after visiting the Galapagos Islands i made my way to Peru. Machu Picchu was the ultimate destination, but i saw a lot of really neat things along the way.

as i mentioned earlier, i booked this portion of the trip through Peru Gateway. i thought they did a good job putting everything together for me. all of the hotels i stayed at were fine, even the crazy hostel in Cusco that was under construction. i’m 98% sure that was where my credit card number was lifted as well, but i’ve determined that there was one bad apple in the bunch, and i won’t let that one taint what was up until then a great trip.

after the Galapagos i went to Ecuador and spent the afternoon and evening in Quito. i had a nice tour of the city and dinner in town, and the next morning i was off to Lima. from Lima i went on a day trip (a very long day trip) to see the Nazca Lines. these are drawings in the ground that you can only see from the air. there are a number of theories about what the drawings represent and when exactly they were made, and no matter what your belief, they are pretty incredible.

i then went to the town of Arequipa and learned about Maca and visited an old convent, Santa Catalina. from there i went to visit the Colca Canyon, which has an altitude of about 15k feet, and is the home to many a condor, some with up to a 9 foot wing span. on this portion of the trip i met a wonderful couple from Florida that i still keep in touch with. as a matter of fact i think they’re due for a visit next month!

after Colca Canyon where i did see some beautiful condor, llama and alpaca we made our way down the mountain and i was off to Cusco. Cusco was a mere 11k feet altitude, piece of cake. let’s talk about altitude sickness for a quick minute, as it’s a big worry to a lot of people before they travel, including myself.

i didn’t take any medicine for altitude, and i was fine. you learn very quickly at 15k feet you just can’t move as quickly as you’re used to…..so you take it slow, walk with a another person (in case you get dizzy), drink lots of water and rest a lot. although Colca Canyon was the highest spot i went to, i didn’t walk around as much as i did in Cusco, and i took it really slow, so it wasn’t as bad as it might have been. when i got to Cusco i went to the hostel and rested and acclimated for about 3 hours before my city tour. that was all i needed, as i made it through the tour without any problem. unlike a poor woman from NY that passed out mid church visit. rest, water, and take it slow…….that is my advice to avoid feeling ill.

back to Cusco. i loved this place, something about it really appealed to me. i was there for four nights, originally it was supposed to be three, but i extended my visit so i could see the Festival of the Saints. i did a day trip to Machu Picchu, which involved two bus rides and a train. it was a pretty trip to the area, and once there, in awe, pretty much sums it up. some people i know did the 4-day hike to Machu Picchu which actually sounded fun, but since i’m not a big hiker/camper i think the one day bus/train excursion and walk around worked out just fine!

in Cusco i enjoyed many a good meal, and spent a lot of time just exploring. i went to the schools, churches, and markets. the festival was pretty interesting as well. it took place not far from my hotel, so i was able to pop in and out throughout the day to see all of the activities. if i have the opportunity, i would go back to Cusco and spend more time there getting to know the place and people.

i ended my trip in Lima, and it was a bit of a shock to go back to “the big city” after being in smaller towns for so long. i was only there for 1 a day which was enough to learn some history, take some pictures, and do a little shopping. i bought some really great purple flats!

Peru. it was a wonderful trip, and going on my own was fine. i didn’t have any moments of feeling like i made the wrong decision, i didn’t feel unsafe, and i met a lot of really interesting and fun people along the way. that trip changed my way of travel thinking, and i won’t ever hesitate to travel alone again.