Peru

Machu Picchu

PUNO

In La Paz, Bolivia we purchased a bus ticket though Bolivia Hop and highly recommend using them. They offer a number of different tickets, all valid for one year. It's similar to those red double decker Hop-On-Hop-Off busses in all major cities, in that you can hop on and off in any of the towns and cities they pull into, throughout Peru and Bolivia. As long as you give them about 12 hours notice, you will have a seat on one of their fantastic buses. The ticket we purchased cost $49 and included the stop in Puno (including assistance at the border) and Cusco.

Before arriving in Puno we spent half a day in Copacabana, a small town on Lake Titicaca on the Bolivia side. It's a great last stop in Bolivia with plenty of shops to pick up affordable sweaters, jewelry, shoes and snacks. We toured the town, stopping in at a cafe run by a married couple, previously of Chicago. The sign out front proclaimed free coffee refills, so we had to check it out and were grateful to hear English spoken and smell cinnamon rolls baking in the oven. We got to chatting with the owner of Pan America Bakery and Pizza and she proudly shared her story as well as photo's of their non-profit (Pan Americas Picnic Basket) efforts within the small community.

She also told us all about quinoa and how labor intensive it is to grow. We will never not appreciate quinoa. Her baked goods were deliciously home made, with hints of 'Merica, the coffee was served in American sized mugs and true to her word, free refills. We could only handle 1.5 cups and then went for a five mile swim. Copacabana is a great, laid back town to enjoy Lake Titicaca from and a number of islands are accessible from here. There are plenty of hotels and hostels and well-priced restaurants, serving up lots of quinoa. We would have preferred to stay here, rather than move on to Puno but we had booked two nights there and caught up with Ana from Italy (a phenomenal firecracker of a woman we met on the Salt Flat tour).

Ana's in the middle, we also ran into Melina (from Argentina), randomly in Copacabana!

We were the only guests in the five story hostel and to be honest, after Ana left the following day, it felt a bit awkward as the owner, although one of the nicest people, bent over backwards to make us feel welcome. It felt a bit pressured, but he's a one-stop shop, provides an adequate free daily breakfast, speaks great English and arranged our short and sweet tour of the famous floating city, Uros, and we set off the next morning.

Uros, floating city on Lake Titicaca

Uros is unique and a place we are happy to have visited but it does feel like a tourist trap. You arrive to your boat's assigned floating community to brightly dressed women waving and smiling. It feels like you are being welcomed home, to a large water bed.

Uros welcoming committee

As soon as you step off the boat it truly feels like walking on a water bed, albeit made of a bamboo-like weeds. The ladies, with the assistance of the tour guide, explain how the islands are constructed, how the homes are constructed, how they cook, where they go to the bathroom, what they do for fun, what they do for income, etc. It really is fascinating and we even got to eat a sample of the totora reeds that makes all of this possible. It's a white, tasteless, somewhat watery, light and fluffy celery-like substance. After the demonstrations we were given a tour of the small homes and then kindly begged to purchase their wares. It's awkward and unlike street vendors where you just smile and shake your head "no", here you're trapped and their sad eyes penetrate, making a sudden need to jump in the freezing lake seem like a painless alternative. Our small group opted to buy nearly nothing but did agree to pay the bit extra to be rowed by two women, in the traditional boat, to the island with a small cafe.

It took about 20 minutes, via the scenic route, to be rowed the 100 meters to the floating cafe, where we enjoyed overpriced baked goods and instant coffee. After about 15 minutes we loaded up the motor boat and headed back to land, enjoying the company of a well traveled family from Wisconsin. The wife, inspired, now planning their year-long-trip around the world. The husband, who travels the globe selling high fructose corn syrup, was less enthused.

We spent the rest of the day exploring the usual things, churches, museums and tourist streets in Puno, enjoying a delicious meal of local favorites: aji de gallina and lomo saltado. There's not much else to say about Puno except that it's one of the highest cities in the world at this elevation, over 12,500'. The coca museum is worth a visit and you get free tea with the entry fee. Coca is not cocaine and is quite a remarkable substance. We encourage you to take a few moments and research it online, preferably on a site not propagated by the CIA.

CUSCO

Cusco’s main square is filled with churches and it's confusing as the native culture is not recognizable, until you take one of the many city tours and discover the remarkable Incan history, then the city begins to look and feel a bit differently and certainly more authentic. Cusco is busy with excited energy radiating from large numbers of tourists getting ready for their adventure to Machu Picchu.

Cusco Cathedral

We spent hours trying to find the most cost effective way to get up there by train, which as it so happens, is the most expensive way to get there. So this was frustrating. We went through a travel agency and did get a better price on train tickets, but this isn’t necessary, you can book it all on your own. You will need the following: roundtrip bus tickets to the train in Ollantaytambo, roundtrip train tickets (price varies per the time you want to leave you do get a delicious hot or cold beverage and a snack), a place to stay in Aguas Caliente, a roundtrip bus ticket to the ruins (you can also walk from Aguas Caliente but it's straight up and straight down, we walked down) and an entrance ticket to Machu Picchu (this can be purchased in Aguas Caliente for the same price and is about $47, you will need to show your passport. We met some people who were going to buy their tickets online, but they are nearly double the price if you purchase online.) There are no bathrooms once you are inside, but your entrance tickets allows for three in and out's on the same day. Once inside the ruins it is a one way walking system, so getting back out in a hurry is not always an option. More on Machu Picchu later.

