The next day was the one I had been looking forward to but also dreading:  The canopy walk.  Have I mentioned I have a healthy fear of falling?  Heights aren’t a problem, it’s what can happen from heights. For instance I’m fine in tall buildings, flying, etc., but standing on top of a chair can be an exercise.  And I even signed up for this torture.  It wasn’t like they surprised me.  I actually signed up for this insanity.  I wasn’t going to, but then I heard the words I’ve preached to kids many times:  Don’t let your fear keep you from enjoying life.  How could I utter that again if I chickened out here?

Not your typical ficus!

This is where the steep part begins

This preserve is called Tiricaya, and they serve lunch after the canopy walk.  It was quite tasty.  Meat and beans were inside the rice “sandwich.”  The picture of the monkey comes from the animal rehab section where they had a variety of birds, tapir, monkeys, and even a giant river otter.

Our final day of activity included visiting a local farm and taking a trip down a creek to spot cayman.  While taking a break, Freddy unsuccessfully fished for piranha.  While on our hike, we bumped against a bottle tree that we suddenly discovered housed some bats.  They flew out of the tree, made a few passes above our heads, and managed to dump a nice load on my arm before returning to their arboreal home.  Made for a good story back home.

View from the lawn at the lodge

Besides waking up every morning to the cries of howler monkeys and parrots and macaws flying overhead, another thing I enjoyed was having to slow down things.  I tend to do a lot when I’m on vacation because I want to see and absorb as much as I can.  When back at the lodge, power didn’t come on until 5 PM and was off at 10.  No cell phone, no WiFi, limited electricity.  Nothing to do in the afternoon except sit on my porch reading on my Kindle or laying in a hammock.  Incidentally, when the power comes the lounge opens.  The bartender makes a positively yummy pisco scour, and I tried a drink you probably won’t hear anywhere else:  pisco libre (pisco and Coca-Cola).  I could drink a LOT of those.

Next post we visit Pacasmayo & Trujillo.  You want to hear about a weird experience?  Make sure to read that one!

I’m quite positive this title is going to get me a lot more spam and bots, but I couldn’t resist.

Before we head to Saqsaywaman (pronounced similar to “sexy woman”), I realized I forgot to mention a possibly little-known fact about Peru:  They have some great chifa places (Chinese food).  I can’t rate this recommendation since I only went to one, but I can definitely suggest the chifa across the street from the main entrance to the Wanchaq market.  Really quite good Chinese food.  The owners were pretty grumpy with one of their staff, but everything else was pretty good.

Wanchaq market is very large and fairly typical, but it felt more claustrophobic to me than other similar markets.  Perhaps they had more tarps and things since they had officially entered winter (even though the days were mostly sunny and warm to a non-Cusqueño).  I much prefered the one near Santo Domingo, which also had a plethora of food places.  Not a tourist in sight, which is my favorite.  When I went back later in the day, I saw a few more as the Inti Raymi crowds began arriving, but it seems they were all trapped on the plaza, which was fine with me.

The Spanish built right over the site

Santo Domingo is next door to Qorikancha, the Temple of the Sun.  Your admission to Qorikancha also gets you into the grounds and church of Santo Domingo, which are really quite phenomenal.  In the park below you can find the three main spiritual symbols of the Incas:  the condor, puma, and serpent.

Saqsaywaman is believed to have been a military training area in addition to, naturally, fulfilling some spiritual functions.  It is located on a large hill overlooking Cusco.  There are a variety of ways of getting there.  I went on foot.  It’s a pretty reasonable hike on paved roads and then cement steps if you’ve adjusted to the altitude.  If you haven’t and don’t have the patience for frequent breaks, take a taxi or bus.  There are definitely some steep stretches, but they’re short-lived.  While it is certainly nowhere near as impressive as Machu Picchu, the thing I most enjoyed about Saqsaywaman was watching how local children play among the ruins, the alpaca grazing nearby, seeing the farming areas, and observing local indigenous people in their daily life.  If you decide to walk up, stay away from Calle Resbaloso. It means slippery street.  I didn’t find it overall slippery when I went down it on my way back, but I would not want to have to walk up it on my way to the ruins.

