Peru Family Trip

''Give your children experiences, not things.'' Someone told us those words of wisdom years ago, and as a family, we have tried to do this. Two years ago, when our oldest son graduated from the University of Tennessee, we booked a house in Tortola, BVI for his graduation trip. FIVE DAYS OF MONSOON RAINS. One afternoon, sitting under the porch watching the water continue to poor down, we each sat down and wrote down the top places we would like to go in the world, and all four of us mentioned Machu Picchu. Two years later, as we were thinking about a trip for our younger son's graduation, Peru seemed to be the most appealing of all our destinations, so it was decided. We have traveled as a family to places such as England, Scotland, St. John, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Canada. However, the thought of going unassisted to this part of the world was going to take much more planning and time than we had, as we decided to go only 2 months before the actual travel date. I knew that Peru was becoming a popular world destination, and looked at some tours online. However, in the back of my mind, I kept remembering some advertisements in the back pages of Outside Magazine, as sitting my two college age sons on the back of a bus with 20 people just didn't seem to be where I wanted to go. I called Adventure Life, and from the first conversation I had on the phone, until arriving back in Knoxville a week later, I was affirmed that I made the right call.

As our older son, Will, is currently in school in Boston, we were scheduled to leave from 2 different destinations, meeting in Dallas, and flying the 8 hour trip to Lima together. We had a small delay in the flight out of Dallas, and as a result, arrived in Lima somewhat after midnight. Our younger son, Brent, has taught himself Espanol, as many of his college friends were from Spanish speaking countries, and he became our spokesman for the family. He was very valuable, but really, we had enough contacts arranged by A-L, that we would have functioned fine without this bonus. The cab driver that was arranged for us, was there waiting for us, and took us the 30 minute ride over to Mira Flores, speaking ''rapido espanol'' the entire trip. Arrived at the hotel around 4:00 AM, which made for a trip of about 16 hours from our driveway to the bed in our hotel. Concerns: Language --- no problem so far Taxis --- had read about caution for these, but found at the airport, or the hotel, was just not a problem Highs: --- Seeing our son. We had not seen him since Christmas Lows: --- 4:00 AM

Morning came, and with it breakfast. This was included in the room, as were all breakfasts. However, after breakfast, 2 of us went back to bed!!!! The other 2 went out exploring. Just a couple of blocks from the hotel, was the Mira Flores mall, a very western style setup with many American chain businesses, including Chili's and KFC. There was also a dog show of sorts going on in the park there, with a very festive atmosphere. We took KFC back to the room for the other 2 for lunch. After lunch, we had a bus tour of Lima lined up, which picked us up at the hotel. Very good quick overview of the city, that took us all the way to the colonial district. Definitely glad we did this. That night, we walked back over to the mall area and ate supper overlooking the Pacific, watching all the surfers. Meal was delicious and we tasted our first pisco sours. Concerns: Safety in the city --- not a problem in M-F Food --- VERY good and available at the mall. Price was very reasonable, as most expensive thing on the menu was probably around 20 dollars. Language --- still not a problem. Money --- every place accepted dollars, but as the reports said, looked at each one very carefully. Highs: Eating overlooking the Pacific Lows: The party happening until 4 am outside our door at the hotel. AARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH. Also the grey haze over the city which they said was there most days. Reminded me of San Francisco.

