A few things about Peru

[Stiv]

Feel free to add anything. The is just from recent experience and pertains only to specifics of where we stayed and where we went.

What a wonderful and wonderfully cheap place. From the Eastern Part of the USA it really is not too bad a flight, about 5.5 hours from Miami and an extra two from the originating destination flying American Airlines (which got us there safely but that was the ONLY redeeming factor). Peru is the exact same time, as EST except they do not have DST so the time difference was one hour because of DST in the US.

The money was good value at 3 Peruvian Soles to a dollar. It is a very good idea to change and use the local currency though everyone will tell you dollars will do, but that’s only because they, not you will make out using them. Prices tend to change without your knowledge if you insist on using dollars; this is actually common everywhere you are told dollars are welcome and interchangeable. Also make sure you have vast quantities of small denominations and lots of change for the indigent (I only will give money to old people, the infirm, or churches priests and nuns) and for the vast majority of vendors who rarely have enough to give you back if you choose to use large bills. The smallest paper bill is the 10 Soles note anything smaller will be a large variety of small coins. Most dining establishments that are on the higher end will attach a 10% gratuity to the bill so tipping is not required but in fact do check to see that this is case it will be tallied on your bill.

The food is uniformly of pretty good quality but as with most developing country and those with visiting standards as such and the rules of dietary safety for beverages and foodstuffs should be adhered to. If precautions are not taken there is a very good chance that GI problems will occur. Alpaca, Cuy (Guinea pig) Seviche, Queso fresco (fresh cheese) a wide variety of different types of corn and potatoes tend to be referred to as “Typical cuisine” do try these things as they can be anywhere from excellent to very good. For those who seek a more familiar fare, in places like Lima, Cuzco or Puno there is everything a westerner/touristo could want. In the countryside this is less the case but pasta and pizza are found just about everywhere except the most remote of areas. Coca products such as tea and candy are found everywhere and utilized by just about everyone. This is the same plant that cocaine is derived from. While these other products are legal cocaine is not though if desired is pretty easy to find, but in the time I was there no one ever solicited me, a true testament that I’m now officially old. These coca products are very useful for altitude sickness though their usefulness is somewhat overstated. I will get into the issues of altitude sickness later.

The places visited were specifically Lima to Cuzco to Puno with some smaller towns such as Pukara, Olyantambo, Olambamba, Pisac, Aguas Calientes (the main transit point for Machu Pichu) and Lake Tititkaka the Uros islands and Taquile island.

Since tourism is a significant source of income for the country there tends to be a fair amount of folks that look to tourists as ATM machines whether through the hawking of goods or by begging. This will include lots of small children that will follow you either asking for money or trying to sell small finger puppets and such. I would suggest you refrain from encouraging children to beg by patronizing them or giving them money. Pencils and school items are a much better gift. Also expect to pay small amounts of money to almost all people you take pictures of, in fact many people will demand it of you, whether you have asked or not to photograph them. Most churches will not allow any photography with flash or without inside, and will threaten to confiscate your film. As always it’s important to be respectful inside these places, its just good decorum.

Lima is like any other big city, it has its good places and it’s bad. A “no go” area we were told by the guides was the costal beach area. There is a very good chance you will be robbed. It is sparsely populated (except by surfers and shady types) and not very well policed. Traffic is rather chaotic and disorganized so watch crossing the street. The Milaflores area is upscale and nice. For the most part Lima has a bad reputation for being dirty and not very attractive. Overall though I found it to be pretty nice…certainly not Rio’s league, but it’s ok on it’s own merits.

Cuzco is the countries top tourist destination because it is the gateway to Machu Pichu the countries top tourist draw and recently designated “Wonder of the world”. For this reason expect to deal with the worst possible lines awaiting the myriad of flights that go in and out of there daily. Usually you will see rows of empty check-in desks with maybe ten open that are all packed with people trying to get to Cuzco. Be prepared as this is the norm.

Now seems like the time to address the high altitude and how you will be affected, as once into Cuzco you will be residing at about 13,000 feet above sea level. Lima is at sea level, so if you fly from Lima to Cuzco in the matter of a little over an hour you will go through an extreme change. High altitude affects everyone differently. Gradual acclimation is recommended as optimal, but as in our case not always possible. Do some research into altitude sickness and how to avoid it. There is medication (Diamox) to help with the symptoms and acclimation. Hydration and regulating activity is imperative. I took the medication; my partner did not due to allergies. She suffered much more than I did but I was not immune to the affects and plainly speaking in the 8 days above 12,000ft we did not fully acclimate. Night time is the worst as you will wake up a few times each night dehydrated and gasping for breath to one degree or another. This can be quite disconcerting. Gas expands at altitude too and this includes abdominal gas, so we all know those implications. I recommend something with Simethicone.

