Blogs from Peru, South America - page 1163

Hi everyone. The first proper blog. Sorry it´s been along time coming..there was the small issue of 6 days in the Amazon to get through (more later - it´s a tough life) Anyway - after the worlds longest flight we arrived at Lima airport, and to say I (Steve) was suprised was an understatment. Having been ´warned´ that Lima was a bit rough at the edges, we turned up at a 21st century airport, first through customs, bags waiting, cash out the cash machine and a cab waiting! Fantastic. And then the first surreal moment...the cab driver was playing UK 80´s (Ah-ha) and the bar round the corner was pumping Reggae and Dancehall. Not a nose flute in site. We stayed in the Miraflores district, and as luck would have it, our hotel was a block ... read more

After a day in Cuzco, it was time to check in and have the pre trail briefing............Don´t think so! We went to the travel agent at the pre-arranged time only to find the office shut!! The only shut office on the street had to be ours, it wasn´t feeling too good! We had no idea where to get the bus the next morning, the tour agents didn´t have a clue whether we were still going etc. etc. We arrived at the office.......Open at last!....... at 7 the next morning, off we went at half past. We arrived at KM82, the designated starting point of the inca trail by late morning, after a good feed we were off, almost immediately, the beauty of the trail is apparent, the scenery and varied landscapes become more and more spectacular ... read more

After a 10 hour truck journey we arrived in Cusco at 1am. As Ella had been to Cusco only a week before she was appointed tour guide which meant we only did the Inca highlights and the best bars. After spending the day catching up on emails, laundry and seeing a few sights, including the weekly Sunday parade around the town square it was time to hit the town for our first night out in Cusco. Our group were all going out for roast dinner, but we were in need of something a little more stylish so Ella took me, Shona and Helen to the Witches Garden - one of the best restaurants in Cusco. After a couple of bottles of top chilean vino we went off to Mythology to meet up with the rest of ... read more

Our first country was Peru, land of the gallant Incas. Over 4 weeks we barnstormed the Nasca mystery lines; strolled through charming cities and monasteries; spotted parrots, crocodiles & leopards in the Amazon; sailed to the floating, reed villages of Lake Titicaca; and explored the sacred ruins of Machu Picchu. To open the photo album, double click on the first photo. Nasca Mystery Lines Our 6 seater Cessna roared over the dusty, little town of Nasca to view the massive mystery lines etched in the desert. 2000 years ago, the Nasca people created a huge number of these enormous lines and pictures that can only be seen from the sky. Our pilot would tip the plane entirely on one side to use the wing to point out a symbol on the desert floor far below, and ... read more

Paddington Bear originated from darkest Peru and was sent to London by his Aunt Lucy with a “Please look after this bear” label. Nicola, being a big Paddington fan, made sure Peru was first on the list when it came to planning our round the world trip. We only planned to spend 12 days in Peru enough time to do the Inca Trail and get to Titicaca to cross into Bolivia, but as we discovered Peru has so much to offer that the 12 days very quickly became more than 20 days. LIMA - SCARY CITY Our 11pm arrival in Lima was a startling contrast to our arrival in Quito, everything seemed less welcoming and a feeling that it was a perilous place permeated the polluted air. When we had booked our room, the hostel had ... read more