A trip to Peru.

We usually just pack and go on our trips, react to what we see, and then study up on what we've seen through the eyes of others after the trip. We find that keeps our sense of awe and discovery alive throughout the experience.

But, we've read a great deal about Peru over the years, and we work with a fellow who grew up in the Andes. This time we'll study a great deal in advance, and share our Reviews of the books we consulted after we come home again.

We've placed the Eyewitness Guide to Peru on order, but it probably won't arrive until we've already left on our trip. Normally that is our go to guidebook for travel, especially where art and architecture are so important in visiting our destination.

We've also read all of the articles on the "New York Times" site.

If you have any suggestions for what to read, please let me know.

I'm not sure whether links to the Lists on Amazon are live, but my request for information can be found at this link, together with the books and articles we are consulting.

Many thanks, Bob

I am so envious! I've always wanted to go to Peru. How long will you be there?

Ten days Cynthia. We decided not to go to the Galápagos Islands so we'll have quite a bit of time to see Peru.

We also are planning to meet the son of our Bolivian friend Teodoro on the shores of Lake Titicaca, another of my all time dream destinations.

If you have any suggestions for what to read, please let me know.

History of the Conquest of Peru by William H. Prescott

Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent by Eduardo Galeano
(particularly if you have the time to slip over to visit the mining city of Potosí in Bolivia--reading the book before will make it an unforgettable experience)

Exploring Cusco by Peter Frost (helpful book to have with you if you plan on visiting the Inca sites around Cusco, very good history and a nice chap as well)

Thank you, Keith. I've read Prescott twice, but the others are new to me and we can fit both destinations into our itinerary. Regards, Bob

No help here, Bob, but I expect a full report when you get back, since this is a place I've always wanted to go myself. Are you doing any side trips into Ecuador or Bolivia?

Mark

Will do Mark. We are just going to the mountains on this trip -- about a week altogether. We are meeting the family of a good friend on Lake Titicaca, near the border with Peru. More anon.

Hi Bob,
Have fun and enjoy the sights, lot of history there. Don’t drink too much Pisco!

Salute

60 to 86 plus proof!

I would be on the floor with a sniff of that stuff.

Thanks for the warning. Bob

[Robin Garr]

Bob, Mary and I went in 1995, a little too far back to be of much current use I'm afraid.

I'll testify briefly, though, that ...

1. Macchu Picchu really is worth the trek. Best, I think, to get the rail/admission package from Cuzco. As I recall, it's about a two-hour train ride.

2. Cuzco. I'm glad I went, just to see the place, but Mary hated it ... sere and brown and very cold, air just thin enough to leave you feeling vaguely asthmatic the whole time we were there.

3. Lima. Huge city, much of it grim. Miraflores, the wealthy district, could be anywhere from Beverly Hills to Chicago's Miracle Mile, complete with Gucci, Benneton and the Gap. The middle-class areas are pleasant but unexciting. You don't really want to go to the poor areas. San Francisco's climate without the sunshine.

4. The Amazon. Actually the most fun of our trip. We flew to Iquitos, which is a surprisingly interesting "small" city (close to a million), with quite a few interesting everyday restaurants, walkable and feeling very safe. Lots of riverboat trips from there out to Amazon camps, which you can arrange at varying levels of wilderness/strenuousness.

We went mainly because my brother lives in Lima, frankly, and without the family connection probably wouldn't have gone. It wasn't a bad trip, but except for the highlights of Macchu Picchu and a glimpse of the Amazon, we ended up feeling sort of "meh" about it compared to our trips to Japan, Down Under and all over Europe. Maybe it's just me.

Maybe it's just me.

Probably not 'just' you, Robin, but, as usual, opinions differ. Of a year I spent in South America in 1996-97, I was in Peru for 6 weeks and it is the country I most recommend for a visit of the ones I experienced during that trip (including Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile).

