Peru – The Land of Incas, Culture and More!
As a 20 year old someone, I was awestruck when I saw someone’ s picture on social media – them in the beautiful backdrop of Machu Pichu.
It was then that I decided it would go on my bucketlist and I cant thank myself enough for making this dream come true.
So, in October of 2024 we decided to visit Peru. It took us almost a whole day to reach Lima from The Cayman Islands but wow!!!
It was worth the wait.
The next day we took a guided city tour and Lima is so serene, with the beautiful sea laid out infront of us; some of them paragliding across it and some just relaxing. While me??? Of course taking tons and tons of photos 😀
Shopping in Lima was fun… we picked up a few goodies… especially my 6 year old daughter was obssessed with The Lama- lama doll, lama pillow and Lama hairbands.
Our Day 1 ended with visit to a nearby park where our kiddo had a ball of a time.
On DAY 2, we headed to the Huacachina desert/Paracas and oh boy I was surprised that Peru is not only about mountains.
And you will see many such signatures all over Peru. Maybe it was their way of saying we were here. And my way of saying that? Take another picture.
On day 3, we took a local flight to Cusco and the airport had its own vibe, surrounded by the mountains all around. Its here that you will get breathtaking views…. by that I mean it literally you will be out of breath!
Cusco is at an altitude and you have to get acclimitisated before running around like crazy tourists. So take it easy on the Pisco. If you ask what is Pisco, please go to Peru and do the Pisco tasting… It’s a famous alchoholic beverage and I loved it. Our next stop was obviously…
Machu Picchu
My excitement knew no bounds but I didnt know you had to travel that much to reach. First a flight, then a bus, then the famous Train… chuck chuck chuck we rode in our train.
The train journey itself is scenic, with a river flowing right next to the tracks. The mountains rising high above. The localites also have a small set where they enact a local folklore in the local attire. By the time we reached Machu Pichu, we were so tired and it was already night.
So we just found a local restaurant — Govinda to have our dinner and since we are vegetarians it was perfect for us.
The next day we headed to Machu Picchu.…
It was already reminding us as to who has the upper hand… the mountains of course. Altitude sickness is real and you have to be careful. We took a few cocoa chocolates and drinks to help us with it. They are made of coca but you dont really get that high.
And was it what I had imagined all the time in my head… well hell no…. It was much more and more and more…
What an incredible footprint left by our ancestors.. What a remarkable site of history.
After an exciting yet tiring day, we setlled in the little town called Ollantaytambo. Beautiful cobblestone pathways with little streams flowing all over the town, it was a perfect little place to unwind for the night. We tried local Peruvian cuisines... like the Rocoto, andean ceviche, apanado amazanico…. and it was Yum.
With only 2 days left to end our trip, we decided to visit the Morray and Maras. Again, you learn a lot about how the Incas lived, their agricultural techniques, salt mining, etc.
On our final day of our trip, we decided to go all in and decided to do The Rainbow Mountain. We thought we had acclamitised enough but oh boy I was wrong… 2 days of walking in Cusco is not what you need to climb the Rainbow mountains. You need a year long on the treadmill before you head out here.
Unfortunately, none of us except maybe my daughter had that kinda energy and so we took the help of horses to reach the top.
What no one talks about is how your bottoms get sore on that horsebacks, it’s a long way up and down along narrow paths. You are just thinking as to how are you going to die… tumble down the path, fall from the horse or get blue cos of mountain sickness.
But the Andes calms your nerves in ways you don’t understand and says go ahead… a few more breaths and you will be okay.
We finally made it our final destination… the exact Instagrammable Spot of Rainbow Mountain… and a long long queue to take a snap!!!
By now, if you are so out of breath you dont care that much about the photos?? No, not me. I live, breathe and die for those photos… sorry I meant memories 🫠
Instagram: @act_ofrandomness
Amazing place ad thank you for sharing your experience with us 😍😍
What an amazing report. Peru seems to be really an exciting journey. The cultural Highlights are really unique.