We had a taxi arranged by A-L waiting for us the next morning, taking us to the airport for Cusco. About 30 minutes back to the airport. Line wasn't too bad at the airport. We were flying LAN airlines. Security not quite as tight as US but adequate. Plane ride to Cusco beautiful as we were flying over the Andes. Out the right side of the plane, were the lower mountains, and it looked like flying over some California mountains. Virtually no trees. On the left side could be seen the snow covered peaks as expected from the Andes. About a 2 hour ride. Easy egress from the airport, and outside was waiting our guide for the week, Teddy. We got all our luggage in the van, and up the hill to the main square of the old town. About 15 minutes with traffic. Our hotel, Ruinas, was a block from the main cathedral. After getting settled for a few minutes, we met Teddy and he took us to the square and showed us around: where to eat, exchange money, etc. and we had the rest of the afternoon to explore the city. We walked to the other 2 squares and the market, and ended the night eating at the Inka Grill on the square, one of Teddy's recommendations. EXCELLENT CHOICE! We had alpaca, ceviche, and other local dishes. Always with potatoes, lol. The alpaca was tenderloin and was delicious. By night we were struggling with altitude. We ended up with 2 cans of oxygen that they sold locally, and made it thru the night. Headaches mainly, and just general malaise, and of course a little winded. Concerns: Safety --- absolutely felt safe in this part of town. Money --- easy to exchange almost everywhere we went. They said the Global ATMs did not charge fees. Food --- again, available, affordable, and delicious Altitude --- manageable Weather --- perfect. Around 70 degrees, but cool quickly at night (5:30) Highs: Just being in the center of the Ancient Incan culture Lows: VERY VERY aggressive street vendors. Really weren't able to just enjoy any still time, as was constant barrage.

Around 7:30, Teddy and our driver Eduardo, arrived at our hotel door carrying our traveling companions, Mario and Betty, ready to take us towards the Sacred Valley. There was not really any one else to meet, as Mario and Betty were the entire rest of our group. That was one of the main reasons we picked a company like Adventure-Life! Mario and Betty spoke fluent Spanish, as they were Cuban exiles, but the entire group was kind enough to always speak in English when us ignorant hillbillies were around. Thank you guys. Off on the van for about an hour and a half, to our first stop of the day, the town of Chinchera. A beautiful ride through the high plains of Peru with snow covered peaks of the Andes all around. Just as you would picture it. We stopped at a little courtyard right outside the town for a demonstration of traditional methods of weaving, starting with an alpaca hide and taking it all the way to a blanket. This was given by the local women whom our guide told us were the purest descendants of the Inka people. Loved It! On the the village, where we really saw our first glimpse of what was to come regarding Incan ruins. This little village was very quiet when we were there. I think this was in part due to the fact that Teddy (our guide) really had us out early to beat a lot of the tour buses behind us. We really liked this approach. Then on to the pits of Moray, which was found down a dirt road. As we were in a van, not a bus, Teddy took us the short cut away from here to Ollantaytambo. Very interesting history here where Incas and Pizzaro's band of merry men went at it. We stayed here for the night and had a very comfortable room with views of the temple right outside our window. Great little town serving these amazing sites with small cobblestone street and little shops. Good meal at a cafe run by a British woman and again' very good and very reasonably priced. Will and Brent had time to hike up the side of the mountain that afternoon so we were all a little hungry. CULTURAL HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY. It was the season for Corpus Christi in the Catholic Church, and there was a big parade in the town square with one of the families' icons being paraded around the square. This included many many authentic dance groups and highlighted by the icon itself. As a juxtaposition I suppose, I also witnessed a flaming cart carrying a heavily costumed man that looked like it could have come from somewhere deep in Haiti. Also saw my first roasted guinea pig here, as about six of the little baked buggers went by me on a platter! Concerns: First real time with Teddy, and our traveling companions Mario and Betty. Quickly learned that this was a strength instead of a concern. We did very well as a group and really enjoyed their company. Perfect match! Highs: That flaming cart. I've never seen anything like that in the hills of Tennessee. And I've been to a hawg callin'!!!!.lol Lows: Just a little tired, but no real low this day. We all expressed how the small towns just kept getting better. Lunch a little later than expected. Take a snack.