Why? Well, Peru does well with its environmental and cultural contrasts between the coast, the highlands of the Andes, and the Amazon basin--but so does Ecuador. I think what won me over is that Peru (particularly around Cusco where I spent most of my time) is so rich in archaeological sites that make for fascinating visits. Macchu Picchu is, of course, the Taj Mahal of Peru, and is often viewed the same way with visitors flying in, seeing it, then flying out. For those with the time and stamina, backpacking to it via the Camino del Inca is an unforgettable experience and really makes clear how remote the site was and what an effort it was to get there, never mind to construct it. Beyond that, I must have visited around two dozen Inca sites of major significance around Cusco. The setting for these often offered a spectacular workout, as the sites are reached by significant climbs in high altitudes--my days hiking up to and poking around the ruins at Pisaq and Ollantaytambo are still fresh in my mind.

Part of the charm may have been the way I traveled. I was doing the student backpacking thing, and the fact that I reached all of my destinations using public transportation (with the campesinos with their produce, large baskets, and clucking livestock), cheap lodging in old buildings with lots of character, cheap lunches wondering what the almuerzo of the day would be. But as a college student with a low budget, a decent guidebook, in decent shape with a love of hiking, Peru remains one of my favorite countries for the travel memories it provided. Some of this may have changed since my visit, and developing countries do get more expensive, but I'd visit again in a heartbeat.

In any case, my two cents . . .

I'm pretty much with Keith on this one, primarily because of all the books I've read, my friendship with an Indian fellow from Bolivia with close ties to folks in Peru, the incredible range of wildlife, the archeology, and the history of Inca/Spanish interaction. I've read at least a hundred books on Peru and continually find fascinating tidbits.

Great great surfing, for example. Excellent cuisine -- Chinese/Peruvian with several very good restaurants in Northern New Jersey, etc. I'm sold before I go, frankly.

A few other things you might want to be on the lookout for, Bob (with the caveat that all my input is dated by a decade):

The chocolates by D'Onofrio were pretty good in my recollection, but the elusive lucema ice cream sandwiches (lucema was a local tropical fruit, if memory serves) were worth scrounging for--when in coastal Peru I would seek out any ice cream vendor on the beach and only purchase if they had the lucema ice cream sandwich. A friend who spent part of her childhood in Peru introduced it to me as one of her favorite childhood memories and I immediately formed an addiction for them.

Inca Kola is, of course, the big local beverage which has now made it stateside, but, to be honest I never tried in while in Peru as I was abstaining from carbonated soft drinks during that period.

I wasn't quite as much into beer then as I am now, but I loved Arequipeña and Cusqueña, the local brews in Arequipa (on the coast, great city) and Cusco, respectively.

The other stuff I remember you have probably encountered in your readings. I had the best ceviche of my life in Lima, cuy (roasted or grilled guinea pig) is a specialty dish in the highlands and quite tasty, and oh what I wouldn't do to have yucca prepared one of a dozen ways again.

Thanks for sparking the memories!

I've added those to all my other notes, Keith -- many thanks.

One other thing -- I've found a source of coca leaves and stems, and have been really surprised at how it controls appetite. Especially when I work relatively hard.

Somehow it makes me feel like one of those Energizer Bunnies.

Perfectly legal in the US if for experimental purposes -- I had to fill out some forms but well worth the hassle.

Hi Bob, perhaps I'm too late and you have already been, but some of this may be helpful.

My wife and I visited Peru in June/July 2005. it really is an amazing place. My thoughts on the places we visited:

Lima: we never felt comfortable in Lima, and didn't go out a lot. Stayed in Mirflores, and felt very odd staying in absolute luxury in such a poor country.

Ica: a short trip to the desert, mainly to overfly the Nazca Lines. This was a revelation, we really enjoyed 2 days here

Cuzco: Party central during Inti Raymi! There is a lot to see here, allow a few days.

Machu Picchu and sacred valley: Wow. This just took my breath away. The Pizac markets were commercialised and not really worth it, but if you can get to Chinchero on a market day instead, that is more worthwhile, much more authentic. Urubamba and Ollantaytambo were more than I expected. Machu Picchu is just breathtaking, nothing you see on TV or in tourist magazines can prepare you for the whole site.

Cuzco to Puno and Lake Titicaca were hard going for us because of the altitude. Puno has little to offer, but the islands in the lake are something to see. If you go into Bolivia, the Sun Islands were worthwhile, and the witches market and the tourist shopping in La Paz was great, better than anywhere in Peru.

Plenty more detail available if it will help,

cheers

Andrew