You will need a tourism boleto (ticket) to access the site.  You can buy them at various locations in Cusco, especially around the plaza, but they’re also available for purchase at the site, which I think is the easiest way really.  When I was there in June 2010, the cost was s/35 (12.47 USD) and included at least 4 other museums and sites.  If you’ve come around the time of Inti Raymi, I would wait for at least 2 days after the celebration (3 would be even better) so that they’ve had a chance to remove the porta-potties, stands, and stage from the main courtyard.  Make sure to write your name EXACTLY as it is on your passport.  When I was there the staff were going to refuse to let a teenager in because the name on the boleto was Jack, which was the nickname for his legal first name. Luckily she was willing to listen to my explanation and let him in.

Of course there are guides available for hire, or you can go with a group, but as I often passed close by them I never heard anything that would’ve supported paying the price.  Machu is worth a guide, Saqsaywaman not so much.

Across from Saqsaywaman is the White Christ, a large statue of Jesus Christ.

While it was a bit interesting, if you don’t have a lot of time in Cusco, I wouldn’t rate this location as “worth the trip.”

Before I visited Saqsaywaman, I went to Tipón.  I hired one of the hotel clerks I had come to know for s/60 (21 USD), which included transportation and his time (which was about 5 hours, so incredibly well priced).  He was majoring in tourism and seemed to have a good breadth of knowledge.  I’ll admit I was a little unsettled when we got into his borrowed car and he immediately began making the sign of the cross and invoking the saints.  I knew driving in Peru could be an adventure, but he was making me nervous.  Thankfully, the saints either weren’t needed or were doing their job.  The drive to Tipón was much tamer had great views of the hillsides, farms, and small town Peruvian life.

Tipón is another location that requires the boleto.  You can purchase it here, or if you’ve been to some of the other sites before coming here, there’s a good chance your boleto covers Tipón.  It does utilize the same boleto as Saqsaywaman.  This site seems to have been mostly agricultural; however, there is also a lot of spiritual significance.  The site sits against a mountain.  Water flows through the ancient aquaducts from the heart of the mountain.  Since all mountains have spiritual natures, this is very special.  You will see Peruvians filling up water bottles and wiping their face with handfuls of the water because of this.  When you take the short walk up to the higher set of ruins, you will notice Incan pottery fragments lying in the path.  I loved the accessibility and feel of these ruins.  These ruins are fairly different from others in the area, so I would say it’s worth the trip.  Plus even the locals in Cusco will tell you this is the best town to sample cuy.

This is the initial stream coming from the mountain

It then separates into 2 streams representing the 1st man & woman

And finally it breaks into 4 representing their children

On the way back to Cusco, we stopped at a cuyería. The owner was super friendly and not only showed me their cooking process, but made sure to artfully arrange the cooked guinea pigs so that they would look better in my photograph.  It’s really hard to replace the experience of eating what most people in the world consider to be a cute little pet while you’re sitting outdoors surrounded by gorgeous hills and verdant pastures and drinking a Cusqueño Negro.  It ended up being one of my most favorite memories from my almost 3 weeks in Peru.  One note about cuy: If you prefer eating skin of things like fried or roasted chicken, don’t get cuy roasted.  The skin is very thick and really isn’t all that edible unless it’s friend.  Unless you have a mouth like a wolf or something.  The flavor was very similar to quail but even tastier.   Plus you can gross out all of your friends and family back home which is always even more fun.  He knew he had a foreigner and could’ve easily taken advantage of that, but my whole meal, including the brewski, fresh fruit and yummy side dishes, was about s/15 (just over 5 USD).  Unfortunately, I wasn’t a travel blogger when I visited, so I didn’t note the name; however, as you’re heading back to Cusco, it’s the largest cuyeria on the right side of the street.  It has a more festive decoration and is really hard to miss.  I think it’s also the last restaurant on that side of the street before you get back on the highway that leads back to Cusco.

In the next post we’ll be leaving the sacred valley behind and heading to the Amazonian rainforest near Puerto Maldonado, which was my absolute favorite part of the whole trip.

We could probably easily do a few posts just about Cusco. For some odd reason I had always imagined it as some small town in the mountains. Boy was I wrong! (Make sure to click on this pic, it’s much better full sized.)

