Creme De La Creme!

Looking through our fantastic “bucket list” brochure I saw the wonderful trip to Rio, Iguazu Falls, Buenos Aires, Falkland Islands, and Chile to name a few destinations which are all wonderful in there own right, but for me the creme de la creme has to be the included trip to Machu Picchu, Cusco and Lima.

I have visited some wonderful places in my time, however, nothing matches my trip to Peru. I originally started my holiday in Lima the capital city. I was perhaps expecting it to be just a commercial centre/capital city like any other in the world but actually it is a really vibrant place to visit. The Miraflores area of the city is the nicest area to stay, right by the ocean with some lovely hotels, restaurants and shops. Historically the city has a lot to offer from the Inca time to the time of the Spanish conquistadors. The main church in the city has a huge crypt with so many skeletons from many battles, very eerie but interesting all the same.

From Lima we travelled through the Scared Valley and caught the Hiram Bingham vistadome train to Machu Picchu.  My arrival into the town of Machu Picchu I have to admit was a little disappointing because it is not what you imagine. It is not at all historical just a place full of tourists and lots of back packer hostels. However we did stay in a fantastic hotel right by the station for a night before our trip to the “real” Machu Picchu the next day. The drive up there is a bit hairy as you can guess, but when you get there and go through the turnstiles, well out of this world!  The views first of all are amazing – how did they managed to build a city up there?  If you look at the main picture, you will see the mountain which looks as if it is part of the city. It is actually separated from the main part but on the mountain there are hundreds of little steps going up to the top, rumor has it that many of the priests used to go up there and hold ceremonies of whatever kind. It is so well preserved, you can have a walk around what were the houses and temples. The feeling there is very spiritual – something about the place I can’t put my finger on. Amazing, wonderful – no words can describe it really.

Sadly, we had to leave and from there we went to Cusco, what was once the capital city of the Incas. Cusco is a world heritage sight and one of Peru’s most visited cities. What a beautiful place. Everywhere you go you see sights of the Inca time. Cusco is surrounded by many ruins, one of those we saw was Sacsayhuaman, a site of a battle in 1536, this is well worth a visit particularly for the sights of the city below.  Of course Cusco is in the Andes mountains and 3,400 m above sea level, altitude sickness can attack!! This was the only place I did suffer. One of the best herbal remedies is cocoa. Drink the tea it does work!

From Cusco we went on to Lake Titicaca. Here you have islands on the lake, made of reeds where the people live – very interesting to see but the area around here not so. Puno for example is awful, probably explains why not many tourists would want to stay there!

If you are looking at doing a South American tour please do not miss out Peru and in particular Machu Picchu and Cusco. This tour in our Bucket List choice must be something you would want to try as it really does include everything including my “creme de la creme!”

If you would like anymore information on Peru, give me a call or drop me a email, look forward to hearing from you!