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Peru is South America’s third largest country and can be divided into three distinct geographic regions. This diversity of climates is really what makes Peru a “must-see” on any visit to South America. Its one of the few places in the world where you can experience the urban life of Lima, the mountainous regions of Machu Picchu, the jungles of Iquitos, the lakes near Puno, and the desert of Atacama.

One of the best known regions is the central high sierra of the Andes, with its massive peaks, steep canyons, and extraordinary pre Columbian archaeological sites. The Andes are still one of the world’s most unstable mountain ranges, with frequent earthquakes, landslides, and flash floods. Despite such instability, the Andes are also the site of the most fascinating pre-Columbian cities of South America-like the great city of the clouds, Machu Picchu.

The Andes are by no means the only region to visit in Peru. Also of great interest is Peru’s narrow, lowland coastal region, a northern extension of the Atacama Desert. Although the Atacama is generally known as the most arid region on the planet, the climate along Peru’s shores is made cooler and less dry by La Garuùa, a dense fog created by the collision of the frigid waters of the Humboldt Current with the heated sands of the Atacama. Lima, Trujillo, and Chiclayo, three of Peru’s major population centres, are located along this coastal desert.

Peru’s third great region is the dense forest that surrounds the headwaters of the Amazon beneath the eastern slopes of the Andes. This part of the country is so inaccessible that only the most adventurous and intrepid travelers should attempt to penetrate its mysterious emerald depths. In fact, the region’s capital of Iquitos, a city of 400,000, is accessible only by air or by boat up the Amazon. Peru’s climate varies considerably by region, although January through March tends everywhere to be the wet season.

The coastal areas, which are quite hot and humid during those months, are cooled during the rest of the year by La Garuùa. The fog doesn’t penetrate very far inland, however, and the western side of the Andes are very clear, warm, and dry for the greater part of the year. As one moves up into the mountains, night-time temperatures become considerably colder. The eastern slope of the Andes, like the Amazon basin, experiences very heavy rainfall during the wet season, which extends from January all the way through April.

Iquitos is the world’s largest city that cannot be reached by road – only by air or sea. It is a crazy little town at the mouth of the Amazon and is distinctly different from the rest of Peru. When we visited, it felt like a place that time forgot that Buckaroo Banzai or Tarzan would visit in his free time. Tourists typically visit for an excursion into the rain forest or river trip down the Amazon.

Iquitos was founded in 1750s as a Jesuit mission. The settlement survived and grew slowly until it had 1500 settlers by 1870. Then came the great Rubber Rush (much like the California Gold Rush) which led to a 16 times increase in population by the 1880s. Rubber barons became insanely rich while rubber tappers lived like slaves. By World War I, the rubber bust began and the Iquitos economy tanked. Its been struggling ever since living mostly off oil and tourism.

We took a quick tour of the local town as well. Not much to see except for a few bars and clubs that reminded me of Mexico. However, one very cool place is run by an ex-Longhorn from University of Texas. He claims to have the coldest beer in Iquitos and is pictured below.

Witch Doctors and Local Villages

We had the opportunity to visit a real life witch doctor. He showed us all manner of potions and concoctions that presumably cured everything from the common cold, to snake bites, to male patterned baldness! Lots of herbs were grown near by and most of the animals used as ingredients were never too far away. Its like having your own supermarket in your backyard!

We also visited a local village near our campground where we had an opportunity to learn how to use blow guns. Needless to say I was pretty lousy. However, Lauren had a natural knack for it! The main souvenir they sold was…you guessed it…blow guns!

Jungle Lodges

Excursions into the jungle fall into three key categories: jungle lodges, cruises, and camping. We elected for the first category which is great for wildlife viewing. There are a wide range of options available and many of the lodges are far from Iquitos. You typically have to take a boat or some form of river transport to get to your lodge as the area within 50 kilometers of the city is still considers “city jungle”. As we would pass by in our boats, there was no shortage of local Amazonians gawking at the strange tourists from beyond. Although they probably shouldn’t have, some of our companions gave the local children chocolate…next up donuts!

After much investigation, we decided to sign up with Explorama Lodges. This is a well established company that owns and operates lodges and is a sponsor of ACTS (Amazon Conservatory of Tropical Studies) which has a lab at the famed Canopy Walkway. Our trip included a trip to the Walkway and several lunch and dinner buffets!

We stayed at Ceiba Tops, Explorama’s most modern and largest lodge. There are 75 rooms and suites with airconditioning! If you don’t want to rough it, this is the lodge to book. Even though the lodge where we stayed was largely enclosed, there were signs of jungle life everywhere. It wasn’t uncommon for us to see birds that would come right up to us and try to feed on our leftovers. While we were at camp we had an opportunity to fish. Unfortunately I wasn’t very good. The natives seem to be able to catch fish with their fingers!

Some of the nearby wildlife is truly breathtaking. We hope much of it will remain but alas with deforestation of the Amazon occuring at an alarming rate, much of what we saw may not be around in 50 years…or less. Eighty kilometers away on the Amazon, near the Rio Napo, is the Explorama Lodge. This was one of the first lodges (1964) and is very “rustic”. That’s a euphemism for lots of bugs, open air toilets, air au naturael and lighting by kerosene. At this lodge, you can really experience even more of the jungle environs. We took a quick walk around the area and saw some pretty amazing wildlife.

Canopy Walkway

Canopy Walkway Until the 1970s, biologists working in the rainforest made their observations and collected specimens from the forest floor. Unfortunately, they weren’t aware that most of the action was occurring not at ground but above. When they ventured into the treetops, they discovered so many new species that the canopy became known as a new frontier in topical biology. Now tourists can visit the canopy through a series of intertwined walkways. The walkway stretches over 500 meters through the rain forest canopy.

To get to Machu Picchu, you can either get the truly authentic experience by walking like the ancestors from Cuzco or you can get there by train like the tourists. Since we weren’t fooling anyone, we took the tourist path. We took the train. Our train departed at 6 am from Cuzco to Machu Picchu. After about 20 minutes of travel (potentially less), the train stopped, and we started going BACKWARDS for 5 to 10 minutes. Perhaps the train had taken the wrong track? Not reassuring. After going forward for another 5 to 10 minutes, the train stopped AGAIN to go backwards. This time, we noticed that the scenery heading backwards was different from that which we saw before. That’s when an announcement came on indicating that the train was actually taking a series of four back and forth switchbacks down the mountain because it is too steep for regular railroad curves. We had never experienced a train ride like that. We just wish the scenery was better: there was tons of garbage around the tracks near the towns, a phenomenon that’s typical of a lot of cities we have traveled to. There were a few stops along the way, including Ollantaytambo. If you ever travel by train to Machu Picchu from Cuzco, we suggest you take a taxi to Ollantaytambo, and then board the train there. It took us around 4.5 hours to get to Machu Picchu.

Sanctuary Lodge

Upon arrival, we saw a sign for the hotel we were staying at: The Sanctuary Lodge. We dropped off our luggage with the porters there, and then walked through the souvenir market, across the street, to the Rio Urubamba bridge where the buses are located. The tour book indicated that a one way ticket to Machu Picchu grounds is US$4.50, but it cost US$6.00. All the prices have inflated since the publication of the book in January 2004. We think prices continue to go up each year because… well, they can, since tourists continue to come.

