PERU HOPPING - Lima, Paracas, Huacachina, Arequipa, Puno, Cusco Mar 2016

 PERU HOPPING

Lima, Paracas, Huacachina, Arequipa, Puno, Cusco, Machu Picchu

Peru  March 2016

With Paloma's mom, Amparo 

Our chariot

After a few days visiting our Phoenix friend Paloma's lovely family and getting to see some of the highlights of Lima, we boarded a backpacker bus for a week of exploring southern Peru. 

Seeing the sea lions

Peru Hop, founded by a couple of Irish backpackers, was the perfect way to get a taste of places instead of flying over them. It was humorous on our first day to hear the orientation from the Peruvian coordinator speaking English with a distinctive Irish accent. 


Our first stop was Paracas, a sleepy little seaside town near Pisco (as in Pisco sours), best known for its access to Islas Ballestas. Nicknamed "The Poor Man's Galapagos," the islands are full of birds, such as flamingos, Inca terns, condors, and pelicans nesting in the craggy cliffs. While we saw lots of sea lions lounging on the shores, we didn't catch the whales, dolphins, or hammerhead sharks that were supposed there. 

Also, we were told there was a small colony of penguins. Our guide pointed out what appeared to be a lone penguin at the top of the cliff. Mike remains convinced it was a statue, placed there to satisfy tourists that wanted nature to be on call for them.

Huacachina means 'party' to some

Blasting through the waves

Our next stop was Huacachina, an oasis surrounded by enormous sand dunes near Ica. 

We treated ourselves to a nice hotel but unbeknownst to us, we were next to a disco that blasted music until 4:30 a.m. It turns out this this a major weekend party spot. We were a little cranky the next day, to say the least.

A short drive outside Ica are the Nazca Lines, a 2,000-year-old UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The Lines are a series of large geoglyphs in the desert of unknown and much debated origin. 

Who created the Nazca lines?

They are impossible to see from ground level so there are numerous tour flights to see them. We chose to stay land-bound and could see small recreations from an observation tower.

Protesting mining

Arequipa was next, a city we had heard wonderful things about. It has a well-preserved old town and a couple days gave us only a brief taste of what it is like. 

There was a lesson in local politics with a protest about the government supporting a Chinese-funded mine on indigenous lands. It seemed to be a recurring theme in a number of places.

Arequipa's Old City

Arequipa looked like a beautiful place to live. We would definitely consider it if it weren't for being on a major fault-line, surrounded by volcanoes. Oh well. 

At elevation (14,436 Feet )

On our way to Puno we stopped in a high mountain pass at almost 14.500 ft elevation. It was our first taste of the effects of high altitude, not to be minimized, which became all too obvious the next day.

Effective salespeople

We arrived in Puno and immediately crashed in the hotel. The te de coca wasn't enough to ward off the nausea, headaches and vertigo that come with even moderate exertion when first confronted with the thin air. It took a full day for us to recoup.

Floating villages on Lake Titicaca

Our boat tour on Lake Titicaca was nice since we nearly had the boat to ourselves. The lake is actually an inland sea (it's huge) which makes it all the more amazing since it sits at over 13,000 ft. The floating villages are interesting (~2,500 people live on the lake). There were some 80 separate islands. Apparently, when tensions arise, as they inevitably do, the dissenters just leave and create their own island. If only life was so simple.

Photos and fees

The villagers have been forced to depend on tourists to sustain their way of life. The experience felt a bit contrived but was lovely just the same. We purchased a few handmade items to help support them.

Beautiful Plaza de Armas

With much anticipation we arrived at our final Peru Hop destination, Cusco, where we would be for three weeks. The city is a fascinating blend of indigenous Inca and Spanish cultures. Being the gateway to Machu Picchu has brought a great mix of restaurants, lots and lots of tourists, and aggressive street vendors.

The markets here are particularly striking with a burst of color and fresh produce at every turn. But eating cuy, a local delicacy, was something we couldn't quite stomach after having guinea pigs as pets.

The guinea pig farm

Feeling in tip-top shape

We were very excited to have
Briana arrive the last week of March (her spring break) with great anticipation for our day at Machu Picchu, especially since it was one of her professed dreams to make the climb.

We visited Inca ruins in Sacsayhuamán, Pisac and Ollantaytambo on our way to Agua Calientes. All of these intriguing sites were a great introduction to the major destination that awaited us only a few days later...Machu Picchu.

 Sacsayhuamán, aka "Sexy Woman"

Ollantaytambo

Ollantaytambo turned out to be a lovely village, continuously occupied since Incan times. We took the train from there the following morning for the final leg, arriving at Aguas Calientes, the town below Machu Picchu. 

The bus ride up to the top of Machu Picchu consisted of one hairpin turn after another. For some of us, no further adventure (and feeling of terror) was needed than looking at the window as we made the seemingly endless climb. There was little comfort in knowing the bus drivers do this route every day.

Moment of triumph

Machu Picchu is impossible to describe and pictures simply do not suffice. It is a majestic sight set upon a high ridge above the town below. Since they limit the number of people each day the crowds were not overwhelming. 

Briana had a special ticket to climb Huayna Picchu, the peak immediately behind the site. The trail essentially consists of narrow steps cut into the rock, a very steep climb. In fact, before we arrived Eileen read that this is considered one of the most dangerous hikes in the world so it was a huge relief to see Briana's smiling face afterwards.

Not a postcard: the real thing

Briana mentioned, however, that there was a nun climbing in loafers... so maybe it wasn't so dangerous after all.

We took a break for lunch at the cafeteria outside the gate when it started to rain. The crowd decided it was time to leave. After finishing our meal, the rain stopped so Briana and Mike returned to the site. It was amazing to have the place almost to ourselves.