City was laid out in the shape of a Puma

It is a city that quickly goes from fairly modern to ancient Incan just by turning the corner. Getting around Cusco is fairly simple. There are plenty of colectivos (ranging from mini vans to full-size buses). Taxis are as easy to find as tourist traps. Most will slow down hopefully as they see you walking. I prefer walking around, and surprisingly it’s fairly simple to get around on foot. Like most South American towns, the sidewalks are narrow. Since there is culturally no sense of personal space, don’t be surprised when you are bumped against while walking. As with anywhere, you should take precautions to avoid being pickpocketed. You will also find plenty of people dressed in traditional clothes who are only too eager to pose for a picture. As soon as your camera is away from your face, a hand will shoot out and you’ll be asked for una propina (tip). Occasionally you’ll hear moneda (coin). Generally s/1 (nuevo sol, about 35 cents USD) is typical. This enterprising girl worked it so well that I gave her s/2. To put it into perspective for you, I commonly found delicious meat-filled empanadas for s/2. So una propina could easily be a small meal for a local. Since I prefer candid shots, I resorted to being more stealthy usually, though.

Even while playing next to the ancient ruins of Saqsaywaman (closest pronounciation and easiest way to remember it is that it sounds like “sexy woman”), this boy spotted me standing on another hill taking his picture and quickly stuck his hand out and called for una propina. In case you’re wondering, he took a normal-sized plastic water bottle, squished it flat, and sat on it as he rode down the limestone rocks.

I happened to have arrived during probably one of the largest celebrations in Peru: Cusco Days and Inti Raymi, a reenactment of an ancient Incan ceremony that occurred near the winter solstice to keep the sun from retreating from the earth. Guide books and most online resources talked about how this was primarily for tourists. That may be, but if you saw the crowds of S. Americans who were there, it isn’t just for the gringos. I was told that people come from all over the former Incan Empire to come celebrate. A lot of pride goes into this celebration. The Cusco Days Festival, which also coincided with the Gastronomic Festival held further away from the Plaza de Armas, is celebrated for days. The parade starts at about 7 AM and continues until around 3 AM the next day. No, I’m not kidding. It’s phenomenal. They know how to party!

If you plan on attending Inti Raymi and haven’t spent the $100 USD for reserved seating, get to the plaza early, or you won’t get much of a view. The parade comes into the plaza, a ceremony is enacted, and then the parade heads up the steep climb to Saqsaywaman where the sacrifice of a llama is performed. According to the clerk at the hotel, they actually do kill the llama, but I don’t know if that was true. Buses were leaving to bring nonticket-holders up to claim their spots at about 8 AM. The group doesn’t arrive to the ruins until about 1 PM. Needless to say, I didn’t attend that part of the celebration.

Again, as with any crowded area, be very aware of pickpocketers. Women should avoid carrying a purse, as many ladies have had the bottoms of their purse cut without realizing it until they went to grab their wallet or something and discovered their hand went straight through their bag. Always keep your hand on your camera’s body, not just the strap.

The Plaza de Armas is the main focal point of the city. When the Spanish invaded and forced the natives to build churches, all churches were built facing the plaza. Except for one which points toward the apu that was traditionally appealed to for justice. Apparently, the Spanish didn’t catch the misdirection, and I doubt they understood why the church was pointed toward that specific mountain peak. Most of the cathedrals in the area charge admission, and they all do not allow photography or video recording. Also, they are all actively used for Catholic worship, so remember to respect the building, its artifacts, people praying and lighting candles, etc. One little tip: If you are Catholic or are comfortable participating in Mass, you can enter the cathedral for free. Then after Mass you can move about the building and explore a little more easily. If you move away from the plaza, almost every church is admission-free, but they still don’t want you taking photos. I highly recommend visiting the Belen church. The inside is absolutely amazing, and it is one of the few buildings I have stood in where I was enshrouded by so much peace that I was reluctant to leave. Every inch of the inside of the chapel is covered by paintings, artifacts, saints, candles, etc. A good site for Cusco churches is http://www.meetmyperu.com/cusco-churches/.

Restaurants around the plaza serve excellent food; however, you will pay much more (sometimes three times as much or more) than establishments just a few blocks away. There are also plenty of street vendors. Restaurants aren’t always obvious, so keep on the lookout for places with small chalkboard signs on the walls. They will list the day’s specials. Typically the special is three courses.

If you won’t be skyping and need to make a phone call, I wouldn’t bother with cards. The locutorios (call centers) offer dirt cheap, high-quality phone calls. I phoned my son who was back in the States from one and had a fairly lengthy conversation (for a 9-year-old boy) that ended up costing me a whopping $1.60 USD.

