Peru: The Amazon, Cuzco, Machu Picchu, and Lima

Machu Picchu

What's at the top of your bucket list?  If you are among the people who voted for the New 7 Wonders of the World, there is a 1 in 7 chance you would say Machu Picchu.  It was certainly near the top of mine, and enough of a motivating factor for me to plan a week long trip to Peru.  Approximately a year ago, I rallied up my friend Kristen, and we decided to make this trip happen.  We spent several months researching different tour options and taking into consideration cost, time, and the places we could visit.  We narrowed down our “must see” list to included Machu Picchu and the Amazon.  We were still up on the air about whether or not we should hike the Inca trail or take the train.  Based on our time constraints, we decided to opt out of the Inca trail and book the “Peruvian Poncho” tour through On the Go.  While exchanging emails with the tour company, I found out this tour was actually run by Tucan and was the same thing as their Amazons and Incas tour.  I still decided to book with On the Go because I had used them in the past when I went to Egypt and received an extra discount.  My travel consultant, Charlie Bridger, was helpful with giving us suggestions on how much money to convert and what we needed to bring. 

Day 1 – Arrival Day in Lima

Since the tour did not include airfare, I was on my own with booking my flight to Lima.  I ended up

Bungalows at the Eco Amazonia Lodge

flying American Airlines from Boston to Miami and TACA from Miami to Lima.  It was the same coming back.  I had no problems with my flight, but I did have to exit the Miami airport and go back through security to fly out of another terminal.  There was 3 hours between flights and I found that to be sufficient.  The flight from Miami to Lima was about 5.5 hours.  I slept most of the way coming back, but I was wide awake going down.  It must have been the excitement!  When I arrived, I went through customs and waited for my friend at baggage claim.  Her flight came in about 45 minutes after mine.  Since we had booked an airport transfer with the tour company, our driver was waiting outside baggage claim with a Tucan sign and we were promptly on our way to the Kamana Hotel in the center of Lima. By the time we got to the hotel, it was after 11 PM.  The concierge directed us to the Tucan board to get some information on the next day and we fell asleep soon thereafter.

Day 2 – Amazon

First meal in the dining hall

Since we arrived so late the night before, Kristen and I missed the pre-departure group meeting and walking tour of Lima with our Tucan guide, David.  The next morning we were up by 6 and ready to be transported.  Early mornings were a regular occurrence all week.  We were quickly informed that morning of having to transfer all of the things we needed for the next 3 days in the jungle to our “day packs” because we were putting our main bags in storage.  I was never told that a “day pack” needed to be big enough for multiple days and I had packed the smallest day pack imaginable, so you can imagine my surprise!  Fortunately, I also had a carry on tote from the plane that was slightly larger.  After catching a flight from Lima to Puerto Maldonado (via Cusco), our group of about 18 people was herded onto an Eco Amazonia Lodge bus and taken to the office to repack and store our main bags.  After 10 minutes, we were transported again via bus to the dock to jump on the motorized canoe.  The canoe ride lasted 1.5 hours down the river, and the weather was beautiful even though the water was a dirty brown color!  We passed several lodges along the river before getting to the Eco Amazonia Lodge.   The lodge was impressive for being out in the middle of nowhere.  There was a nice dining hall, a bar, pool, hammock lounge, and many individual bungalows for the visitors. The only 2 cons were the lack of hot water and the fact that we only had electricity for about 4 hours a day.  A cold shower is not very fun, especially when you try to take one in the dark.  Since we arrived around 2:30 to the lodge, we had a late lunch of chicken and rice wrapped in a banana leaf.  Chicken and rice is a staple in Peru, and I’d say we ate it (or something very similar) at least 10 more times during our trip.  By the time I got home, I was craving a salad!  After lunch, we had time to relax and enjoy the pool.  It was freezing (or as described by the staff, refreshing!) and I did not last very long in there before going back to my bungalow. 

The canoe we took around the lagoon searching for anacondas.

That evening, we had a delicious buffet dinner before regrouping for our night canoe excursion on the river to search for caiman.  We swiftly moved along with our guide carrying a giant flashlight.  We were lucky enough to spot multiple caiman by the glow of their eyes.  They are much smaller than the average crocodile, but I still wouldn’t want to cuddle with one.  Even more amusing than the caiman were the stars!  Maybe I should have known this, but the constellations in the southern hemisphere are different than those in the northern hemisphere.  The Southern Cross was shining brilliantly in the sky!  Before bed, we hit the bar for a traditional pisco sour and some socializing with the group.

