The Unblogged: Peru Trip Spring 2025

My wife has committed to before and after school care for one set of the grandchildren several days a week. I take over the occasional day when she cannot do it. This means any long trips we do together happen when school is out of session. Our trip to Peru happened during Spring Break for the schools last year. It was a guided tour with the company, Exoticca, which I can recommend. We were picked up, and driven around everywhere, and accommodation was all set up for us. We had guides and most of them were quite entertaining. 

We started in Lima for a few days. The area we stayed in was much like Vancouver. The only noticeable difference was that many street intersections, even some major ones, did not have traffic lights. Like many places, local driving culture made it all work. We heard that other neighbourhoods had developing world conditions. We ate well (including ceviche with a pisco sour) and enjoyed walks in parks near our hotel.

With a guide, we saw some of the historical sights in the city.

Then we had some more time to explore on our own 

    

Yes, those are vultures in that ruined church. Then we were flown to Cuzco and bussed to a small hotel, a staging area for the trip to Machu Pichu. We were into the foothills of the Andes at that point. 

Machu Pichu was a highlight of course. The architecture and engineering to build it all at the top of a mountain was impressive. I also admired the whole idea that it was a self sustaining colony. 

They got the Aspergers citizen to fit the rocks together nicely

Then we were on a bus to the city of Cuzco. Along the way there was a research farm used by the Aztecs to figure out what crop varieties grew best at different altitudes. The scientist in me appreciated this.

Some interesting things along this route: small three wheeled cars with motorcycle engines and many varieties of corn. I ate a guinea pig. 

Cuzco was at an altitude where we began to notice it with lack of breath. 

Then it was back on the bus and on to Puno and Lake Titicaca. Here, I really noticed the altitude or I started getting sick with whatever bug I came home with. We ate quite good pizza at a tourist place and went on a boat tour of the Lake the next day. An early steamship (the Yavari) built in England was brought up piece by piece with mule train and assembled at the Lake. It had both military and transport duty. 

We visited two indigenous groups: one living on reed islands and the other, said to be direct descendants of the Aztecs, were on a solid Island. 

 

Two long days later and flights back to Lima and then Vancouver brought us home.