If you’ve never been to South America, keep in mind that any wall that comes up to the waist or higher is fair game to be urinated on, so don’t be surprised if you pass men relieving themselves in alleyways or other places. Any alley or wall near a place serving alcohol will most likely have a very recognizable odor. Surprisingly, I didn’t find much of that in Cusco or anywhere else in Peru.

Check out my post Two Winter Solstices in 2010 for more tips about travelling around Cusco. Many people only use Cusco as a jumping off point to visit Machu Picchu. I spent 5 days there, and it wasn’t nearly enough.

In the next post we will talk more about Saqsaywaman and the ruins at Tipón, also the best place to sample traditionally prepared cuy (guinea pig; tastes like quail).

In the past several years, I have tried to make at least one big trip a year.  Last year it was the Philippines, a country that wove itself into the fabric of my heart in an incredibly deep way (see my last post What Defines Us?).  So after the new year, as I gladly gave the finger to 2009, a year that was one of the most painful of my life so far, I contemplated returning to the Philippines and taking a side trip to Cambodia.  As I considered my options more, I remembered that I have always wanted to visit Machu Picchu.  Following my Vivez sans regrets! motto, I decided this would be the year, and so I began planning.  Then I remembered that the winter solstice in Peru is in June.  I did some more investigation and discovered there was a marathon in Pacasmayo.  I love when I can mix in another love with my travels (which is why I went to Paris in the spring so I could run the Paris Marathon).  And it would work out perfectly so that I could be at Machu Picchu during the solstice.  How freakin cool would that be? That settled it.

Peru has so many different regions and so much fascinating and amazing culture that it would definitely take more than one trip, or more than the 2-1/2 weeks I had, to adequately explore it.   So I settled on first going to Cusco and Machu Picchu, then on to Puerto Maldonado to stay in the rainforest, and then I would fly up to Pacasmayo, explore there, and finish off my Peruvian trip with the marathon.

First off, let me say that the Lima airport is pretty modern.  It was pretty comfortable napping in the gate area except for the loud prerecorded announcements that blare over the intercom system at regular intervals.  There is free WiFi throughout the terminals, but you have to sit pretty close to where the signs are posted to get a decent signal.  The Peruvian restaurant at the far end of the food court is actually quite good and reasonably priced for an airport food joint.

I arrived in Cusco and was glad I knew that the millions of rainbow flags everywhere are NOT gay

pride flags.  It’s a common mistake people make, but don’t mention the comparison.  They’re pretty sensitive about that, and understandably so.  The Incan flag is well-treasured, respected, and important.  We’ll talk more about Cusco in the next post.

I stayed at a hotel that provided airport pickup and was close enough to walk to the Plaza de Armas but far enough to not be in the heavily tourist-occupied section.  In spite of the throngs of tourists there to witness Inti Raymi, a re-creation of ancient rituals to keep the sun from retreating further from the earth, I loved Cusco.  It has a fascinating mix of Incan & Spanish architecture, is very walkable, and it’s easy to get away from the major tourist sections.  Often I was the only white person around.

There are some different options for getting to Machu Picchu.  Having had a rough year, I decided a little pampering was in order, and so I forked over the criminal fare to take the fancy train.  We were treated like royalty.  The guide did a great job once we were there, and we had plenty of time to explore on our own.

It was an incredible experience to be at Machu Picchu during the winter solstice.  As you walk around, it becomes readily obvious why the people who built this phenomenal place felt it was a place of great power.  The apus (dieties that dwell within the mountains; sharp peaks are male, and rounded peaks are female) surround it, the weather can fluctuate wildly, the mosquitoes are like ninjas, and the air almost hums with a whisper of the sacred.  The more time you spend walking around the structures, the more you are filled with awe.  My other more modern surprise was that I had 3G service throughout the ruins. Why I can get 3G at Machu Picchu and constantly hit dead spots in Denver, I’ll never understand.

The walls are built without mortar, yet even a piece of paper can’t be inserted between them, in spite of being placed in an actively seismic area.  Not a lot is known about its purpose, but much of it is designed around tracking the sun’s movements and especially its location during the critical winter solstice when the sun appears to be at its furthest point from the earth.

The climb up here is quite the wind-stealer, but the views are worth it

You can find more pictures here.