The bus we took us directly to the entrance of Machu Picchu where the Sanctuary Lodge is located. The Sanctuary Lodge (which is owned by the same group as Hotel Monasterio in Cuzco) is the ONLY hotel at Machu Picchu. As you can imagine, the proximity and exclusivity means that it is the most expensive hotel in the area. We paid ~US$550/night. If you think that’s a lot, Jenny told us that they are raising rates next year and will be charging US$800/night! Even though that price includes all meals, decent accommodations, TV (3 channels but only one in English: CNN), and great proximity to the site, it is still way overpriced. An average of 2,500 people come to Machu Picchu during the high season: 2,000 by train and 500 by the Inca Trail. The best time to come is May and the first two weeks of June where only 300 to 400 people come and the weather is nice.

While waiting in the lobby, we noticed that there was a framed letter on the wall written by Henry Bingham, the [great] grandson of Hiram Bingham. Hiram was the American historian who “discovered” Machu Picchu in 1911 while on a quest to search for Vilcabamba, the last stronghold of the Incas. Machu Picchu was covered in thick vegetation, and only the locals knew of its location.

During our mediocre buffet lunch we discussed our plans for that day and the following one. One of our plans was to climb Huayna Picchu (”young peak”) which is next to Machu Picchu (”old peak”). As we were eating, Jenny pointed to this mighty steep and high mountain and told us that it was Huayna Picchu. It didn’t help that Eugene had purchased a book on Machu Picchu which said that even thought it is accessible by almost anybody (I highly doubted that), to be very careful and not attempt it after it is raining since the steps will be slippery and possibly treacherous. It also specifically said not to rely on the foliage to break your fall and that a tumble can be fatal. Great.

After lunch, we went directly outside to buy tickets to enter Machu Picchu. The tickets cost S/77 each (they don’t take US dollars!), and despite saying that the entry fee is for two days, the “2″ is crossed out, so they in effect double prices, although we’re not quite sure when they did that. Most tours had already finished for the day, and the hotel staff said that it would take at least an hour for a guide to arrive. Instead, we loitered around the entrance and tried to see if we could hire somebody on the spot. As it turned out, we ran into this guy who had just finished a tour and was only too happy to make an easy extra US$40 and show us around for a couple of hours.

We should mention that in the three hours we had spent at Sanctuary Lodge, we saw two injured people come out of Machu Picchu! One person was in a wheelchair (and obviously WASN’T in one before going inside), and an older woman was hauled out in a stretcher with blood coming out of her head. With this backdrop, we expected the grounds to be very dangerous, but it wasn’t at all. It was magnificent and spectacular!

Machu Picchu was built in 1450 and developed for 50 years. It was never finished. One day, the Incas left and abandoned the area. Nobody knows why. It wasn’t to avoid the conquering Spaniards, because they never made it there. We were told that at its peak, a population of 700 Incas lived there – only priests and engineers, no common folk. Being built between two geographic fissures, it has excellent shock absorption to withstand earthquakes. They also built a sophisticated drainage system to route water from the mountain. As with most Inca architecture, there is a series of terraces for planting, temples for worship, and six wide plazas for people to congregate. Approximately 70% of the area is exposed and the remaining 30% will be cleared over the next ten years.

All the temples in Machu Picchu are built without mortar (sound familiar?). The natural color of the stones are white, but it takes only a few weeks for them to turn grey by the lichen. The quality of the stones are determined by the purpose of the structure. There’s one wall where the stones are incredibly smooth for the temple, and then look noticeably rougher where it turns into the wall for the high priest’s accommodation.

The buildings in lower Machu Picchu are built with rustic stones where the plebians (engineers) lived. Our guide said 4 to 5 people lived in each room/house. The rooms of some of the homes have been rebuilt, complete with thatching to show tourists what they would have looked like thousands of years ago.

Sun Temple

The Sun Temple is easily identified because it is round and below it is a cave-like structure known as the “Royal Tomb” which is really the Temple of Mother Earth. Important people were mummified back then, and they found some mummies inside. To my disappointment, there is no evidence of human sacrifice at Machu Picchu (I kept on threatening to use Lauren as a test subject throughout the trip), although the bodies of pre-pubescent sacrificial children have been found in the mountains of other areas. Unlike the Aztecs in Mexico, however, we don’t think these rituals were performed on a regular basis. In addition to the usual moon temple, star temple, etc. one of the more interesting structures is an unfinished building our guide called the “energy place” because there are strong magnetic fields there. He said that a lot of people come here to expressly experience it. One neat thing about this place is that there are a series of holes in the wall, and if you talk into it, you can hear the sound reverberate throughout the building.

Fortunately, Machu Picchu is a natural quarry, so it wasn’t necessary to haul boulders from neighboring surroundings. The Incas would find stones with a natural fissure and then use it to determine where to split the rock. There’s one rock where it looks like copper and bronze tools are used to chisel and break the rock, but that isn’t attributable to the Incas: it is a rock that a modern archeologist tried to split using ancient Egyptian methods.

We had a long discussion regarding vegetation and diet with the tour guide. There are 300 species of orchid found in the area! Orchids are beautiful but they seem quite fickle and difficult to grow. We talked at length about the coca leaf. It is an important part of the local “diet” because it contains a lot of minerals and vitamins. People chew about one pound a day (7 to 8 pounds of coca leaf generates 1gram of cocaine). Although it is legal to buy, sell and chew coca leaf, it is illegal to grow. Go figure? One pound of coca leaf only costs S/1 so it is very cheap. Jenny informed us that the stories about Coca-Cola used to containing cocaine are true: it is because coca leaf is/was an ingredient (hence the name). Over time, however, they extracted the cocaine… at least from North America.

We noticed that there were some llamas in Machu Picchu, but were told that they were only brought up there for the tourists. Back in the day, the Incas grew and ate corn, potato and kenois (sp?). “Kenois” is a cereal which was used to make food such as soups and pancakes. It was especially important because it contains both protein and calcium. North Americans typically drink milk for that, but cows were rare in Peru, and alpacas don’t create enough milk. Crops were built on the terraces and moved from one level to the next over time to acclimatize them.

Like most ancient societies, the Incas were quite hierarchical. There were approximately 500 Incas (royalty) at the top of the food chain, and then men practiced polygamy. Next came the nobility (priests) and there were approximately 2 million of them. At the bottom where the poor 15 million or more farmers. Back then, there was no currency and no ownership of property. The farmers would pay taxes with labor. Each year, the farmers would spend six months building and six months farming. We already told you about how they placed buildings to align with astronomical phenomenon. That’s part of a much larger concept called Tahantinsuyo and can be illustrated with a drawing that exhibits the importance of the numbers four (the four magnetic corners: N, S, E, W), three (the number of worlds: condor, puma and snake), two (duality, similar to yin & yang), and one (the creator). There’s an Intihuatana in Machu Picchu, and the principal granite base points to the four magnetic corners. It is now cordoned off by rope because some years ago, a filming crew made a beer commercial there, and the crane swung into the Intihuatana and broke a piece off!

Watchman’s Hut

After our tour guide left, we climbed to the top of the Watchman’s Hut. It had started to rain, so Eugene and Jenny decided to go back. We wanted to wait it out and then head to Intipunku, the Sun Gate. As we sat there enjoying the scenery (most people take a shot of Machu Picchu there), I admit I checked my Blackberry. Lauren wishes she had taken a photo of me if only to email it to the head of my firm. Sitting next to the Hut, we could barely make out the voice of somebody singing. That’s when we looked over and saw some guy in red pants singing and dancing. We wondered what it was all about: was he performing an official Inca ceremonial dance? Was he just a nut case? Fortunately, it wasn’t raining that heavily, and we even managed to take a photo of a rainbow.

