Another big bucket list check as we traveled from Atlanta to Lima, Peru, and on to Cusco, Aguas Calientes, and Machu Picchu!

After catching a nice and uneventful Delta flight from Atlanta to Lima, we had the exciting experience of “airport cab roulette” in Lima. To catch a cab from the Lima airport, which at 10 p.m. was still in full throttle crowds and traffic, there were only three “recommended cabs” with counters at the airport. We saw a long line, and heard them telling passengers that there would be several hours of wait to get a cab (our hotel was only a 15 minute drive from the airport). We made the rookie choice of going outside to the “unregulated” cabs right outside the main door of the airport, which is sort of a shark tank of waiting cabbies who know you are a tourist and know you don’t know the rules. Without quoting a price, they aggressively grabbed out bags and started dragging them to their car- a scary experience. Along the way with repeated asking, he finally quoted a price in Peruvian Sol. We had no idea if it was a good price or not, and did a quick parking lot conversion from US dollars to Peruvian Sol. By US standard it wasn’t a “terrible” cab price, and we were tired, so we said “Yes”, continued to follow the cabbie, and took the ride to our hotel. Naturally, we found out later after spending time in the country (and following a return to the airport with an honest cabbie) that we had paid about triple to 4x the going rate. We also found out Uber operates in Lima, as well, although it doesn’t have a designated area or signage at the airport for rideshare. And we thought we were well-traveled and knew better… ughhhh. Advice: Stick with the recommended cabs or Uber in Lima, people! Don’t be a LeBeau! 🙂

Charming Cusco

Way up high in the Andes Mountains lies the city of Cusco, at over 11,000 feet of elevation. We knew that altitude sickness is a common problem for travelers here, and our hotel even addresses that by piping extra oxygen into the rooms and serving Coca tea (for stomach and headache issues) in the lobby. We were lucky in terms of having mild side effects. We had headaches and did not sleep well for the first two nights, but acclimated quickly after that. Cusco is the main city most travelers go through to reach the famed Machu Picchu, but it is in itself a large city with lots to see and do. It is very walkable, but not a city I would choose to drive in if given a choice. There were truly no (obeyed) traffic laws here that we could tell, including traffic lights that did not deter any drivers from going whenever they like. Yikes! We stayed at two hotels during our time in Cusco: the gorgeous Marriott El Convento (a restored former convent turned hotel) and a second hotel in the same area, and the tiny Casa Biru (which was also part of the original convent, but not-quite-so-restored). The Marriott was absolutely incredible, with great service, a nightly tour of the grounds including the ruins found beneath the hotel, daily alpaca visits (I fell in love with “Panchita”!!), nightly pisco sours (soooo yummy) and wonderful food. We loved wandering the streets of Cusco to sightsee, and track down all of the “Sevens” streets.

Magical Machu Picchu

The fulfillment of many years of dreaming came when we made the trek by train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes (the “gateway” town to Machu Picchu historic site), and then by bus up the mountain to the park site. It was beyond belief to think that this Incan City dating back to the 1400s remained known only to the “locals” until the early 1900s, and was largely overgrown by jungle forestry. The excavations of this city are still ongoing!

Lovely Lima

Lima is a vibrant and exciting city with much to see and do. It is huge and sprawling, with a higher population than NYC in the United States. There are definitely areas of the city that are considered unsafe for tourists (as there are in most big cities), so we stuck primarily to two of the main tourist areas (Miraflores and Barranco) and felt comfortable walking there day and night. Lima was also home to our FAVORITE meal in Peru, at a “Cerbicheria” called La Mar in Lima. Rob and I actually thought we were not big ceviche fans, but as it turns out, we just hadn’t yet tried the RIGHT ceviche. We practically licked out plates after the meal. Amazing!!!! We also took a food tour in Lima with the cutest guide.