Peru: A Spirital Experience
Do you have a bucket-list place you want to visit? Missy T Travels is here to help! For my husband Darren and I, a bucket-list location was Peru’s ancient mountaintop village of Machu Picchu. We’d seen pictures of the Machu Picchu our whole lives and wanted to see it for ourselves.
After our successful Exoticca trip to Portugal, we opted to work with them for a second trip. We arrived in Lima after a red-eye flight and were taken to our hotel in the upscale Miraflores neighborhood. On the ride, we were told there was an ancient adobe and clay pyramid being excavated in the middle of the city. What?!
Huaca Pucllana served as an important ceremonial and administrative center for the advancement of the Lima Culture, a society which developed in the Peruvian Central Coast between the years of 200 AD and 700 AD. When the Spanish came, the Lima natives essentially buried the city. It was rediscovered in the early 1980s in a location that was simply known to locals as a big hill in the city. What an amazing way to start our trip!
Missy Travel Tip: Always wear sunscreen when you travel. Lima is a desert close to the equator. Even a short time outdoors can leave you red. You have been warned. And wear a hat.
On our walk back to the hotel we crossed through Kennedy Park. It is, essentially, a refuge for about a hundred feral cats. Some are friendly, some want to be left alone, all are protected. Volunteers keep them fed, neutered, and sheltered. If you love cats like we do, don’t miss it. After beer at Borcher Bier Garden, we had dinner at Tanta. It’s located on a cliffside shopping center with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean. We ate there three times during our vacation. Try the locally brewed Cusquena Beer.
The next day our Exoticca guide led us through a tour of Lima’s Historic Centre and the Santo Domingo Convent. We had our first Pisco Sours, the national liquor brewed from grapes. Darren would eventually buy a bottle to take home. We walked around the Plaza de Armas to admire the colonial architecture that surrounds it. Many of the building facades are UNESCO Heritage sites. That evening, we walked down to the seashore. The walk back up was, well, grueling.
Missy Travel Tip: If you buy a local liquor from a duty free shop, be sure it’s not in an opaque bottle. Darren bought gin in Lisbon that was in a white bottle and put it in his backpack. When he tried to go through security in Boston after clearing customs, the bottle was not allowed. They told him to either check his backpack or drink the bottle of gin before going through security. We wrapped the bottle in bubble wrap and checked the backpack. The pisco was in a see-through bottle.
The next day we hopped on a plane for Cusco up in the spectacular Andes Mountains. Cuzco is high enough above sea level that altitude sickness is a possibility. We were given cocoa candies that help ease the nausea, but neither of us had an issue. A van took us from the Cusco airport headed to the Sacred Valley where Machu Picchu is located. On the way we visited Museo Sulca where hand woven textiles are created. They also have a flock of alpacas that LOVE to be fed grass. We were the first visitors of the day, so they basically swarmed us. It was magical and a picture Darren took of me surrounded by alpacas is one of his favorites.
The descent into the Sacred Valley was breath-taking. Pictures don’t do justice to the Peruvian countryside. After settling in our charming hotel in Ollantaytambo, we looked for dinner. The first stop was a hole-in-the-wall restaurant where no one spoke English. It took a bit to explain that we were vegeterrano and vegano. Everything they served had meat or chicken. We enjoyed a beer and continued our search for food, finding a charming outdoor bistro with a number of options for us. And pisco sours.
The next day was THE day. Machu Picchu is one of the 7 wonders of the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We travel by train to Aguas Calientes. We upgraded to a car with 360-degree windows and the ride through the Andes was incredible. Darren stared out the window like a cat watching birds.
Once there, we had lunch at a riverside restaurant and then traveled by bus up the mountain to Machu Picchu. This is not for the faint of heart with its hairpin turns and views straight down the cliffs. But the bus drivers are skilled and patient.
The line to get into Machu Picchu was huge, but we had timed tickets through Exoticca. After a short walk along a path we turned a corner and there it was. Seeing Machu Picchu is nearly a religious experience. Our hearts beat quickly, and our breath caught. It was as stunning as we imaged. For about 2.5 hours, our guide led us through the site. There is so much I could say, but it would be a long read. If you ever have the opportunity to see Machu Picchu, do it. We lucked out with postcard skies and 75 degrees. I will never forget that day. The return train ride was in the dark, so no Andes views. We and some of our new friends just kept reliving the day and experience.
We had one more day in the Sacred Valley, but I could have spent much longer there. We went to Chinchero to visiting the Parwa Cultural Center to learn about Peruvian textiles and their symbolism. We visited Moray, an Incan archaeological site with concentric terraces that functioned as an agricultural laboratory. We toured an ancient stone fortress near Ollantaytambo where we were caught in a hail storm, the only weather issue we experienced the entire trip. Finally, we boarded a bus and headed back to Cusco.
In Cuzco, we wanted to get dinner and used GoogleMaps to find a vegan restaurant. It was a hole-in-the-wall where, again, no one spoke English. We stumbled our way into ordering two meals, which were incredible. Soup, main course, bread, and tea. As we left, I told the waitress in my best Spanish how good the meal was, and they seemed thrilled. The bill for both meals total? About $18. They were shocked when we gave a tip.
In the morning, we walked to the main square in Cuzco to get some Starbucks coffee. We would return to the square for our walking tour of Cuzco. We began in the iconic Plaza de Armas and visited the Cathedral. From there, we walked to the Koricancha Temple, an impressive ancient Inca palace in honor of the Sun God. Today, a Dominican church stands on the site. Finally, a visit the lively San Blas neighborhood, known for its artists, shops and artisan workshops. Once done, we walked down an alley and found the Museum of The Incas. Definitely worth the stop.
Missy Travel Tip: Learn how to order your coffee in the native language. You may feel foolish, but you’ll get what you want.
In the morning we flew back to Lima. With the day at our leisure, we walked to the nearby arts district and then the path along the cliff. One more meal at Tanta! In the morning, we boarded our flight back home. This was an amazing trip and we met some wonderful new friends on the tour.