Sun Gate

It takes anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes to trek to Intipunku. Most people head up there first thing in the morning to watch the sun rise, but I wanted to check it out in case we were unable to go there the next day. It is all uphill, but the road is paved, and the slope is quite gentle. The Sun Gate is actually where people walking the Inca Trail first show up when they arrive in Machu Picchu. We must say, it was quite underwhelming. You can take some interesting shots of Machu Picchu from there, but we had expected a lot more. Since we had started late heading up to Intipunku, we were very late returning to the Machu Picchu. In fact, it was quite dark when we got back, and we were the last two people to leave.

We had dinner at Sanctuary Lodge and the quality of the food was about the same as lunch. A Peruvian band played while we ate, and as we have experienced at every restaurant where there is a live band, one of the band members came around selling CDs after they finished. I call the music “Peruvian Gamelan”. When we went to Indonesia, we heard gamelan music EVERYWHERE. Much as we love Indonesia, and especially Bali, we were sick of it after a few days. The Peruvian equivalent is better, but not something we would choose to listen to. We planned the next day’s itinerary as we ate: meet at the front gate at 6a.m., head up to Intipunku, return for breakfast, and then climb Huayna Picchu.

The following day we received a call at 5:30a.m. It was our traveling companions. Jenny was up all night with food poisoning, so we were on our own. Even though we were at the front gate by 5:50 a.m., we were completely unprepared for the long line that had already formed at the ticket office. By the time we bought our tickets, it was already 6:15 a.m. so there was insufficient time for us to head up to Intipunku to watch the sunrise. So if you ever go: be sure to buy the next day’s tickets in advance! Instead, we headed up to the Watchman’s Hut again to watch the sunrise. We thought it would rise over the direction of the Sun Gate (since everybody says to head to Intipunku to watch the sun rise), we were surprised to see it come from a different direction. I wonder what’s the big deal about watching sun rise from Intipunku? Maybe it is not the fact that the sun rises over the Sun Gate (which it doesn’t), but the ability to see Machu Picchu gradually light up from afar as the sun rises.

Huayna Picchu

We went back for a quick breakfast before heading to Huayna Picchu. If you ever go, start early because it starts getting busy at around 10 a.m. They only allow 400 people into Huayna Picchu each day (you have to sign in and out), and even though it is open from 7a.m. to 4 p.m., the last admittance is at 1 p.m.

Lauren was really nervous all the way up to Huayna Picchu. After about 5 minutes, the path split off with directions to Hicchu Picchu and Wayna Picchu (different spelling of Huayna Picchu). The path is incredibly well marked like a US park so you can’t get lost. The path to Huayna actually starts with a cabled portion descending down to the saddle between Huayna Picchu and Una Picchu, before the long climb upwards begins.

As we headed up, we couldn’t help but think about the Incas who had to carry rocks and lay the path up to the summit. Partially up the mountain, the path forks with one route heading towards the Temple of the Moon. We took the other one and head to the top of Huayna Picchu via what’s known as the Storehouse Route.

Even if you are afraid of heights, you should definitely push yourself to make it to the summit. The view from the top is SPECTACULAR. After passing the Sacred Rock check point, we stopped at the viewing platform where there’s a phenomenal view of ALL of Machu Picchu. I went to the edge of the platform while Lauren stayed a good 15 feet back and screamed at me to be careful since it was a straight drop from where I was standing. We took some great photos at the edge with Machu Picchu as a backdrop.

After admiring the view, we passed by the Usnu, which is an elegantly raised platform which is a symbol of power and government. It was used as an altar for prayer and scarifice as well as being some sort of throne/seat. The Usnu was off to the side and required climbing some precarious steps.

We continued to ascend to the very top of Huayna Picchu. After navigating several boulders and slopes, we reached a V-shaped seat carving on the edge of a rock. Later we found out that this seat carving is the highest point of Huayna Picchu and points to Mount Salcantay which is a holy mountain 20 miles away. To start the descent down, we had to somehow negotiate down a huge sloped granite rock. Some gutsy (aka foolish) guys RUN down the rock.

Upon reaching the bottom of the granite thoroughly shaken but unscathed, we saw a sign pointing to the direct route Temple of the Moon. Let me tell you about the “direct route” to the Temple of the Moon. It is definitely a short cut, because you travel 1,250 feet (380 meters) horizontally over 2,600 feet (800 meters) vertically, resulting in an average slope of 48%. One of our guide books said it is “not well maintained”, “daunting”, and provided several warnings not to hike the path alone (it is not well traveled) and can result in a fatal fall. Even the guide from the previous day had warned us not to take that route so we bypassed it and went the traditional route past a two story security building and storehouse with three windows and a panoramic view on the southeast side.

This traditional route is called the Tunnel Route and eventually meets up with the Storehouse Route. To go down, you have to descend a long, steep staircase which had hanging terraces to the west, below the storehouse. People had expected corn to be cultivated on these terraces, but they have actually found traces of mate (pronounced “ma-TAY”) instead. Mate is tea, and is used in a brew called aramatio, which has stimulant properties. Some people actually walked sideways down the staircase, but Lauren decided to sit on the steps and go down face forwards. Most people do it this way. Unlike in other places, in case of a fall, Lauren wouldn’t actually fall off the mountain, but would barrel into everybody else going down the stairs in front of her and they’d all go down like bowling pins.

When we got to the fork in the road, we took the other route to the Temple of the Moon. This temple is all the way at the bottom of the mountain which was discovered in 1936. We’ve read conflicting things about this temple: some say that it is just called Temple of the Moon but has nothing to do with moon worship. Others say that the cave there is flooded with moonlight as an analog to the Sun Temple at the end of the day when the sun sets and the moon rises. Who knows? Frankly, I thought the Temple of the Moon looked like a great, secluded place for human sacrifices!

The immense Lake Titcaca (3,820 meters above sea level) is accredited with all manner of memorable trivia. Generations of school children have been taught that this is the highest lake with passenger boat services in the world, while its also South America’s largest lake and the largest lake in the world above 2,000 meters at over 170 kilometers in length and 60 kilometers in breadth. Most recently the lake was memorialized by the cultural giants Beavis and Butthead.

H. Bingham Train 

We traveled to Lake Titicaca by train from Cuzco.  It was a very nice trip with open air carriages and plenty of local flair.  We were served a nice meal of local cuisine and drink.  Be sure to buy your tickets in advance and reserve upper class.  Everything in Peru is relatively cheap so we suggest you splurge for this particular part of your journey. Here is a picture of Lauren enjoying the train ride and the local band who amazingly came by every time I was about to fall asleep:

     

The great thing about the train is there are extremely large windows and an open air carriage where you can enjoy panoramic views of the countryside.  There were many small towns and villages along the way and people seemed very friendly and open to tourists.

     

Some towns, including La Raya, had stalls set up right next to the train tracks.  We’d stop over, check out the local weaving and products and quaff some Inka Cola.   

