By 7 AM, after a quick breakfast, (mine was coca tea and toast with honey, I could barely eat a thing due to altitude sickness) we were back on the bus on the road to Cusco, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, via the high Andes mountains. Cusco, at a purported 11,000 feet, those of us struggling with altitude sickness were looking forward to this change in elevation! As our bus progressed north through the grassy plateaus I could see some very big mountains on the horizon. Although I had done my research and printed a chart of all the major destinations and their altitudes, I did not record the “minor” stops along the way. After drinking plenty of water over the two hour bus ride we arrived in Pucara (elevation 12,664 feet…we were climbing!) for a ... read more

Two person taxi choloswere lined up in front of our hotel at 7 AM to pedal 22 of us to the harbor in Puno for our exciting two days on Lake Titicaca, at 12,500 feet, the world’s highest navigable lake. We were deposited at a local lakeside market and instructed to purchase the necessary foods needed for our Amantani host people to make our meals later in the day. One of the things that made me choose Kaypi Peru Tours was their commitment to giving back to the people of Peru. Taxi cholos were chosen instead of busses so that more local people would benefit from the hire rather than one bus driver. In addition, one particular shop was chosen for us to buy food, water and gifts because this store gives a discount to the ... read more

Sandra from Kaypi Tours met our now expanded group of 22 people at the Hotel Allpa for our included guided tour of Lima. Our bus was late so we began by walking 6 blocks to the Huaca Pucllana Temple built around 2,000 years ago. Lucky for us Sandra used to be a docent here so we ended up with an unexpected private tour. The entrance fee is only $1.80 US per person for senior citizens and since most of us were in that category we were moved in quickly. Little is known about this early culture, but we do know it was built before Machu Picchu by a culture headed by women, the first people of Lima, the Peaceful Lima People. They believed the gods controlled their environment and it is now believed that this place ... read more

My poor body felt broken after sleeping on a bed that was like a rock and listening to noisy traffic while in our 3rd floor hotel room that faced a high traffic road. After some much needed early morning coffee and an Asian influenced breakfast at the Tanuki Japanese Restaurant, included at Hotel Allpa, by 8 AM we asked to change rooms and to have more comforters to sleep on doubled up on the bed to make it more possible to sleep on. I felt like I was acting out the story of the Princess and the Pea. The very nice staff were understanding. Our new room, 502 on the fifth floor, was much larger than room 303 and because it was farther from the road traffic, seemed quieter. By 10:30 AM we had changed rooms, ... read more

Mandy and I woke early to hear the roar of the Howler Monkeys. I ran off to photograph them in my night clothes causing the guards to chuckle. We wanted to savor every last minute so we grabbed our coffees, books and cameras, swept off a lounge chair to read and spent the last precious morning on the beach. From under the tall palms I looked out to the ocean and watched the fishermen prepare for their day at sea while the birds floated in the ocean around the boats or perched on the boats’ biminis hoping to catch a stray fish. Monkey Island stood out at the edge of the bay and behind it, the mountains’ sharp outline defined by the morning sky. Mandy relaxed with her book, enjoying the special last peaceful morning. Kate ... read more