Our train

In Cusco we stayed just up the street from the central market and enjoyed fresh juices there. You can find traditional foods, coffees, desserts, breads as well as clothing, meats, and touristy trinkets here for great prices. Across from the central market is the modern supermarket with a beautiful bakery section. There are plenty of affordable places to have a coffee or enjoy a meal within the tourist center, we quickly found a small cafe, offering cappuccinos for $1.50 and free, super fast wi-fi as well as a restaurant serving two-course dinners for $1.50 per person. We recommend splurging on a freshly fried, caramel filled, sugar sprinkled churro, for less than $0.50, hot and delicious. In addition to the affordable eateries there are plenty of affordable hotels and hostels. There are two city passes, offering affordable options to see the sights in and around the city. You can easily spend several weeks in and around Cusco.

Machu Picchu

Here's a fun fact. Picchu, said without the proper pronunciation means penis, so basically all Americans, including us, call it Old Penis, but when pronounced properly it translates to Old Mountain or Old Peak. The language spoken in this region is Quechua and is the first language, with Spanish being secondary. We wanted to catch the first bus to the top to get a glimpse at the sunrise.

Aguas Calientes

After talking to some people on the train, we learned the first bus leaves Aguas Calientes at 5:30a.m. and it takes about 20 minutes. The line for the first bus starts at about 4:30a.m. So we were up early and in line by 4:45, probably have lung cancer from the Frechies chain smoking behind us, and at 5:30 several busses opened their doors, we were on the third bus, arriving just in time for the sunrise, which was completely blocked by clouds. At 6:00a.m. the gates open and you are allowed in once your passport and ticket are checked. Getting there early allows pictures like the one below, within two hours this picture will no longer be possible.

It's absolutely magnificent here, early in the morning, exploring in near silence, the clouds hanging just above head. It's peaceful and inviting. We have seen some beautiful things throughout this trip and my expectations were extremely high for this place and she lived up to the hype.

We enjoyed exploring on our own for an hour and then went back to meet up with our tour guide (included in the package we bought). If you do book everything on your own, there are plenty of guides waiting for your business at the top and we highly recommend paying for one as there are no placards explaining what you are looking at, no maps, no bookstore and no audio tours. The tour lasted about three hours and covered nearly the entire property.

If you want to climb the peak (in the above picture its the tall peak to the right) you have to book it months in advanced. A few months before we were here a German tourist fell from the top, backing up to take a selfie. It's the most extreme uphill hike we have ever seen, and certainly not for the faint at heart or the out of shape.

The Inca were around for only about 300 years and didn't mysteriously disappear as some lore suggests, or maybe I have them mixed up with the Mayans. We got mixed reports as to how many people lived up here, so I'll meet in the middle at about 500-600 people. Basically, once the Spanish discovered that they were living up here (which took a while because it's really out there), not paying taxes and having a successful life, the ruling government in Cusco forced them into the city, but left the site untouched and it was quickly forgotten. The jungle slowly overtook the city and it remained forgotten until 1911, an American explorer named Hiram Bingham was out exploring and started talking to a farmer who said he knew of some folks living up here. So he hikes up this crazy mountain and finds two families living among the ruins, also not paying taxes. Shortly thereafter excavating began, the families moved on and not much is known about them, which is unfortunate. A lot of Machu Picchu has been restored and the work is immaculate. It was worth every effort and expense to get here. Here's another picture, in case you have booked your tickets to Cusco yet.

Remember, set your alarm and get up here early!

LIMA

Oh man, it feels good to be back in California, even if is the southern part. Mira Flores feels and looks like Long Beach or Santa Monica, complete with beaches, overpriced shopping malls and restaurants. It's clean, safe and has everything you need, including a two-story grocery store where we ate 95% of all our meals. Our first meal was at a taco restaurant, serving huge tacos with a deliciously cheesy Peruvian spin on a taco, loaded with guacamole. Mira Flores is a sheltered part of this third largest city in the Americas and employs a number of police and security personnel that walk the streets all day and night.

Mira Flores

Our second to last night we spoke with a couple, he from Canada, she from Peru. He was getting ready to return to BC and as they were cruising the area, heading out to dinner in his Mercedes, windows down, she talking on her cell, a motorcycle pulled up beside her, reached in and took her cell. He told us of other such stories and we instantly appreciated the ever present security even more as these robberies can get violent. Just remember, a cell phone and everything on it can be replaced, you can not. There are several surf beaches within a short walk from here as well as access to public transportation, which is always packed with people.

We took a "free" guided walking tour of the main city square and enjoyed a highly intelligent guide who provided us history of the indigenous people and current issues such as terrorism and educating poor communities on how to use birth control. As part of a group of college students, our guide brought condoms to one of the poor communities just outside the main city square. To demonstrate proper use, they placed a condom on a stick. The men shook their head, showing that they understood what to do. So the college kids leave, smiling at their good works and several months later they return to document their progress. To their shock and confusion they quickly learn that there was no change and in fact found a number of pregnant women. After some discussion they learned that the men had continued to use the condoms exactly as the demonstration showed. Before they had sex with their wives, they would unwrap a condom and place it properly on the stick, believing this would provide the protection they needed. It's a work in progress.

One huge roadblock in teaching proper birth control is Christianity teaching folks that all children are a gift from god and must be born. Yet, when poor families can not afford to feed god's children, the church is not there to assist financially, therefore a lot of children are neglected, sold into indentured servitude, child labor, sex-trafficking and only god knows what else. Education is slow and met with fear and superstition.

The tour of central Lima was definitely worth sweating for. It began with a beer at a local brewery and ended with a tasting of three different types of pisco. All were delicious and we left with the hint of a buzz. We didn't think we'd like Lima and were greatly impressed, staying an extra three nights.

The main square, Lima

Lima's a huge city with many different neighborhoods, the ocean water is clean and offers a perfectly refreshing temperature. Definitely worth a stay on your way to Machu Picchu, since you'll most likely have to stop here before flying or bussing on to Cusco.