   

A quick word about Inka Cola.  This is Peru’s answer to Coca-Cola and tastes a lot like cream soda.  Apparently its the only soda in the world that outsells Coca-Cola in their home country.  A little too sweet for me! Now if they had a diet version…

The countryside reminded us of the great plains in the USA.  Lots of open field with cows and crops.  A far cry from both the urban atmosphere of Lima and regal colonial feel of Cuzco.  The mountains are relatively barren save for interesting graffiti that would put that on the New York subways to shame:

       

Puno

Our first major city when we near Lake Titicaca is the port of Puno.  Puno is the base from which to visit the islands dotted across Titicaca. This city was founded in 1668 near the site of a defunct silver mine. Few colonial buildings remain but the small streets are filled with trici-taxis and markets filled with local knick-knacks. Puno’s high altititude gives it extreme weather conditions. Nights are very cold but given the lack of clouds and high altitude, you can get sunburned quite easily.

We stayed at the Hotel Libertador Isla Esteves. It was by far the most progressive in the area with the amenities many of us as used to. The hotel sits on its own private island in the western part of the Lake. Its connected to Puno by a 6 kilometer road.

 

Islas Flotantes

The unique Islas Flotantes of the Uros people (often referred to the Uros Islands) are Lake Titicaca’s top tourist attraction. Always a small tribe, they began their unusual floating existence centuries ago in an effort to isolate themselves from the aggressive local tribes and Incas.  The only way to get to the islands is to organize a boat to take you across Lake Titicaca to the Islas.  Along the way you’ll notice the water is a deep crystal blue, the air is thin and fresh and there seems to be a never ending supply of reeds throughout the lake area.  You’ll understand where the value of the reeds when you meet the local people.  

       

Today several hundred people still live on these islands and eke out a living with fishing and tourism. The islands contain schools, post offices and huts where people sell souvenirs! Below are some pictures of the locals who were selling mostly weaved products.

    

The inhabitants of some islands have also built rickety observation platforms from which to survey the surroundings. One of the interesting things about these islands is everything is essentially man made from reeds – even the island themselves! As the underbelly of the island rots, they simply cut and thatch more reeds to the top of the island.

    

The reeds come in very handy as firewood and even as a snack!  I tried one of them and I will tell you it reminded me of sugar cane…without the sugar.  Essentially tasted like fiber soaked in water.  Mmmm…tasty.

   

As you can imagine, fish are an important part of their diet:

     

The Uros also have a very elaborate bundled reed boat which reminded us of Chinese Dragon Boats. These boats can carry people for several months before they begin to rot:

      

Islas Taquile

This island has been inhabited for thousands of years and is a real, 6 kilometer island with a population of approximately 2,000.

   

The island is well known for its weaving and the social customs. The men wear woolen hats resembling nightcaps – which the men knit themselves. These hats signify social status. For instance, red hats signify married men, red-and-white hats signify bachelors, and different colors denote different social status. The women also weave waistbands for their men.

The island is its own world detached from the rest of civilization. The soil is red and rich and the air is crystal clear. The surroundings reminded me of the Greek Islands – but with a Latin American flair!

 

Here are some photos of the local men and women.  They performed a nice small procession for us while we walked around the town and reviewed some of the woolen products they sell in their local stores:

         

Here are a couple of photos of me with the marriage waistbands:

 

Images near the local city square:

      

Archway leading to the ocean: 

   

Tea made from the same leaves that create cocaine (to accompany my local meal):

 

Solar panels were pretty prevalent throughout the island:

Cuzco is the “archaeological capital of the Americas as well as the continent’s oldest continuously inhabited city”. We walked around the city a bit, visiting popular places like Plaza de Armas, which was the heart of Inca Cuzco and still the heart of the city today. We saw two flags flown there: the red & white Peruvian flag and the rainbow colored flag of Tahuantinsuyo (representing the four quarters of the Inca empire)… which also looks very much like the gay pride flag! The plaza is surrounded by colonial arcades. There’s also a prominent cathedral and church nearby on two sides. There were no shortage of street vendors selling postcards and paintings. It reminded us of Southeast Asia although the peddlars here aren’t quite as aggressive and there aren’t as many of them.

 

In order to get to Cuzco, the most convenient method is to fly. We took an early morning flight and landed in Cuzco in the late morning. The moment we stepped off the plane we felt ill. We had been dreading the possibility of altitude sickness since the beginning of the trip, and thought that our “symptoms” may just be psychological. It wasn’t very severe, but we felt a little light headed and short of breath. You also have to breathe more deeply to get the same level of oxygen in your blood. You can take altitude sickness pills (Diomox) but the side effects of the medication — increased urinary volume, numbness, tingling, nausea, drowsiness, myopia and temporary impotence — sound twice as bad as the effects of altitude sickness itself. Machu Picchu is at a lower altitude for Cuzco, so with any luck, we figured we’d be able to acclimatize in Cuzco for a few days.

We liked the architecture there. They have gorgeous tiled roofing and ornate wooden balconies that display beautiful carvings. The roads are narrow and paved with cobblestones which make it uncomfortable to walk. Some of the locals still wear traditional garb (hats and flared out skirts for women), and it is not all for the benefit of tourists, although some people particularly decked out in the native costume did approach us asking whether we wanted to take their picture. We walked along the alley of Loreta, which has Inca walls on both sides. The one on the right belongs to Amarucancha, or the “Courtyard of the Serpents”. The other is Acllahuasi, or the “House of the Chosen Women”. Despite the historical significance, they look just like…well, walls.

The city isn’t that large and after a day or two of walking, we saw pretty much everything there is to see. There are lots of small nondescript museums and churches but nothing particularly memorable. A lot of the cars still run on diesel making it all the more difficult to breathe as in the thin air environment.

Local policia keeping the peace:

Local Market

We also wandered through a local market that was very dark. Less than half the stalls were open. We did see some electric lighting overhead, but they had not been turned on. We enjoy going to markets because even though they’re not particularly clean, they have wonderful displays of what locals buy and eat. If you follow the old adage of “you are what you eat” then going to markets really gives you a sense of the local culture. We were originally concerned that the raw meat wasn’t refrigerated, but it reminds us of how it is in Hong Kong where we grew up. Not many stores were open, but the ones that were all sold the same thing: ponchos and carpet looking embroidery. We guessed it is what tourists buy around here. There are also a large number of jewelry stores around – all called either H. Stern (think Howard Stern) or Ilaria. We heard that Peru, and South American in general, is famous for gold & silver.

The only thing we bought today was food. We wanted snacks so we stopped at a bakery to buy a stick of fried dough (like a doughnut) rolled in sugar with a little bit of caramel on top. It was delicious and only cost Soles 0.30 (US$0.10)! We also stopped by a local polleria to eat rotisserie chicken with French fries. One dish of quarter chicken plus a bottle of the local Cuzquena beer plus a bottle of mineral water came up to only Soles 13.40 (US$4.43). We love how cheap and good food is here.

Hotel Monasterio del Cusco

If the Sheraton Lima was a roach motel, then the Hotel Monasterio del Cusco is the Taj Mahal. Here is the Lonely Planet description, “The minute you walk into this hotel, you know you are in a different league. Set in a restored convent, the Monasterio is indisputably Cuzco’s most beautiful hotel, with stunning public areas and over 100 exquisitely decorated rooms surrounding two colonial courtyards.” Upon arrival, they served us mate de coca, a coca-leaf tea that’s supposed to help with acclimatization. It is legal and doesn’t get you high even though coca is what cocaine is from. There’s music piping through the common areas at all hours of the day. It was (appropriately) Gregorian chants in the afternoon and classical music in the evening. The rooms are quite luxurious and you can pay to have extra oxygen pumped into them. After checking in, we weren’t feeling too well so we took a two hour nap which did wonders!

