And Finally... The Peru Trip - Part 1

It has been over a month and a half since we returned from our once-in-a-lifetime trip to Peru. This post has been long-awaited, but we have been so busy, that I haven't had much time to just sit and type.  Or at least that is my excuse for procrastination.  We have had weekend trips to the lake and a vacation to Anna Maria Island, FL with Tyler's family. 
Before I begin, you may wonder, "Why Peru?"  Well, Peru is home to Machu Picchu, which was our primary destination. Machu Picchu was one of the things that we wanted to do before having kids.  We also want to go to Italy.  However, we could do Peru in a shorter trip than Italy.  We both took off 7 days from work and were gone for 10 days.  Italy will require longer off from work.
How did we plan our trip?  We planned it ourselves with some tips and recommendations from a few co-workers.  We mostly planned our hotels and things to do by using Trip Advisor.  When we arrived at our destinations, we used Trip Advisor and word of mouth to determine the places to eat.  There are tour trips available, but we would not have gotten the same experience as we did with booking it by ourselves.

Thursday, May 10th

We flew from Memphis to Dallas to Miami and finally to Lima, Peru.  The international flight was not quite 6 hours long, so it was not too bad.  Peru is on Central Standard Time, so we did not have jet lag.  However, because Peru is on the other side of the equator, it is "winter" there, so the days are shorter.  Lima' weather was in the low 70's during the day and lower 50's at night. Lima's sky is constantly overcast, so they refer to it as the "underbelly of the donkey."

 We stayed May 10th-12th in Lima at a bed and breakfast.  Our hotel was quaint and tucked into a neighborhood called San Isidro.  The view above is from our 2nd story hotel room.  They provided fresh-baked bread, homemade jams, fruit salad, eggs, and coffee for breakfast on the veranda.

Friday, May 11th
We took a lengthy walk from our hotel to Miraflores, an upscale area of Lima that overlooks the Pacific Ocean.  Once there, we had a private bike tour through Miraflores and Barranco.  Our guide, Franco, took our pictures as we overlooked the sea and cliffs.

 Tyler and I ended our bike tour at Park Kennedy.  We had to pose with the great President Kennedy, himself.  After the tour, we caught a taxi to go to Museo Larco Herrera.  The museum had over 40,000 pieces of pre-Incan artifacts that were well preserved.  Many items were from 800-1300AD, some even older.

 After the museum, we went back to Miraflores for dinner and then to enjoy the cliff-side Larcomar shopping/dining/entertainment center that is built below the street level at into the cliffs that overlook the Pacific Ocean.  You cannot even see the shops from the street- only until you descent stairs or a ramp will you see the top level of the center.


 Saturday, May 12th
We had a flight out of Lima to Cuzco at noon, so we were able to visit some of the historic Lima city center prior to leaving.  Below is the San Fransisco cathedral, the Plaza Mayor central block, and a traditional Lima balcony that adorned many of the historic buildings.  FYI: Lima was a city inhabited by multiple indigenous groups prior to being overtaken by Fransisco Pizarro and other conquistadors in 1532.

When we arrived in Cuzco, we settled into our hotel that was located on the historic Plaza de Armas square.  We then ventured out for sight seeing for the remainder of the day around Cuzco.  Below are images of the Plaza de Armas from many angles as well as a well-known 12-sided stone.  Many of the Incan walls were so tightly built with stones that they did not need mortar in between the stones.  Many walls have stood the test of ages in Cuzco and other parts of Peru.

 Sunday, May 13th
We woke up early for a breakfast at the hotel and to prepare for a full day on horseback.  Our private horseback riding tour arranged for transportation to and from hotel to the ranch outside of the Urubamba community.  Our guide, Adriana, spoke perfect English.  She and her business partner own several horses that they diligently care for.  She also provides a meal during the excursion.  Our meal was made from food that her family grows using organic practices at their home. 
The first picture below is one of the many magnificent views that we saw via car en route to the horse ranch.

 Our horseback riding tour had 3 major points of interest along the way.  The first was the Salinas salt mines.  Some 1500 active pools of salt are hand-mined now just as they were centuries before.  A trickling stream of salty, hot water from the mountain has fed the mines for over 1000 years.

 Our second stop was the town of Maras.  The locals in Maras try to preserve the ways of life as their ancestors.  Many have access to electricity and running water but may choose to not partake.  The top hats seen in the picture are traditional for this group of Andeans.  The taller the hat, the more respect the woman has in this matriarchal society.

 We visited the church at Maras.  It is one of the oldest churches in the Western Hemisphere.  Despite multiple earthquakes, it still remains the place of worship for the townspeople today.

 Our third destination was the Moray crop circles.  The Incans created the circles with the intent of creating a warmer, more humid climate as the circles receded into the earth.  By creating the rings, the temperature in the center of the circles was actually warmer, allowing plants to be farmed there that would otherwise not thrive at the high altitude.

 After a long day of horseback riding, Tyler enjoyed the variety platter at a local Cuzco restaurant.  Can you tell what he ate?  Didn't think so... it was a quarter of guinea pig, skewered cow heart, and alpaca steak.  I did eat some alpaca, but could not bring myself to try the others.

 Next installment of Peru 2012 soon to follow.  Be watching!