This was one our most spontaneous trips yet! Sometimes you need to leave town with 48 hours notice and go see something cool. We didn't set out with any agenda other than two round trip flights from Seattle to Lima and a reservation at a two-star hotel, with Wifi, for the day we arrived in Lima. The rest was up in the air.
Peru is a cocktail for your senses. The landscape is remarkable, the food is delicious and the people are vibrant. And who could forget the colors, the history, and the pisco sours, oh my!
We spent four days in Lima taking in the sites and avoiding a car accident (and then we were in one). Lima is a great city but the traffic is some of the worst I've ever experienced. We ate well and drank well and walked all over. Yes, we walked. We struggled with the pollution a bit, the air gets stagnant during the rainy season and we decided we needed some mountain air to clear our lungs. We booked a flight to Cusco for the next day and to our surprise there were still tickets for Machu Picchu on the winter solstice. Pro tip: I don't recommend waiting until the last minute to get tickets for Machu Picchu especially if this is a once in a life-time event for you but we didn't go to Peru set on seeing Machu Picchu, we thought that it was too short of notice and we were out of luck. It just so happened that we were wrong but we wouldn't have been upset if it didn't work out.
My favorite part of the trip was the time we spent in Ollantaytambo. This is a small town in the Sacred Valley on the way to Machu Picchu. The location is fitting. Ollantaytambo is an Incan town that most folks pass by on the train from Cusco to Machu Picchu. The cobblestone streets are lined with the the original Incan aqueducts which provide the tranquil sound of running water throughout the town. Cars can access the main square and around the perimeter but you'll have to explore a majority of the town on foot. When you look up at the mountains there you'll see the rim of the valley dotted with ruins. It truly is amazing. The town is still inhabited by Incans and the buildings are more or less the original. If you have the desire to travel back in time, this is your spot. One afternoon, we sat in some hammocks, drank coca tea and watched the humming birds feed in the garden with ruins in the background. If I could go back to a moment it would be that moment. It. Was. Perfection.
As beautiful as it was, Peru beat the hell out of me. Food poisoning, asthma, altitude sickness and second degree sunburn (which was completely my fault but very unpleasant). All I can say is thank god for coca tea. It doesn't matter though, I would go back and do it again tomorrow.
Here are the photos from our time there.
Enjoy!