Inka Restaurant

We had dinner at a restaurant in Plaza de Armas called Inka Restaurant. Its close by to the hotel – which was especially heartening given we just read in the guide book that you shouldn’t stay out late at night since Cuzco is the mugging capital of Peru! The restaurant was nice but very crowded, and a tad touristy, because it is a recommended place in all of the guide books. About 75% of the menu items were Italian, American or Thai items. We prefer eating at local/cheaper haunts. Lauren had Peruvian chicken soup and our friend Jenny ordered chicken dish. I and my friend Eugene were a little more adventurous and were intent on trying the most exotic thing we could find on the menu. I ordered alpaca! It has the consistency of pork but tastes like liver. Eugene ordered guinea pig which was served diced. Eugene says they usually serve it whole roasted, as opposed to chopped up in pieces, so you know they’re serving the real thing and not cat meat instead (good thing that culinary etiquette has spread to Peru). It tasted like a cross between pigeon and rabbit. For dessert we had a “warm chocolate tart” and Lauren claims it was the BEST dessert she ever tried. It is a tart shell with warm, molten dark chocolate in the middle that you spoon over the scoop of vanilla ice cream that comes with it. Jenny also ordered a creme brulee which tastes like Chinese double boiled milk.

Train Station

One of our main tasks in Cuzco was to purchase and collect our train tickets to Machu Picchu & Lake Titicaca near Puno. The concierge, Claudia, warned us that we shouldn’t go to the train station in person to get them even though we already had confirmed reservations. Instead, she suggested that somebody from the hotel do it on our behalf for a 10% commission. Thinking that we would be better off doing it ourselves, the four of us took a taxi down to the train station.

It was a disaster. There were crowds of people already there, so we suspected that there would be a long wait. The first thing we did was collect a ticket: E41. Then we compared it to the monitor which said that they were currently serving number E10. So the question was how long it would take to get from E10 to E41. There were plenty of other tourists there who had arrived earlier, so we compared notes as to the process for purchasing tickets. Apparently, you first had to speak to an agent to get your tickets (assuming you had a confirmation code), and then you needed to get into another line to actually pay for the tickets. To make matters more complicated, we only had a confirmation number for our Machu Picchu tickets. After haggling for an hour without making any progress on our tickets, the line inched up to E22. We were all so frustrated that we headed back to the hotel and told Claudia we’d take the 10% commission option. It literally took her two phone calls to accomplish what we were trying to do. Nice to see that the middleman is alive even in the high altitudes of Cuzco!

After that rather frustrating episode, we embarked on our day trip to visit the four ruins closest to Cuzco: Tambo Machay, Puca Pucara, Qenko and Sacsayhuaman. There are a number of ways to visit the ruins, and we decided to take a taxi to the furthest one (Tambo Machay), which is 8 km away, and then walk back to town. The taxi ride itself wasn’t expensive. It was Soles 50 (also written as “S/50″) and that included the excursion to the train station, but all the way there, we were all quite puzzled at the distance: it certainly seemed a lot further than 8 km. When we arrived at Tambo Machay, the driver asked whether we wanted him to wait for us. We told him that we would walk back to Cuzco. He laughed. That’s never a good sign when a local laughs at what you’re trying to do.

Tambo Machay 

To see the ruin, we each needed to pay S/70 (they don’t take USD) for a Boleto Turistico (tourist ticket) that allows you to see a number of attractions around Cuzco over a week. The ticket is almost the size of a sheet of A4 paper and has pictures of each destination around the periphery. They punch each picture as you visit each place. It makes a great souvenir…too bad I lost mine. 

Our friends Jenny and Eugene:

Tambo Machay contains a ceremonial stone bath and is also called El Bano del Inca. It was mildly interesting but if there were no signs, you might thinks its just a pile of rocks. Lauren was disappointed because we’ve seen similar ruins in Bath, UK, and those seemed much more impressive. It didn’t help that we couldn’t locate the fountain even though it is still functioning today. Legend has it that if you drink from the fountain, you will live to 100 years old. All we saw was this little trickle of water coming out the side that looked like drainage. Yep, that was the fountain. 

Puca Pucara 

We quickly made our way across the street to Puca Pucara, which is supposed to be a hunting lodge. The name means “red fort”. Some people speculate that it was also a fort, lookout point and resting place for travelers. Again, it looked like a pile of rocks to us – albeit an organized pile. The views of the Cuzco Valley were nice though and we were able to make out rectangular plots of land all over the hillside. We were all trying to guess what crops were being grown. We guessed it might be potato since (1) we couldn’t see anything above ground and (2) potato seems to be a common staple in Peruvian cooking. 

Afterwards, the trip got much dicier. Instead of following the road, we were supposed to take a path that led directly back to town. Unfortunately, it was not well marked and we had to follow the rather vague description in Eugene’s guide book that mentioned something about heading “left of a soccer field”. We did something that resembled a path, and also a soccer field, so we headed in that general direction. We saw some horses and there was horse manure everywhere. That’s when I came up with the theory that we were on the right path as long as we followed the trail of fresh horse dung! My thought was that horses don’t just wander around on their own, and they only go where people lead them. I think my companions were very skeptical… 

 

After trekking for a few minutes, we saw a couple of German tourists. “Puca Pucara?” they asked, and we pointed them to where we just came. “Salapunco?” we enquired, and they pointed in the direction of where they had emerged. We continued onwards (and downhill, quite thank goodness) admiring the foliage everywhere. At one point, we saw a pig and her litter of piglets. We think they were newborns because they were so small. They were also all different colors: pink, black, black and white, and brown. They were all sniffing the ground and chewing the mud. I had to kill the mood by remarking that it reminded him of “Hannibal”, which was on HBO the night before. After taking some photos, a couple of more pigs came trotting by so we hurried away in case they attacked us in order to protect the piglets. 

 

We saw yet a pile of rocks in the distance, but the road split. After much debate, we decided to take the right fork which looked more well traveled, had fresh horse manure and had garbage! As we continued heading down the hill, we saw a local coming in the opposite direction. Jenny and Eugene both speak some Spanish, and successfully managed to ask for directions to Salapunco and understand the reply. 

Salapunco 

Salapunco means “Temple of the Moon”. It was by far the most unimpressive pile of rocks. The views from the top were quite nice and we looked around trying to find our next destination, Quenko, 1.5 km away. All we saw were a pack of horses, and some tourists in the distance. If in doubt, follow other tourists, and hope that they are not lost either. We headed up another hill and sure enough, Quenko was around the corner. 

Quenko 

You can always tell if you’re at a tourist destination because there are always vendors selling knick knacks. Quenko means “zigzag”, and these ruins house some zigzagging tunnels (hence the name) down below. The guidebook said that the flat part on top was used for ceremonies (we saw that) and that there were etchings of a puma, condor and llama (no idea where that was). 

Our friends Eugene and Jenny:

Sacsayhuaman

One last stop before town, and before long, we were at Sacsayhuaman (sounds like “sexy woman”), which means “satisified falcon”. I’m glad it was the final thing we saw, because it made the day’s hike all worthwhile. Since the ruins are on top of a hill, you can see fantastic views of Cuzco. As soon as we got there, we went to the middle of the grassy field and lay down for 10 minutes in the sun! This large flat parade ground is used for Inti Raymi (”Festival of the Sun”) on June 24.