Some high-end hotels will either have oxygen on hand or even pumped into the rooms. Small canisters can also be found for sale in some pharmacies or stores. If you do choose to take Diamox start taking it at least two days in advance to you being at altitude to allow your body to build up the proper amount of the medication in your system. If you do take it for acute symptoms it may be too late and be of little or no help at all. Pharmacies there will have it for sale, but again this may be of little help if it’s expired or improperly made. This is a very good trip to purchase travel health insurance, as we saw no less than three separate tourists hauled away in ambulances for a variety of reasons.

This element of travel to Peru is very important as altitude sickness is serious issue and in a worst case scenario can kill you.

Cuzco is a pretty nice town but is quickly growing into a very touristy spot with lots of touts and souvenir shops and restaurants catering to the out of town crowd. Shopping for things here can be better than many places as the competition for business is tough and bargaining can be easier. The cathedral and some of the churches are extremely nice though.

We took the Cuzco to Aguas calientes train to ultimately as transit to Machu Pichu. This train leaves early (6am) and takes three hours to arrive. There are three classes the upper class cars have less backpackers and constructed with panoramic widows to view some of the spectacular scenery. Splurge and get your tickets beforehand. Machu Pichu is everything you’d expect and you will not be disappointed. It’s only at 8,000 ft so altitude won’t bother you too much if you’ve been in Cuzco for any length of time. The amount of people allowed in are regulated so the even though compared to many other destinations of this magnitude due to it’s size it never feels too overwhelmed with other travelers. The bus ride to Machu Pichu is a rather unnerving road of tight switchbacks taken at speed in a large bus, which by the top is without guardrails and looking down several hundred feet to the bottom.

The sacred valley is also another full day of viewing and has some spectacular sights some better than others. Some will leave you with sever vertigo and others are just stop offs trying to sell you something. The Pisac market was one of the best, remember “real” alpaca products have rather musky animal smell, keep this in mind when buying as much is of the hats gloves and sweaters are mass produced and you will see the same stuff everywhere. Look for the unique bargain hard but be prepared to pay.

Next was a ten-hour bus ride to Puno from Cuzco. Again this is a very scenic ride but can be unsettling at times, as the mountain roads more often than not have no guardrails and the bus is hurtling at speed passing slower vehicles (other busses). There’re many small towns along the way in which to stop to see many ruins and quite a few sublime to gaudy beautiful churches, and crossing the altiplano at altitudes above the tree line and at places in excess of 14,000 ft is simply and quite literally breathtaking.

Puno is the home of Lake Titikaka the highest navigable lake in the world. This is home to the Uros floating islands where indigenous tribes have lived for thousand of years. The islands are built of reeds (the footing sinks as soon as you step on them, watch out for soft spots where you can sink up to your knees!) and the people can move them. These are very poor people and while many groups are shills to the tourists with a good guide you can see some groups that are in fact removed from the groups of tourists that visit them by the hundreds. There are many islands to visit and if you have the time it’s possible to cross the lake and visit Bolivia with a visa available for most at the border. (US citizens expect to pay the ridiculous amount of $134! It’s called reciprocity folks).

Taquile is one of the largest and most visited of these. The people have wonderfully unique weaving and style of dress. The trout is superb to dine on and like through much of the country try to drink some of the Chicha de maize. Flights here go through the town of Juliaca which is a dirty dismal town in the middle of nowhere but I kind of like it there. There are also some pre-Incan funerary towers called Chulpas, these are in an area called Sillustani on Lake Umayo and are very old partially destroyed by Christians and built in some respects with more exacting technique than even the Inca’s used.

The flight back to Lima from Juliaca was via Ariquippa, which was a beautiful flight in, is a town surrounded by mountains and at least one dormant volcano. When the air on the plane (LAN Peru) was turned on it felt like pure oxygen and was the first time in almost ten days that we felt able to breath normally.

The Novotel in Cuzco was a gorgeous hotel and the Inca Posada chain in Lima and Puno were very nice with great staff. The guide Alfredo Romero (Puno-Lake Titikaka) blasrom@hotmail.com (tele#519907876) was an intense guide who clearly loves his job and will bend over backwards for you his charges come highly recommended.

While we did not see any area that was seriously damaged by the earthquake earlier this year, all in all it looks as though much of the country had fortunately regrouped and had continued on in a very positive and stalwart manner, so as a people they are extremely happy to host tourists and understand what a positive impact that money has for their country.

Best,
Stiv

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