Perú, the tourist trail

I heard from many people that Lima isn´t the most enchanting city in the world so my expectations weren’t very high. BUT I liked Lima!! Maybe it´s not the metropolis where you jump from one attraction to the next and lose yourself in endless photo stories - no. Lima is more "day to day". In Lima you can leave your camera at home and enjoy the centre or Miraflores having a drink in one of the many little bars and restaurants, see the local market with their strange products, eat a "Ceviche" or drink a "Pisco" to get in the Peruvian mood!!

Things to see:

The Malecon

is the coast line of Lima in front of Miraflores. Come here to go surfing, ride a bike or stroll around, go shopping or eat in one of the many restaurants of the nearly vertical shopping mall right at the seaside caved into the mountain.
Besides the Malecon de Miraflores the city centre is worth seeing, too.

Places you can skip:

the Magic Water Circuit... which is actually not that magical.

Gateway to "Macchu Picchu" and the "Valle Sagrado". Ancient capital of the Inca culture and navel of the world... wow, that sounds good!!.. although the effect the city had on my navel region was not so pleasant.

In order to save time we decided to take a plain from Lima. But the absence of oxygen in the air together with a fruit juice was too much for my body so I spent the next two days in bed. If you are sensible you may wanna take the route via "Arequipa" to adapt slowly at the climate and take extra caution with the tub water!!

If you feel bad maybe you wanna try some "Sorojchi pills", these burned into my mind because of the comercial posters across town showing a man vomiting at "Macchu Picchu" - nice. Or you drink a Coca tea. I choose the coca leaf and it was not the only time the tea helped me out with my height problems.
After all Cusco is charming and surrounded by a lot of things to do and to see. You can easily spend a week here without getting bored. The city is very contrasty floating somewhere in between Catholicism and Inca tradition, old customs and a modern way of life.

Things to see:

Mercado

The most vivid part of the city lies around the city market. Come here to drink a fruit juice or to order a cheap meal if your stomach allows you to. If not, stay with the coconut water and buy some fresh vegetables to cook at home.

Plaza de Armas

If you want to know in any Peruvian city where the city centre is, ask for the Plaza de Armas. In 90% of the cities the main plaza is named like that...everywhere.

The stone of the 12 edges

Walking on "Hatun Rumiyoc Street" you can admire the 12 edged stone. See the last wall that´s left of the Inca kingdom after it was washed away by the Spanish invaders. The stones are built so precisely that they fit into each other without any cement or space. Even if you are not interested in stones come here at night when the little street comes to life and artisans sell their works among the little shops.

Ruins & churches and something that looks like "Christ the Redeemer"

If you wanna visit the ruins of "Sacsayhuaman", "Qenqo", "Pucapucara" and "Tambomachay" lying close to Cusco do it before you go to "Macchu Picchu" and use them as a warm up for more. Doing it the other way round might be a little disappointing. Above the city Christ is spreading his hands out on the city just like in "Rio de Janeiro" although much smaller. Walk up there to have a nice look above the city of Cusco.

The Inca culture, in no place, is that vivid like in the former capital of the Incas. From here you have the option to visit more than 10 ruins which are packed in nice little tours from your local tour guide. You will always get out cheaper booking a tour from the countless tour agencies but you need to hurry all day. If you have enough spare time pick some ruins you really wanna see and visit them at your pace.

Macchu Picchu

Macchu Picchu is not the easiest place to visit. To get more info follow this link

Pisaq or Pisac

For only 5 soles mini vans will drive you from Cusco through a pictoresk valle to "Pisaq". A small village on the foot of a mountain which gained popularity because of its Sunday market. People from the area around exchange vegetables and fruits here without money. A nice colourful spectacle that you shouldn’t miss. High on the mountain above "Pisaq" you can visit their ruins which are the second biggest after Macchu Picchu.

El Valle Sagrado - the Sacred Valley

The valley of the river "Urubamba" and the ruins around are called the Valle Sagrado.

Maras & Moray

And yes we joined a tour which actually wasn´t that bad. As we couldn’t find easy transport to Maras, Moray and the Salinas we booked the tour from 9 am to 3pm for 30 soles - an unbeatable price. The agricultural terraces of Maras and Moray, to me, looked more like a relict left behind by aliens than humans.

The advantage of a tour is that the guide knows everything about the place so you will learn a lot about the life and work the Inca did in this region. The "Salinas" are another big Inca project to extract salt from a little salted spring. Altogether a really interesting day and worth seeing.

If you want to go from Cusco south to Puno etc. you have the option to go by train or by bus. The best trip we had was from Cusco to Puno with "Mer travel" until then I never had seen a bus with a stewardess on board so far. If you can manage get the panoramic seats right in front of the upper level and your travel experience will be much better and much cheaper than taking the pricey train.

Puno - the capital of folklore

May the people of Puno forgive me but rather than to stay in Puno I recommend doing a homestay with the local families like the "Uros" or the people from "Taquile" or "Amantani" two islands on the Titicaca lake.

A day trip to the Uros instead, a folk that lives on sea grass floating on the Titicaca lake, feels very, very touristic. Nevertheless they have a fantastic story and a really stunning place basically you are brought to the island just to find you in front of several artesian markets where they oblige you to buy pricey artesian stuff.

Arequipa is after Lima the second biggest city in Peru and a great relief for the lungs as it lies only about 2000m above sea level. So no more bloody noses, no dry skin and no need of oxygen anymore!! The white city, as it´s also called because of all its white buildings out of sillar stone, is surrounded by 3 volcanos "The Misti", "Chachani" and "Pichu Pichu". Learn more about the love affair of the volcanos and other myths on a free city tour through town.
For a little bit of colour and culture visit the "Monasterio de Santa Catalina de Siena" and learn how the nuns had lived here totally cut of from the world until the late 1970.

The Colca Canyon

To do a trip to the Colca Canyon you should at least have 2-4 days of spare time cause it´s quite a long ride to get there. We had to choose either to see the city or the canyon and went for the city.

If you can afford it - stay in the oasis. There is no reason to visit Ica. Coming from the cold of the Andes back to the coast into the desert felt strange. Travelling Peru is like travelling to a minimum of 4 different countries at a time.
The oasis is not very big but a nice getaway from the noisy city. From there you have the possibility to go on a buggie tour through the desert which is actually fun!! For two hours you will speed through the sand and have the option to sand board. If you are not able to do it, don´t worry you can use the board like a bob and slide down the hill like a torpedo. If you take the tour in the afternoon you are right there to see the sun going down over the desert before you are heading back to the oasis.