Wayna Picchu – shrouded in mist! Machu Picchu is Quechua – the language of the Incas and still spoken in Peru today – for old mountain. It is overlooked by Wayna (sometimes spelt Huayna) Picchu, which is Quechua for young mountain.When booking the Inca Trail, we were given the option of spending a little bit more to climb Wayna Picchu once we were at Machu Picchu on our last day of the trail and a quick search on the internet…
The Team of Champions! So we made it! After 3 long days of walking and a very early start on the fourth, the “champions team” – as we were very aptly named by our guide, Valentin from Alpaca Expeditions – were a very close second through the sun gate to arrive at Machu Picchu at around 6 in the morning. The sight greeting us was as beautiful as I had imagined. There was mist hanging over the mountains below us and…
Being a vegetarian in Peru was surprisingly easy. Peru is getting itself known as being a bit of a foodie destination and as well as the Alpaca steaks that James enjoyed along the way, this also means that there are an increasing number of (varying quality) vegetarian restaurants. We ate very well in Lima. Following the recommendations of Neverending Voyage and Indefinite Adventure, we made a beeline for Almazen, where we enjoyed sampling a range of different types of potatoes,…
At the start of the trek Arequipa is a ‘jumping off’ point for lots of hiking and adventure activities, including trekking into the Colca Canyon, which was thought to be the deepest canyon in the world at 3,400 metres, until its neighbour the Cotahusi Canyon was found to be 135 metres deeper. There are lots of companies in Arequipa offering tours into the Colca Canyon, but having read up on it, I could see that there was a very doable…
Arriving from the desert of Nazca to Arequipa was a breath of fresh air. The high altitude means that although its warm in the day, it never gets too hot and in the evening we started to remember what cold felt like (but only just). So it was perfect for wandering around and soaking in the sights. The city’s colonial buildings are built of sillar, a white volcanic material, which has led to Arequipa being nick-named ‘The White City’. The…
1. Enjoy a sundowner in Barranco near the Bridge of Sighs It may have been that we particularly enjoyed this beer as it came at the end of a very long day. We’d arrived into Lima at 7am, got to the hostal and then pretty much went straight back out again. So this relaxing beer at the end of a long and hot day was very welcome and this was a beautiful backdrop. 2. Visit the Museo de la Nacion…
On the coast south of Lima, there are a number of sights and activities, which collectively have become known as the Gringo trail. I hadn’t actually realized this when I was planning our trip. However, looking at what there was to see and do between Lima and Cusco (from where we are booked on an Inca Trail tour, starting on 23rd March), I unknowingly managed to map out a perfect Gringo Trail route. So much for trying to get off…
On our second day in Lima, we headed to the Centro Historico to take in the sights of the old town. We started in the main square, with its very impressive Cathedral and Government buildings. In the square and surrounding streets there are also a range of other imposing buildings from the Spanish colonial era, many sporting a typical Lima-style balconies. In recent years, the mayor of Lima has established an ‘adopt a balcony’ scheme, encouraging businesses and individuals to…
After promising James that as we were going away for a long time, we would not need to rush round to make sure we had seen everything; our first few days away have been pretty hectic. Lima was quite hot and is quite spread out and so getting about took longer than I had thought. This combined with the heat made getting around quite tiring. We only nearly fell out once though, which is pretty good going. We stayed in…
Its just three sleeps to go before we fly to Peru! We’ve said lots of goodbyes and drank copious amounts of fizz… Fizz…!! We’ve been packing everything up in the house and even managed to find a new home for the fish! Thanks Andrew! They look very happy in their new home. We’ve been brushing up on our Spanish. Now we just need to make sure all of our stuff fits in our bags!