   

Sacsayhuaman is massive. On one side is a three-tiered fortress consisting of zig zag walls. The Incas thought that Cuzco was shaped like a Puma, with Sacsayhuaman as the head, and the 22 zig zag walls were the teeth. As large and impressive as it is, according to our guide book, what remains is only 20% of the original structure because the Spaniards tore down most of the walls and used the smaller stones to build their own houses in Cuzco. What’s left are massive interlocking boulders. The heaviest one is estimated to be 300 tons. 

Here’s us in the field resting.  Apparently there are a lot of public events in this area - but no sleeping until now!

 

Our traveling companions, Jenny and Eugene, went up the opposite hill called Rodadero. We took pictures of it, but we didn’t bother climbing it since it wasn’t as high, nor did it have views of anything. Its shape was quite distinctive though since there are polished rocks and a series of carved stone benches known as “throne of the Inca”. There was a musician on Rodero, and Eugene later told us that when he played his flute, the music would echo off the fortress and back.

  

From Sacsayhuaman, we took a series of stone steps all the way down to Cuzco which conveniently led directly right in front of Hotel Monasterio. After a brief rest, we went to a Japanese run restaurant called Pucara that servies Peruvian food. Aside from us, and perhaps one other table of diners, all the patrons were Japanese. It must be featured prominently in all the Japanese guidebooks for Peru. Like many Japanese restaurants, the menus have pictures of most of the dishes they serve and underneath each picture is a description of the dish in Spanish. We then had to compare the Spanish description with the regular menu which had both Spanish and English descriptions. Eugene ordered skewered beef heart, Lauren ordered spaghetti – and before you berate her for eating spaghetti in Perui, spaghetti is a Peruvian dish; we know this because we had it at a genuine Peruvian restaurant (also run by Japanese people) in San Francisco called Mi Lindo Peru, “My Beautiful Peru”. 

Sacred Valley 

The following day we registered with SAS Travel to do an all-day tour of the Sacred Valley, “El Valle Sagrado”, that started at 8:30am in the morning. There are dozens of tour companies in Cuzco, and SAS is supposed to be one of the more reputable ones. When we paid for our vouchers the night before at around 7 pm, only three other people had signed up, so we thought it would be a small, intimate group. We ended up being combined with a Spanish group so all 13 of us were crammed into a small mini-bus. 

The road we took passed by all the ruins we say the previous day: Sacsayhuaman, Quenko, Puca Pucara and Tambo Machay. We made a 20 minute pitstop at a small crafts market where the prices are supposedly cheaper than that in Cuzco. We took a quick look around, and were tempted to buy some souvenirs, but ended up not buying anything. We are generally very suspicious of the souvenirs and crafts markets we’ve found in Peru; everything looks the same, and we mean IDENTICAL. We suspect there is a great souvenir factory in Peru that churns out all this stuff. We have seen some more unique items, but they are typically sold in stores and cost a heck of a lot more. 

Our next stop was the side of the road where we were able to look down into the Sacred Valley and take some really great photos. The Sacred Valley is very fertile, and there are three planting seasons per year. We think the guide said they grow corn in the Valley: all 57 varieties. Speaking of corn, we have never seen such massive corn kernels in our lives. They are about 4x the typical size of the kernels found in the U.S. We love corn, and love eating corn on the cob au naturel (without butter), but the monster corn we’ve eaten in Peru tastes only starchy, and not sweet. If it were sweet, we’d be tempted to buy the boiled corn they sell everywhere on the street. 

Pisac 

We then ventured down into the Valley, and the town of Pisac in particular. There is a massive crafts fair in Pisac every Sunday, and a smaller one on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so we were quite excited that we got to visit on a Tuesday! There was some traditional produce for sale, but most of the stalls we saw sold souvenirs, albeit a larger variety. For instance, we saw some baby clothes that we now wish we had purchased for friends and family. We also saw some beautiful plates, painted gourds and ceramic tea sets: things that look really cool, but we’re sure we would have no clue where to place once I got back to the US. We were at this market for 45 minutes, and the only thing we bought was two sweaters for Lauren made out of alpaca fur for total of S/85. On the way back, we ran into Eugene and Jenny, who had purchased two pairs of earrings for S/70. We were all late for the bus, but managed to quickly duck into a bakery (quite by accident) to see a clay-oven bakery that made piping hot flatbread rolls. Diagonally across from the oven was a multi-floored guinea pig hutch. Later, we discovered that it is called a castillo de cuyes (miniature castle for guinea pigs). Those guinea pigs were the CUTEST cutie pies! They were small (but much larger than hamsters), furry and looked so innocent and friendly. Little did they know that they were to be skinned and eaten shortly. Jenny & I both sighed big, “Awww…”, and even Eugene said he’s glad he ate his guinea pig dish before he actually saw a colony of them all huddled together. FYI, guinea pig in Spanish is “cuy” (pronounced “kwee”). 

Inca Pisac 

Upon leaving colonial Pisac, we went to the archeological digs of Inca Pisac twenty minutes away up in the mountains. There are multiple trails all spiraling up the mountain, and we took the most popular one that led to the top. Now we’re not afraid of walking uphill, especially since I had finally acclimitized to the high altitude, but we were completely unprepared for portions of the trail where the dirt road and stairs going downhill were narrow, with the mountain on our right and NOTHING to the left… nothing that is, except a several hundred feet drop down into the Valley. In most other places we’ve been to, there is a big huge barrier preventing you from plunging to your death, but not at this place. Lauren has a tremendous fear of heights so naturally, she freaked out. She had to sit down and inch down on her hands and feet. The guide had to come and hold her hand. He walked on the steps beside her so that he stood between her and the chasm. “Don’t worry,” he said, “I am rooted to Mother Earth!” 

   

Fortunately, the scary descending part of the trail was quite short, and before long, we reached the ceremonial center where we saw some Inca ruins, including a circular sun temple and a Intihuatana (hitching post of the sun). The archways are trapezoidal, rather than rectangular because they are more stable during earthquakes. Across the Kitamayo gorge from where we were standing, we saw hundreds of holes in the side of the opposing cliff walls which are Inca tombs. We have no idea how the Incas got to these tombs because they were high up and there was no discernable trail. Apparently, the stones used to build the temples/structures on the mountain we were standing on, came from a quarry on the top of the mountain with the tombs. In other words, people had to mine the quarry from the top of one mountain, roll these stones down into the valley, and they haul them all the way up another mountain to build temples. As incredible as this sounds, it is rather inefficient. We wonder why they didn’t just build the temples on the same mountain as the quarry; that would have saved a lot of time and effort. We think it may have to do with the “feng shui” equivalent of temple placement. Another thing that stood out was the numerous terraces carved into the mountain side. The Incas were really big into terracing, and you see it all over the place, including Machu Picchu. It maximizes the amount of arable land available and typical of most mountainous agricultural regions. We first saw this technique in Bali several years ago.

Ollantaytambo 

Ollantaytambo was the next stop. Geographically, it is halfway between Cuzco and Machu Picchu. This village still displays traditional Inca city planning and architecture. The roads are laid with cobblestones and are only 2 meters wide. The area is divided into square blocks called “canchas”, with each side 25 meters wide. The layout is very symmetrical and was designed for efficient hydraulics. Most people visit Ollantaytambo to visit the massive Inca fortress on top of a hill which has… you guessed it… terracing! Terracing provides several purposes: prevent erosion, planting for hanging gardens, defense mechanism and experimental agriculture. 