We had all dedided that every town we visited was better than the first and we had not yet arrived at Machu Picchu! What this day would bring, we just couldn't imagine. We joined our group and hopped in the motorcycle taxi down to the train station, which is the preferred (and possibly only ) way to navigate the final miles into the town of Aguas Calientes. Our train was another experience that was better than expected. Riding down the river valley, the view was fantastic. Passing ruins, walls, and the Inca trail, we finally passed the tree line. Not vertical, horizontal. We turned a corner and then all of a sudden the steep hills were covered in lush vegetation. Ah, we must be getting close; starting to look like the pictures. About a 2 hour trip. Arriving in ''Hot Springs'' Peru, we emptied directly into the market. Capitalism is alive and well in Peru! Teddy told us to keep our head down and keep walking, lol. Here we did see the famous hairless dog, donning a dapper sweater. Covering up that bald back, I suppose. Our hotel was just across the street, and after passing a few kittens and a couple of more dogs, we were in our room. After dropping our luggage, we were across the street to the bus pickup, the bus that takes you the last 25 minutes up the mountain. Being from the mountains ourselves, we have been on many roads like this. If you are from Florida or Iowa, this was probably pretty traumatic. Gravel road with lots of swithbacks and 2 way traffic on a one lane road. Probably ten buses on the road at all times. Our bus was full of people from literally around the world. The people next to us were from Australia. This bus was also full of anticipation and excitement, as I suppose this was a life long dream for almost all of us on board. At the top, the entrance was very well organized and reminded me of going into a very nice zoo. Taking tickets, showing passports and such with local guides readily available for those who were not on a tour. Teddy whisked us away to the top of the ruins and quickly suggested we go ahead and hike to the top of the trail to the Sun Gate while still morning. We would then come back to the ruins in the afternoon, as the crowds would be thinned out by then. Another great idea. The boys ran ahead, and Mario and Betty stayed behind, but it was a fairly easy walk of about a mile and a half up to the top. This was on the original Inca Trail, and if you charter for the Inca Trail, this is your approach to the ruins. The views at the top were definitely worth the effort and we returned to the entrance in time for lunch. You had to exit the park to use the restroom and the cafeteria, but this was very easy to do and we again found the food to be very good and very reasonable. We had chicken wraps! Back in after lunch and the crowds had begun to thin and the sun had begun to throw some marvelous light, making for some beautiful pictures. At this point, I was thinking on how to describe the experience of sitting, standing, walking all around this magnificent place, and really the only word I came up with was INDESCRIBABLE. Just a once in a lifetime experience. The scale, the steepness, the light, the vegetation, the river, the llamas, were just all part of this thing called Machu Picchu. As dark comes early here, we left around five, knowing that we would be able to be back here tomorrow for another look. So we drug our tired legs back on the bus and down we went back to the little ''wild west'' town that is also called Machu Picchu Puebla. Supper that night was a great restaurant next door to our hotel, and featured a full menu cooked on an open grill in the center of the room and live music. In our room that night, we all fell off to sleep with the sound of the river singing in our ears. CONCERNS: Climbing the last leg on those buses on that steep road. We road up and back twice, and really had complete confidence in their system. Very easy. Amenities: Full amenities here. My favorite place we stayed. I loved this little berg built at the foot of the mountain at the congruence of two rivers. We never got to the hot springs. Altitude: no problem here. Highs: Well, you know...duh .. the ruins, and probably the weather, because we just had perfect skies. Lows: Having to leave the mountain at dusk. Made up for that by getting to go back to the village and walk around there.