Tips

• Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of the mountain, is tourist central and not really worth an overnight stay.  While there are buses that go to Machu Picchu, the train arrives late enough in the day that there are less crowds at the ruins, and early enough to allow plenty of time to explore at your leisure.  If you want to hike up Waynu Picchu, the very steep mountain across from the main ruins of Machu Picchu, stay overnight in Aguas.  You need to get in line at about 4 AM or earlier to get one of the coveted tickets during the high season.  Only a small number of tickets are given each day, and they are gone very quickly.  It’s an incredibly steep and narrow climb.
• Bring plenty of water with you.  You can buy bottled water before entering the ruins, but the prices are exorbitant.
• If you take the Hyrum Bingham, they will feed you before and on the way, you will get lunch at the Sanctuary Lodge (it’s a buffet offering a wide variety of typical Peruvian food), they will give you snacks and a filled water bottle, and then you will have more food, including alcoholic beverages if you so desire, on the way back.  Even though they give you a water bottle, I would bring my own. I don’t think the metal bottle was treated, and the flavor was pretty nasty. One of their staff will act as a guide.  Ours was very knowledgeable, and her English was pretty good.  The other advantage is they will guide you through the souvenir gauntlets at the stations.  Before you get too excited, though, realize it is EXTREMELY expensive (approx. USD 600 for the roundtrip per person from Cusco).  Dinner service includes live performances, so if you decide to only take it one-way, you may get more bang for the buck and experience if you choose to take it for the return trip to Cusco.  There are some other stations where you can catch this train which might reduce your cost a little, but if you’re going to do the HB, it’s really worth going from Cusco in my opinion.
• If you’ve spent any time in third-world countries, you already are accustomed to being accosted nonstop by people trying to sell you things.  It can get on your nerves rapidly, especially if you’ve been in Cusco for a few days before making your journey.  While it may seem rude, it is culturally acceptable to simply shake your head no and keep walking or to just ignore them.  When others see you aren’t engaging, they don’t bother you.  Most of the time.
• When booking hotel rooms, don’t be impressed by advertisements stating “American breakfast” is included.  I rarely found a place that actually had anything but a purely strict interpretation of continental breakfast (weak coffee, bread with jam and butter, and juice).  Empanadas are much more filling and cost about $1 USD.
• You simply must try Inca Kola.  Some people feel it’s an acquired taste, but chances are you’ve probably never tasted anything like it.  The best description I can give of its flavor is bubble gum.
• Cusco is very high altitude, and Machu Picchu is only a little lower.  Many people swear by mate de coca to help them breathe more easily.  It is tea made from the coca leaf, although some people put a wad of the leaves in their mouth and chew it.  No, it isn’t cocaine-like.  It has a very pleasant flavor and has become one of my favorite teas.  Unfortunately, US Customs won’t let it into the country, even in teabags, so don’t waste your soles buying any if your next or final stop is the US.  Make sure to drink more water than you think you need.  In high altitude you lose lots of water through normal respiration.  By the time you are feeling the symptoms of dehydration, you’re already fairly dehydrated.  Use your urine color to guide you on your fluid intake (clear to pale yellow means you’re doing great), or drink regularly even if not thirsty.
• Not to gross you out or anything, but I wouldn’t recommend buying bread products from street vendors.  I spent a lot of time people watching and noticed that nose-picking is socially acceptable in public.  The hands that are all over your bread could very well provide you with some unwanted extra flavoring.
• Be advised that while many places will accept credit cards, Visa reigns supreme, and I rarely found any place that accepted Mastercard.  Peru also has the coolest ATMs.  Every single machine I found gives you the option of withdrawing in USD or the Peruvian nuevo sol.  Some had the additional option of dispensing euros as well.  It may also be helpful to know that you should only carry small bills.  I would suggest nothing bigger than a 20.  Most businesses and vendors don’t keep a lot of money on hand and have difficulty making change for larger bills.  Unfortunately, most of the ATMs give you large bills.  What I often did was withdraw money from an ATM and then step into a exchange center.  They will usually break your bill into smaller denominations.
• If you are bringing cash to exchange, the bureaus are extremely selective on what they will accept.  If it has the slightest tear, has been marked in any way, or is pretty worn, it will be rejected.

My 2nd winter solstice of the year will be in our home state of Colorado.  Being a culturally mixed family, we have our own holiday celebration called Chrismakah.  We’ll be celebrating it during the solstice.   Talking about winter holidays:  May your holiday season, whatever form that may take and wherever you may find yourself in the world, be filled with joy and love.  From Tigger and me.