Blogs from Miraflores, Lima, Lima, Peru, South America

(Day 194 on the road) There are famous places in this world that you read a lot about before you actually visit. Mystical or remote places that capture the imagination, places that are elevated to a higher level in the mind. Places you want to visit for many years, often decades. But once you've arrived, these places sometimes seem rather ordinary and don't quite live up to the high expectations you've set for them. Not so Machu Picchu. Like most people, I had seen the iconic photographs of this ancient Inca site all my life, so I sort of knew what to expect. But when I finally approached Machu Picchu at the Sun Gate, high above the actual ruins, I was still overwhelmed by its sheer beauty. This is one of those places where pictures just ... read more

13th June – Fly back to Lima (via Silustani) After our exertions on Lake Titicaca yesterday, we both had a remarkably good nights sleep although I think this was down to exhaustion rather than acclimatisation!!! So, our adventure is nearly at an end. We were picked up at the hotel at 08:00 although our flight, from Juliaca airport, wasn’t until 13:14. Why so early? I know!! Let’s squeeze in another ancient archaeological site as if we haven’t seen enough already!! We were told it was on the way to the airport anyway. So that makes it OK, does it?? As the bus climbed up the road leading out of Puno, the driver suddenly swerved as a car pulled out in front of us without indicating. We heard a dull thump on the side of the bus ... read more

Today we are having a quiet day, just wandering round Miraflores. We walk along the Malecon for a couple of miles through the line of parks, until we reach Larcomar; a shopping mall built into the cliff side. On the way we find Paddington Bear – who knew he’d made it back to Peru? Then we walk back through Miraflores via the central park, which might be called Parque Kennedy, or may be named after some random date. Here, dozens of very well fed stray cats live amongst the flower beds. We stop at Café Buena Vista for a drink and a microwaved empanada. Not the best lunch, but the café is on a cliff overlooking the ocean, so at least it’s not kidding about the view being good. We spend the afternoon watching tennis on ... read more

Last night was breezy and balmy. This morning we woke to tropical storm Gordon with heavy rain and winds up to 45mph. September is hurricane season in Florida so I’ll take a tropical storm over a hurricane any day. Our car was parked outside, easily accessible from the hotel but a challenge in the wind-driven rain. We had planned to transfer our Florida clothes for some clothes for Peru on the day of our flight. Now I had to try to stay dry as I ran to and from the car. I didn’t stay dry. After the transfer I spent the next hour in our room with a hairdryer on my wet clothes. We opted for the hassle-free (and dry) hotel airport transfer and ate a late lunch at MIA instead of the going to the ... read more

Dave and I enjoyed an early morning farewell breakfast (I finally got my avocado!) at Hotel Polo in Cusco with Celia and Larry, and Kathy and Bud, before we bade our new friends farewell. Since the six of us had been separated from the rest of our Kaypi group, we were unable to say goodbye to our other new friends so if you are reading this blog, we enjoyed meeting you all and sharing this wonderful journey and we look forward to hearing of your future travel adventures. Still nursing some symptoms of altitude sickness, we were whisked to the airport, where, while waiting for our plane to Lima, Dave sipped tea and I canvassed the elegant airport shops selling expensive and beautiful baby alpaca items, confirming my good decisions to buy from Andean Colors where, ... read more