Our friends Jenny and Eugene:

Across from the fortress is a mountain which has an interesting formation on the side which looks like a face. The Incas say that the face is that of the creator of the world. In case you’re wondering what it looks like, it reminds me of depictions of Zeus. There’s also a smaller face profile higher up, and to the side of the mountain, and on the day of the Winter solstice, the sun shines through the eyes. Or was it the nose? Some part of the face anyway. The other interesting thing about the mountain, is that there is a structure built right in the middle. The climb up to it must be quite treacherous because I couldn’t see proper stairs. According to the guide, archeologists who have investigated the building found food remains so they believe it is a food storage facility. If we were to built a warehouse, we would have built it closer to the foot of the mountain, but maybe they built it up there because the climate is drier. Perhaps there was also a smaller chance of having food stolen since it is such a pain in the butt to get to. 

At the top the guide pointed out this very tall mountain which houses the pass of Warmiwanusca (aka “dead woman’s pass”) which is the highest point of the Inca Trail. FYI, instead of taking the train to Machu Picchu, many people choose to hike there from Cuzco. The most popular one is the 3-day Inca Trail. We would have loved to do the Inca Trail from a physical activity/cardiovascular perspective, but the thought of camping for 3 days without plumbing (hence no showers or real toilets) wasn’t as appealing. 

Like all the other significant Inca structures with religious significance, the fortress is built from interlocking stones that fit perfectly together. No mortar was used to cement them together. Also, the stones are polygonal, not rectangular, and so the builders spent a lot of time chipping the sides so that they would fit. On a hardness scale of 1-10, the stones are rated 8.5, which is similar to diamond. The blocks were quarried 6km away across the river Urubamba. The stones are absolutely massive, the largest one found being 8m x 1.8m. The guide said that the stones were transported on rollers, although the Lonely Planet said they were moved by diverting the river around them. At the bottom of the fortress, back towards the exit, is a fountain. The sides are carved in a stair step pattern with three levels. The top level is represented by the condor (the heavens), the middle level is represented by the puma (earth), and the bottom one is the snake (spirit world). The guide was able to change the pattern of the water flow by dragging his fingers across the mouth of the spout. We had never seen that before. 

Chincero 

The last stop of our trip was Chincero. The only thing to see there was a dark colonial church. We weren’t able to take photos inside. The interior was quite gaudy, and reminiscent of some of the churches we saw in Italy. Lots of statues, paintings (painted by Peruvians but depicting western looking people), and a tomb (we have no idea who is inside). Outside the church was a small market with people selling souvenirs. Some of them were sold by little kids. One boy sold clay bulls which are often seen on the top of people’s homes. He said it cost S/5 for a pair, or S/2 each. We don’t think he’s taken math at school yet. It was very cold as evidenced by our gloomy faces in the picture below: 

It was late by the time we got back to Cuzco upon arrival. When deciding what to eat for dinner, the first thing Eugene said was, “I don’t mind if we DON’T eat Peruvian food tonight!” So we went to a restaurant called “Blueberry lounge” which serves international cuisine. The boys each had a cheeseburger and the women had thai food (mee goring and tom yum gai). Lauren also had some great hot chocolate. She really likes the hot chocolate in Peru. It is very rich because they make it with real dark chocolate and not some cheap powder mix. 

We were sitting in front of the TV, and although the sound was off, we could tell that there was nonstop news about a plain crash in Peru. It was a Tans Peru flight heading towards Iquitos. Not good, especially since we were flying to Iquitos the following week. Lauren was a little nervous, but was somewhat relieved that we were taking LAN Peru (a much more reputable airline), than the unreliable Tans Peru. Still… 

August 22, 2005 LimaFor any visit to Peru, you have to go through Lima, a vast, polluted metropolis in the middle of Peru’s desert coastline. We arrived at Lima after 11pm and had to take a taxi into the city. All the tour books suggest to avoid this rather unsafe city, and the only reason why it’s on the itinerary at all is that it’s a travel hub for the country. Passing customs & immigration was quick, but after you hand in your declaration form, you are required to press a green button. Afterwards, an indictor light comes on. If it’s green, you can go right to the exit. If it’s red, you have to have your bags searched. Frankly, we thought the lights were randomized like Russian roulette.

There are no airport hotels, so our lodgings were at the Sheraton Lima in the city, approximately 20 minutes away. It’s categorized as a 4-star hotel, but it’s way too rundown to be classified as such if the hotel were in the USA. Once we checked in we received some free coupons for the Peruvian national cocktail, pisco sour. So we all headed to the hotel karoake bar to try it. It is made from pisco, a locally produced white-grape brandy, blended with lemon juice, ice, egg white, syrup or sugar, and topped with bitters.In our travels to and from the airport, we did manage to see some of the city not heavily trafficked by the tourists. (Although the city looks run down, the airport is relatively modern. They collect US$5/person airport tax and you have to pay in US dollars! We thought that was odd that they don’t even accept the local currency for tax).  The weather in Lima is similar to San Francisco, including a layer of fog that surrounds the entire city most of the time. The buildings look old and typically span no more that one to two stories. The lines in the roads depicting lanes are very faint and cars constantly weave in and out to avoid potholes. At one point, our taxi driver slowed down to negotiate a speed bump, but the car behind us was much more creative and actually drove up on the sidewalk to avoid it. Interesting solution. Fortunately, people don’t drive that fast and there weren’t that many cars on the road. We couldn’t quite figure out why until we remembered that it was Sunday: this is a Catholic country afterall, and people may be staying at home right after mass.

Overall, Lima is an interesting city with top flight museums, a vibrant nightlife and music scene, striking architecture, richly historical neighbourhoods and genuinely friendly people. However, it can feel grimy and unsafe at night so I’d suggest you spend a day or two wandering the city when you arrive and leave the rest for when you return from your adverturous travels throughout the rest of Peru.

Church and Convent of San Francisco

Due to its magnificent harmony of volume and color, San Francisco is considered by some as the greatest architectural complex of its kind in Latin America. Its construction was started in 1542 and completed in 1674.

This Franciscan monastery is famous for its catacombs and its remarkable library where you can see thousands of antique texts, some dating as far back as the conquistadors. The museum has plenty of very fine religious art and is worth exploring if you have time. The convent, the cloisters and gatehouse are decorated with tiles from Seville.

The underground catacombs are the site of an estimated 70,000 burials and should definitely not be missed! In the basement are underground galleries or catacombs that, during the Viceroyalty, served as a cemetery for the city. The conservationists arranged the skulls and femurs into rings of concentric circles which makes for an eerie image (see below).

Court of the Holy Office or the Inquisition (Tribunal del Santo Oficio)

The Inquisition was established in Peru in 1569 to punish heresies and other offenses against the Catholic religion, and wasn’t abolished until 1820. The building has an imposing neoclassical portico and an exquisite ceiling carved in wood in its main hall, the finest extant in Lima.

