Peru

During my journey to Peru, I explored the Inca Empire ruins of Machu Picchu, traveled to Cusco in the Andes Mountains, flew above the mysterious Nazca Lines in the desert, and walked through a Museum of Gold.

GETTING THERE

Peru is in South America, with direct flights into the capital of Lima LIM from across Latin America and from some major cities in the USA. Once inside Peru, it's easy and inexpensive to take local flights to interesting cities across the country.

AMAZING EXCURSIONS

I flew to the Andes Mountain town of Cusco, which was about 11,000 feet above sea level. It was common for visitors to get altitude sickness, but my hotel offered me an ancient remedy to drink - a tea made of coca leaves - and had no troubles. Cusco was once the home of the Inca Empire, some hotels even had walls made of original Inca stones. Large Inca ruins were on the outskirts of town, and elaborate Spanish Colonial architecture in the main square. The famous Inca Trail also started in Cusco for people who wanted to hike several days to Machu Picchu.

Instead of taking the long trek, I jumped on a scenic train to Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The four hour ride took me across mountains and into lush green jungle. It dropped me off at the base of a hill in the town of Aguas Calientes, and from there I hiked up to the ruins. Machu Picchu was much larger than I imagined and quite accessible. There was also a massive monolith rock to climb, with a steep narrow trail and stone steps carved into the side. Once at top, there were large rocks to sit on and enjoy the sweeping view of the entire area.

I flew to the desert town of Ica to see the famous and mysterious Nazca Lines, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. They were massive images of hummingbirds, monkeys and other animals etched in the desert sand thousands of years ago. The only way to see them properly was from the air, so I took a smaller plane to see the lines from above. It was a spectacular sight and it really made me wonder how on earth did people make those huge perfect images thousands of years ago? I also visited the Museo Regional de Ica, which had many ancient artifacts, including well preserved mummies!

I took a flight to Iquitos, along the Amazon River. The city smelled like water, felt wet, and when combined with the rainforest heat, it was simply stifling but in a good way! It was also drenched in stunning old Spanish architecture and filled with the aroma of Peruvian food, like Chaufa, which is delicious fried rice. There were also interesting street markets, filled with many types of herbs, spices, and traditional Amazonian health remedies which were passed down through generations. Among them, Una de Gato, also known as Cat's Claw because it came from a tree covered in hard, pointy thorns that looked like claws. The locals used it for various ailments.

I explored the city's fascinating Belen floating slum. The waterfront shanty town had basic wooden homes built on stilts, so they could withstand the rising and falling of the river waters. Wood platform walkways connected the community. There was no traditional sanitation, so the river waters washed away everything.

I also stayed in a jungle lodge along the Amazon River, and went fishing for Piranha, searching for Tarantulas, and watched wild animals like Capybara, Tapir, and Monkeys from incredible full length windows.

Back in Lima, I toured catacombs under the Basilica and Convent of San Francisco, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. It had hundreds of human skulls and bones in underground catacombs, so many I couldn't believe my eyes! I also stopped by the Museo Oro de Peru, the Museum of Gold, which had ornate jewelry and traditional headpieces.

I ate a lot of flavorful Peruvian dishes during my trip, among my favorites were Lomo Saltado, which is braised beef with onions, tomatoes, fries and aromatic spices, and also the most delicious ceviche, marinated in lime and herbs.

I heard about a lot of surfers heading north, to the town of Chicama, which was almost to the Ecuador border. The town was famous because surfers wanted to ride its long left break. I didn't get a chance to visit this trip, but I will definitely go another time.

Although the highlight of my journey to Peru was visiting the Machu Picchu ruins, the country offered so many diverse locations to explore. From the Andes Mountains, to the desert of Ica, and the Amazon Rainforest in Iquitos, I'm glad I set aside enough time to see ut all.