Peru: The Summary

Plaza de Armas in Arequipa, Peru

Days in Peru: 14 (Lima 5, Cusco 3, Puno/Lake Titicaca 2, Arequipa 3, Aguas Calientes 1)

People dancing at Kennedy Park in Miraflores, Peru

The People: The people varied depending on where in the country we were. They were very nice but not overly friendly.  Everyone we met seemed to be very prideful of their country and wanting to share information or advice on things to do. The cities were very diverse whereas places like Puno and Lake Titicaca were very indigenous and traditional. 

Peruvian Papa Noel

The Culture: The people of Peru are very aware of their history. With the Spanish taking over the Incas many hundreds of years ago, it seems the people today know a lot about both groups of people and they keep both cultures alive. The indigenous people mostly outside of Lima, wear their traditional clothing and carry their children on their backs. You are advised not to drink the water. Things in Peru are very cheap compared to the US dollar. We enjoyed the prices of just about everything. $10 meals for two, $1 drinks, $1-2 cab rides just about everywhere, $30 for a night at a nice hotel. Prices in Lima were a bit more. Everyone takes cabs because they are very cheap, no meters, you agree on a price before you get in the car. People also take long bus rides in between major cities. Our 8hr bus ride in 1st class cost us $35US for the both of us. The air emissions in Peru were terrible! The exhaust from the cars was very heavy especially in Cusco and Lima. The Christmas spirit was alive and well in Peru. Decorations and Christmas songs everywhere but it was far less commercial than you would find in the US, which was a bit refreshing. There were nativity scenes on every corner. They had the lighting of the Christmas tree in the main plaza in Arequipa while children from elementary school put on a show.

Churros and The Club sandwich at Manolo in Miraflores. We are very glad we split the club!

The Food: The food in Peru was very good and generally very cheap. Did you know there are over 2000 kinds of potatoes grown in Peru? Potatoes are served with everything, we didn't mind. Delicious meat dishes with rice were very inexpensive. We tried alpaca meat and ceviche as well, very popular in Peru. They serve bread with strawberry jam for breakfast. Lunch is the big meal in Peru. We ate some great Italian food in Miraflores as well. In the major cities you can find many different types of cuisine. The big drink that is a must try are pisco sours. We weren't huge fans of the drink but we enjoyed the shots of pisco our host shared with us! 

The climate: It was wet season when we visited. We did see rain, plenty of it. The mountainous areas were very cool and wet. We saw beautiful weather in Arequipa, dry and sunny. It was a weird feeling to have summer months while hearing Christmas music and seeing the decorations go up and children singing Christmas songs. 

Must do activities:

• Machu Picchu- Huayna Picchu- words and pictures can not describe this amazing site. If you can't do the 4 day Inca trail trek, definitely do the hike up Huayna Picchu. The views were stunning and the experience is unforgettable
• Ceviche- Try to get very fresh ceviche. It is a classic dish of Peru.
• Alpaca- Its not everyday you find Alpaca meat on the menu! We have been told that it is often tough and chewy. We tried ours at a upscale restaurant in Cusco and found the meat delicious and tender as a filet mignon.
• Lake Titicaca and Amantani Island- this part of our trip was eye opening! Great experience and it was good for us to be out of our comfort zone a bit. Highly recommended even if parts of it were touristy.
• Te de coca- if you feel altitude sickness this is literally a MUST do! It helped us so much! 
• Cusco- Theres just something about Cusco. You need to go there to feel it. We really enjoyed the small city and all that it had to offer us.

Funny moments:

• Remember that classic photo of Allie with the traditionally dressed girls, holding the little lamb? Now for the story behind the picture. Right before the picture was taken, Allie was given the lamb to hold, she was so excited/nervous she went to step backwards to set up for the picture and when she did, she didn't realize there was a step down behind her. She tumbled down the step backwards with the lamb in her arms! She held out the lamb to attempt to save it from falling on top of her! When Nelson saw Allie was not seriously injured, he broke out laughing and the Peruvian girls thought she was just insane! When she recovered from her humorous fall and picked the lamb up its heart was racing faster than hers! Poor little lamb! 
• There is a 12 sided stone chiseled by the Incas in a wall in Cusco. There was a man clearly trying to make money right next to the stone. When you would walk by he would say, "Thats a famous stone!" every time you passed by! "Thats a famous stone!"
• There were so many funny moments on Amantani Island. When we approached our home stay we walked up a steep hill and we were clearly out of breath, carrying our backpacks we followed out home stay mother up the hill on a path made of stones. She was about 60 yrs old and not sweating a bit. She put us to shame. As we approached the house, we turned a corner and a donkey starts 'hee-hawing' so loud we jumped! We kept saying to each other "Where are we?!?!"
• Nelson was in his element in Peru...Mr. Negotiator... or Mr. Haggler. He refused to get out of a cab after we reached our destination still trying to drive the price down. Picture Allie impatiently waiting outside the cab, ready to see ancient ruins and Nelson just going back and forth with the driver in Spanish till he got his way. When you get the cab ride for less than 50% the original cost, score!
• In Aguas Calientes, a town clearly running on tourism because it is so close to Machu Picchu, restaurant and bar owners try to entice you with deals. One woman as we passed by her shop said, "3 for 1 drinks... (we keep walking)... 4 for 1 drinks...(we keep walking)... 5 for 1 drinks!"... we turned back and went in.

Church in Arequipa, Peru

We would recommend Peru to anyone who is looking for a unique travel experience. The culture and experiences you will take from this country are unlike many nations we have visited. We traveled to quite a few places in Peru making this segment of our trip a bit more hectic but it was very worth it! We enjoyed our time and met some great people. Next we take you to New Zealand... it may be the polar opposite of Peru! A young country, with fresh air, and a much bigger price tag!