This day was a free day until 2:00 and we all decided we wanted to go back up the hill to M-P. Will and Brent had passes to go up to Huayna Picchu and please note that the queue to get on the trail can take up to an hour to get through. Another check of the passport. Nancy and I thoroughly enjoyed some free time on the mountain and looked for remote places to just sit and BE STILL! We could have really stayed several more days just to experience the atmosphere of the mountain. On the back side of the ruins, we watched two falcons work the hillside for dinner. Around 2 PM we headed out, turning and giving one last look to this magical place. Boarded the train for the ride back to Cusco and we were entertained by a fashion show of local products. We then transferred over to a bus for the last half of the trip. It was night when we arrived back in Cusco, weary from the ride back, but it did give us time to absorb what we had just seen. Supper that night in Cusco at a little restaurant called Marcelo's about a block from the hotel. Again, the food was just very good value. Concerns: By this time, we were completely at ease in this country. Enjoying the scenery, weather, and mostly the people. Tidbit: Every time we asked a street vendor who made their product, they always answered their family, even though they were obviously selling a mass produced item. I guess selling techniques wherever you are in the world might stretch the truth a little. Altitude: Coming back up to Cusco at 12,000, we had no problem this day. Highs: Sitting with my lovely wife of 30 years on a spectacular little terrace on the hillside of M-P while our two sons were happily climbing rocks and exploring Huayna Picchu !!!! Lows: Maybe the last leg of the bus ride back to Cusco, but that would be real picky. Just sad we had to leave Agua Calientes.

This day was a free day in Cusco, and we opted for a short horse back ride. Teddy had arranged this for us, an a van and a young guide named came and picked us up at the hotel. Just a short ride (15 minutes) up the hill and we arrived at the OK corral. We have a lot of these type things in the Smokies, so I guess we knew what to expect. The interesting thing here was the local breed of horses. Small, but well adapted to the rocky, hilly terrain. They weren't however going anywhere except their trail they went everyday! lol That was alright with us, as they took us to some interesting ruins right above the city. This was a place that our guide had literally grown up in, saying his family use to camp on this site in the summer time. Now a recognized archaeological site. Interesting history here about ''sexy woman'' and how the Incans subdued the other peoples of the area. Fail of the Day: Another group of riders (there were several here ) had just mounted their horses for the ride back, and decided they were going to get on their horses for a little bit. They started off like they were in a Gene Autry movie, at breakneck speed, kicking and whoopin' and hollerin'. Well at about 50 yards , one of the girls fell off going all out, and nearly pulled a Christopher Reeves. Although she really didn't hurt much more than her pride, she landed about a yard away from a large piece of Peru granite, and her Maker. I don't think any of our little ponies had anything like this in them. They were too busy fussing with each other on who was going to be first in line getting back to the barn. Highs: Well we did enjoy being on our horses. It was fun. Lows: Watching that girl almos buy her ticket to Paradise.

This day was all about getting home. We started at the hotel, saying goodbye to our good friend Teddy at noon. Riding down the hill to the aeropuerto, we were really surprised to see our first real obstacle of the trip. That was the check-in line at LAN airline terminal. Stood in that line over 2 hours and missed our flight back to Lima. This did not turn out to be that big of a deal though, as we were just put on the next flight out, which was the next hour. As we had a LONG layover in Lima, that was not a problem. Well to make a very long story short, after layovers, missed flights, and delays, we pulled into our driveway in Knoxville the next day at 5:00 pm. That's 29 hours! For some reason, it seems as if all the flights out of Lima back to the states fly overnight. Not sure why that is, but it took a lot longer to get back than to get there. Isn't that always the case? Concerns: Travel - Its just a long way from Tennessee to south of the equator. We survived. Highs: Our last morning with Teddy Lows: Only 2 people at the LAN terminal trying to get all those people out of Peru. WOULD WE DO IT AGAIN: Country and Culture - Absolutely loved the people and the country. They are trying to adjust to the boon that is M-P, but for the most part,doing very well. Machu Picchu - Everything we expected and more. There is a reason it is on every top ten list of places to see in the world before you die. Adventure Life - As far as what they offered, it was just exactly what suited our family the best. Small group, very well organized, flexibility, like minded travelers, great guide, attention to detail, and very responsive. From the initial call I placed, to the follow up call back home, we wouldn't have changed a thing. Final note: We kept dropping luggage as we neared M-P. You are only allowed to take a 25 pound pack onto the train going into Aqua Calientes. Be prepared for that. MAYBE URUGUAY NEXT YEAR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!