Day 3 - Amazon

Our second day in the Amazon was very busy because we had to squeeze in a trip to Monkey Island that was intended for the day before.  After an early morning breakfast buffet, our group split into two for our journey into the jungle.  The group I was in started off with a long hike through the wilderness.  Our local guide, David (not the Tucan guide also named David), led us along a path from the lodge.  As we walked into the first clearing, I decided it was a good time to try out my Off fan.  I switched it on, only to be dismayed by the louder than expected noise that was now coming from it rotating around.  David immediately stopped talking and looked directly at me, saying “What is that noise?”  Uhh… I tried to explain to him that it was the fan that was clipped to my belt loops, but I’m not sure he ever really understood what it was meant for.  After a good laugh from the group, I noticed more people walking beside me trying to mooch off of my insect repelling technology.  It may have been loud, but it definitely worked.  I did not get any mosquito bites while in the jungle!  It may have also been because I started dousing myself in 100% deet mosquito spray.   That is not something I would recommend for everyday use, but I figured two days can’t be that bad. 

Tarantula being poked with a stick!

Along our walk, we came across monkeys, fire ants, a termite nest, and many other creepy crawlies.  At one point, David noticed a tarantula hole and decided it would be a good idea to try and coax it out by poking it with a stick.  Sure enough, the tarantula crawled out of the hole for a quick photo op!   Further along our walk, our path was intercepted by a family of peccaries, or wild pigs.  There were really aggressive and we had to stay back.  Earlier in our walk, David told us that if we got attacked by a peccary we would have to climb a tree to get away.  You can bet I was scooping out trees while we waited for them to pass.  By the time our walk was coming to an end, we were all very hot and sweaty, but the last stop of the walking part of our morning was to the lagoon to search for anacondas.  You may be wondering what type of incredibly safe boat we took to protect us from these large snakes.  The answer is… a rickety old canoe that almost tipped over several times!  As David paddled us around the lagoon, vultures soared overhead.  Taking that as a good sign, we continued for about 15 minutes, but could not find any animals.

The second part of our morning tour was to paddle a canoe down a small river.  After walking for hours and literally dripping with sweat (Kristen’s hair never dried that day), we all piled into a canoe and attempted to row with 30+ lb. wooden oars.  I can honestly say I was not a very effective contributor to the team that day.  My oar was so heavy, but after switching with Kristen, I found hers was even heavier, so I made her switch back.  Good thing she is such a good friend!  We saw a few other birds, including a fly catcher, but nothing really crazy. I did manage to pluck some aguaje fruit from an overhanging tree.  They are supposed to be very healthy and delicious, but it takes two days to soak them in water so they are soft enough to peel and eat.  During our morning hike, David continuously cracked open various nuts in search of the elusive “white worm” also known as a Sago worm.  As we made our way back to the lodge, we finally found some.   As he was handing them out for us to hold and inspect, the popped one into his mouth and spent the next 10 minutes trying to convince us of the wonderful health properties of this worm.  We all looked at each other trying to decide how much we believed him and who would be the first to eat the live worm.  The first victim was a guy from Germany.  He ate it right away and said it tasted like coconut.  After him a few other people gave it a shot, including me.  Yes, I ate a live worm and it wiggled in my mouth.  Just kidding, it did not wiggle, but it tasted like goo, not like a coconut.  It wasn’t crunchy either. 

Sago Worm

Was it delicious?  No, but it wasn’t horrible either.  I probably wouldn’t want to eat a bowl of them though.

We made our way back to the lodge for lunch, and then had a quick turnaround to Monkey Island.  The island is owned by the Eco Amazonia lodge as a place to put monkeys they rescue, including capuchins, spider monkeys, and tamarinds.  We only saw capuchins during our visit because they are bullies and gang up on the other monkeys when they try to come out for bananas.  I think I was least impressed by monkey island because I’ve been to other countries where they have “monkey parks” and excursions like this.  We only stayed there for an hour before jumping in a canoe to go fishing for piranhas. 

Off the main river was an inlet where piranhas like to hang out.  Mind you, we are still in a little canoe that could easily tip over if someone were to stand up too quickly.  We did not even have life jackets on at this point.  When we reach our destination, David hands everyone a stick with a piece of rope tied to it and some kind of meat fastened to the end.  Most of our sticks had make shift sinkers made from some nails, a washer, and various other rusted tools.  After about 10 minutes, someone catches a piranha!  We all oooh and ahh because it is actually a pretty little fish.  It gets thrown back in and we continue to fish.  Shortly after, the next person catches one!  She flings her fish into the boat where it falls off the hook and starts flapping around. Mind you, this fish has very sharp teeth and could easily bite someone’s ankle, so we all kind of back away and huddle on one side of the boat.  As David tries to reach over to grab the fish, it bites a hole through his pointer finger and he starts bleeding profusely.  Our other guide catches it by the tail with pliers and throws it out.  Since David is now bleeding all over the place, he thinks it’s a good idea to wash off his finger in the piranha infested water.  They decide it is time to go, so our boat driver starts to pull away.  As he is pushing us away from the shore, he gets bit by a piranha too! Now we have two guides with blood spurting from their fingers.  Oddly (or not so much) enough, none of the guides have first aid kits on the boat.  Lucky for them, we all have extensive kids in our bags and are equipped with a doctor in our group tour. 

Brown capuchin monkeys

At some point that afternoon we return to our bungalow and Kristen announces that she has to pee.  She rushes into the bathroom and comes right back out screaming!  Much to her surprise, there is a frog hopping around in our shower.  In any normal situation, one of us would probably grab the frog and haul it outside, but we are in the jungle!  There are poisonous frogs in the jungle!  Neither of us wants to seem like a sissy, so we decide not to go find someone to help.  Kristen grabs a plastic zip lock bag and tries to convince the frog to jump in the bag.  By some miracle, he jumps right in and she is able to take him outside to freedom.  How the little guy made it into our completely screened in lodge is still a mystery. 

Day 4 – Cusco

The next morning, we packed up and made our way down the river back to Puerto Maldonado to catch our flight to Cusco.  After a short flight, we threw our bags atop a van and headed to Cusco Plaza I, our hotel for the night.  We finally had our main bags back for a day and were able to repack, do some laundry, and drink some coca tea.  Cusco has an elevation of 3,400 meters, or 11,200 ft.  That kind of altitude can cause altitude sickness with an array of symptoms.  Kristen felt a little dizzy the first day, and I had a weird sensation of both of my hands and lower arms going numb as my heart had to pump harder to circulate blood throughout my body. Fortunately, both of our symptoms passed by the end of the day, and didn’t prevent us from enjoying ourselves.  For lunch, our Tucan guide, David, took us out to have a tradition Peruvian meal, cuy!   Cuy can be prepared in a variety of ways including fried, grilled, fileted, etc.  The important part is, well, that you are eating a guinea pig.  Kristen and I shared one and got a side of beans and corn.  I am proud of her because she ate the majority of it!  It was not bad! It tasted like fried dark meat chicken.  Since I don’t like dark meat, nor do I like fried chicken, I only had a little bit of it and mostly ate potatoes and corn. 

Cuy, a traditional Peruvian dish!

After lunch, we had a walking tour of the city.  It was very quaint and clean!  There were a lot of new shops and restaurants mixed in with old buildings and fabulous architecture.  I even found a Starbucks! I got a lot of souvenirs and Kristen got to hold a baby llama, for a price of course.  At one point, the lady who owned the llama actually ran away to chase after someone who tried to take a picture without paying and Kristen was not sure if she may have just purchased the llama she was holding in her arms.  Luckily, she came back a few minutes later.  In comparison to some of our crazy other days, this day was low key to help us adjust to the altitude.  We gathered for a group dinner at a local restaurant where I had Aji de Gallina, a Peruvian chicken curry dish and a Cusquena beer.  It was delicious!  I tried to order a glass of wine, but apparently Peru does not have any good wine.  I was advised against ordering it multiple times and encouraged to have beer or pisco.

Our Tucan Tour group in Cusco

 Day 5 – Sacred Valley

Early the next morning, we repacked again into our day packs for the next two days and held our main bags in storage at the hotel.  At this point, I was really starting to get annoyed because my day pack barely closed and was getting heavy!  We hopped onto another bus and started our drive into the Sacred Valley of the Incas.  Sadly, we could not visit Pisac because the bridge that led to that site collapsed.  Our first stop was at Chinchero, a small Andean Indian village.  While we explored the ruins, a celebration was occurring in the nearby church in honor of Corpus Christi!  There was a small parade and traditional dancers and music.

Me at Ollantaytambo

Before our next Inca site, we stopped for a buffet lunch at Incalicious.  While the name made me laugh, the food was delicious and not expensive.  My only frustration was that most of these organized food stops require cash and it’s sometimes hard to plan for that in between money exchange sites.  I really wish Tucan would have included any type of meal where you don’t have to choice of where to eat in the overall price.  I am not complaining about anywhere we went as a group, but it would have been nice to not have to worry about those things.

By the time we reached Ollantaytambo, we were ready to walk off our lunch.  The town is located at the foot of some spectacular Inca ruins which protected the strategic entrance to the lower Urubamba Valley.   We spent a lot of time walking around and learning about how the people who built the town diverted the river to transport massive amounts of granite from far away.  After getting back into the bus to be taken to our homestay, our driver informed us that there was no way he was going to fit the bus through the narrow roads and we would all have to get out and walk.  It was only half a mile away, so it was not a problem, but by the time we got there I really wished I would have had a backpack and not my shoulder tote.  My shoulders were killing me! 
 

Beautiful textiles at the markets!

The “house” that we all stayed in was called Casa de Doris.  It was more of an Inn than a house and Kristen and I shared a room with an en suite bathroom.  While we had the privilege of electricity, our windows would not shut and the doors didn’t lock.  Keep in mind we are approaching winter in the mountains, and we were freezing at night!  At least we had a hot shower in the morning.  Some rooms had to share a bathroom, and some of the bathrooms had no running water at all!  Since we were leaving earlier than the majority of our group the next morning, we passed on the use of our deluxe bathroom to some of the other group members to enjoy before their trek on the Inca trail.

Dinner that night was the last time we were all together because most of the people in our group were going on to hike the Inca trail over the next 4 days.  Kristen and I, along with another couple from Australia, planned to take the easy way out and catch a train.  The host family provided us with dinner and breakfast the next day from organic ingredients fresh out of their garden and we said goodbye and good luck to the hikers!

Day 6 – Machu Picchu

Another early morning had us on a PeruRail vista dome train to Machu Picchu town.  After a short two hour ride, and a snack of banana chips, we arrived at our destination.  From the town, we caught a bus to take us to the ruins.  The bus ride lasted about 25 minutes and was along a very scary and curvy road.  Several times I held my breath thinking we were going to go off the side of the cliff.  Poor Kristen, who has a fear of heights, was nearly hyperventilating on our ride back down later that day.

Inca ruins

Our guide spent the next several hours walking around with us and giving us lots of history and information about Machu Picchu.  The trekkers coming in off the Inca trail have a slightly different view from the sun gate than those arriving by bus.  The ruins were incredibly well preserved, though it was very crowded by all the tourists walking around.  You can easily spend many hours walking through the old houses and temples.  The only problem was that it was so hot and I felt like I was roasting under my long pants and t-shirt.  We made our way back to town via the crazy bus for some lunch.  Since our guide had left us back by the ruins to explore of our own, we were on our own.  We quickly found a place to eat and with Kristen’s encouragement, I did something crazy and did not order chicken and rice for lunch!  I decided to get a chicken enchilada instead – not Peruvian, I know.  Sadly, my craving for cheese was not fulfilled because Peruvian enchiladas have NO CHEESE.  It was still very good, but my Mediterranean palette was sad.  Post lunch was spent perusing the markets and picking up additional souvenirs.

Our guide told us to meet at the train station at 4 to get on a return train to Cusco.  When we received our documentation the previous day, our return train ticket was not supposed to be until 9:30 PM.   That would put us in Cusco around 1:30 AM.  Since that was ridiculously late, they informed us that the office was going to change our ticket.  That morning, we were told it was done and we would be on the earlier train.

When we arrived at the train station, our guide told us that the office did not actually change our

Baby llama at Machu Picchu

ticket and we had to wait at the station for the next 2.5 hours to try and get on a train if someone did not show up.   Of course, everyone did, and we sat there waiting for a very long time.  By 6:45 PM, we were quite angry and decided to leave to grab dinner and just get on the 9:30 train. Because we were to upset, the company agreed to pay for our dinner and they took us to some lesser known restaurant where we all ordered pizzas, but had to pay for the drinks on our own.  Guess what?  The pizza had real cheese on it and was actually very good!  My pina colada was weird though… it was not cold and tasted like almost frothy yogurt.  I should have stuck with beer.  By the time 9:30 rolled around, we all got on the train and I slept all the way home.

Day 7 – Back to Lima

Another early flight left us with about 4 hours of sleep and on a plane back to Lima.  The upside of that was that we had almost all day to walk around Lima and look at the sites we missed on the first day.  We walked along Jiron de la Union, the pedestrian road, from Plaza de Armas to Plaza San Martin.  We also went in the Monastery of San Francisco to see the catacombs and paintings.  After a late, but delicious, lunch of lamb and rice (not chicken and rice!) at Embarcadero 41, we made our way back to the hotel to pack up and relax.  That night we grabbed a light dinner the bar next to the hotel and a few parting drinks with our new friends.

Me and Kristen on the Peru Rail train.

Day 8 – Home

You can guess it; we were up again around 5 AM to catch our airport transfer for our flights back home.  Fortunately our flights were both on time and we had no trouble getting back home.  Coming back is always a drag, and I’m already thinking about where I want to visit next!  Decisions, decisions…

I posted the full album of pictures on Facebook.  If you’re interested in more details from this trip, leave a message or email me!