Food

Lima’s menus offer a wide variety of dishes from all parts of the world as well as the more select dishes of Peruvian cuisine, amongst the best in the world. Whoever comes to Lima cannot leave without trying its “criollo” (traditional) food; particularly its many dishes based on fish and shellfish, which magnificently combine flavors and aromas beyond imagining. Ceviche, raw fish marinated in lemon juice and seasoned with chili, is the most representative of all Peruvian seafood dishes. Other favorites are the “jalea” (deep fried mixed fish and shellfish) and “tiradito”, (strips of fish marinated in lemon juice, similar to ceviche) and “coctel de camarones” (shrimp cocktail). Other jewels of “criollo” food are lomo saltado (stir fried pork and vegetables), carapulcra (a type of potato and meat stew), arroz con pato (duck cooked with rice), cau cau (tripe and vegetable stew) and anticuchos (barbecued pieces of meat, chicken or fish on a skewer). Desserts such as arroz con leche (rice pudding), mazamorra morada (a purple coloured jelly), suspiros a la limeña (a sticky sweet classic pudding), picarones (deep friend pumpkin and sweet potato doughnuts eaten dipped in sugar cane syrup) and turrón de Doña Pepa (a multi coloured cake). All these dishes are delicious enough to satisfy even the most demanding of tastes.

Chinatown

In Lima you will find excellent restaurants specializing in Chinese food; better known in Peru as ‘chifas’. Chinese cuisine, which reached the City of the Kings with the first Asians who came to work in the haciendas close to the capital during the last century, has mixed in many cases with Peruvian cuisine, to create unique dishes such as Arroz Chaufa (stir fried rice). One can also enjoy French, Italian, Japanese, Arab, and Argentine cuisine as well as a wide variety of international dishes at excellent restaurants within the 3 to 5-star category. Below are some pictures we took in the local Chinatown:

Huaca Huallamarca

Also known as the Pan de Azucar (Sugar Loaf), this is a highly restored Maranga adobe pyramid dating from 200 AD to 500 AD. It quite strange seeing this imposing monument surrounded by the modern civilization of Lima but nevertheless it provides a very interesting contrast. The two-story construction is made of adobe with a steep ramp leading to the upper level. Archaeological excavations have unearthed mummies, on display with ancient objects inside the on-site museum.

Strange looking dog that followed us around the pyramid:

Nearby garden growing all types of strange plants and animals:

For any visit to Peru, you have to go through Lima, a vast, polluted metropolis in the middle of Peru’s desert coastline. We arrived at Lima after 11pm and had to take a taxi into the city. All the tour books suggest to avoid this rather unsafe city, and the only reason why it’s on the itinerary at all is that it’s a travel hub for the country. Passing customs & immigration was quick, but after you hand in your declaration form, you are required to press a green button. Afterwards, an indictor light comes on. If it’s green, you can go right to the exit. If it’s red, you have to have your bags searched. Frankly, we thought the lights were randomized like Russian roulette.

There are no airport hotels, so our lodgings were at the Sheraton Lima in the city, approximately 20 minutes away. It’s categorized as a 4-star hotel, but it’s way too rundown to be classified as such if the hotel were in the USA. Once we checked in we received some free coupons for the Peruvian national cocktail, pisco sour. So we all headed to the hotel karoake bar to try it. It is made from pisco, a locally produced white-grape brandy, blended with lemon juice, ice, egg white, syrup or sugar, and topped with bitters.In our travels to and from the airport, we did manage to see some of the city not heavily trafficked by the tourists. (Although the city looks run down, the airport is relatively modern. They collect US$5/person airport tax and you have to pay in US dollars! We thought that was odd that they don’t even accept the local currency for tax).  The weather in Lima is similar to San Francisco, including a layer of fog that surrounds the entire city most of the time. The buildings look old and typically span no more that one to two stories. The lines in the roads depicting lanes are very faint and cars constantly weave in and out to avoid potholes. At one point, our taxi driver slowed down to negotiate a speed bump, but the car behind us was much more creative and actually drove up on the sidewalk to avoid it. Interesting solution. Fortunately, people don’t drive that fast and there weren’t that many cars on the road. We couldn’t quite figure out why until we remembered that it was Sunday: this is a Catholic country afterall, and people may be staying at home right after mass.

Overall, Lima is an interesting city with top flight museums, a vibrant nightlife and music scene, striking architecture, richly historical neighbourhoods and genuinely friendly people. However, it can feel grimy and unsafe at night so I’d suggest you spend a day or two wandering the city when you arrive and leave the rest for when you return from your adverturous travels throughout the rest of Peru.

Church and Convent of San Francisco

Due to its magnificent harmony of volume and color, San Francisco is considered by some as the greatest architectural complex of its kind in Latin America. Its construction was started in 1542 and completed in 1674.

This Franciscan monastery is famous for its catacombs and its remarkable library where you can see thousands of antique texts, some dating as far back as the conquistadors. The museum has plenty of very fine religious art and is worth exploring if you have time. The convent, the cloisters and gatehouse are decorated with tiles from Seville.

The underground catacombs are the site of an estimated 70,000 burials and should definitely not be missed! In the basement are underground galleries or catacombs that, during the Viceroyalty, served as a cemetery for the city. The conservationists arranged the skulls and femurs into rings of concentric circles which makes for an eerie image (see below).

Court of the Holy Office or the Inquisition (Tribunal del Santo Oficio)

The Inquisition was established in Peru in 1569 to punish heresies and other offenses against the Catholic religion, and wasn’t abolished until 1820. The building has an imposing neoclassical portico and an exquisite ceiling carved in wood in its main hall, the finest extant in Lima.

Food

Lima’s menus offer a wide variety of dishes from all parts of the world as well as the more select dishes of Peruvian cuisine, amongst the best in the world. Whoever comes to Lima cannot leave without trying its “criollo” (traditional) food; particularly its many dishes based on fish and shellfish, which magnificently combine flavors and aromas beyond imagining. Ceviche, raw fish marinated in lemon juice and seasoned with chili, is the most representative of all Peruvian seafood dishes. Other favorites are the “jalea” (deep fried mixed fish and shellfish) and “tiradito”, (strips of fish marinated in lemon juice, similar to ceviche) and “coctel de camarones” (shrimp cocktail). Other jewels of “criollo” food are lomo saltado (stir fried pork and vegetables), carapulcra (a type of potato and meat stew), arroz con pato (duck cooked with rice), cau cau (tripe and vegetable stew) and anticuchos (barbecued pieces of meat, chicken or fish on a skewer). Desserts such as arroz con leche (rice pudding), mazamorra morada (a purple coloured jelly), suspiros a la limeña (a sticky sweet classic pudding), picarones (deep friend pumpkin and sweet potato doughnuts eaten dipped in sugar cane syrup) and turrón de Doña Pepa (a multi coloured cake). All these dishes are delicious enough to satisfy even the most demanding of tastes.

Chinatown

In Lima you will find excellent restaurants specializing in Chinese food; better known in Peru as ‘chifas’. Chinese cuisine, which reached the City of the Kings with the first Asians who came to work in the haciendas close to the capital during the last century, has mixed in many cases with Peruvian cuisine, to create unique dishes such as Arroz Chaufa (stir fried rice). One can also enjoy French, Italian, Japanese, Arab, and Argentine cuisine as well as a wide variety of international dishes at excellent restaurants within the 3 to 5-star category. Below are some pictures we took in the local Chinatown:

Huaca Huallamarca

Also known as the Pan de Azucar (Sugar Loaf), this is a highly restored Maranga adobe pyramid dating from 200 AD to 500 AD. It quite strange seeing this imposing monument surrounded by the modern civilization of Lima but nevertheless it provides a very interesting contrast. The two-story construction is made of adobe with a steep ramp leading to the upper level. Archaeological excavations have unearthed mummies, on display with ancient objects inside the on-site museum.

Strange looking dog that followed us around the pyramid:

Nearby garden growing all types of strange plants and animals: