Latin America map with Peru enlarged.  The areas we visited are marked with stars.  

Background

      Widely known as the Land of the Incas, Peru has had a fascinating history that is evident almost anywhere you travel. Probably the greatest empire in the western hemisphere before the arrival of the Spanish in the sixteenth century, the Incas built an amazingly complex society with stunning cities capping soaring Andean summits, and connected by an incredible series of highways stretching for thousands of miles over nearly impassable terrain. During the height of their power the Incas ruthlessly dominated many other societies, including the Chachapoyan people of northern Peru, who themselves had built many impressive fortress cities, such as Kuelap. Peru is an exciting mixture of cultures including the many native cultures that existed before the Spanish arrival, and the strong Spanish influence.

      Although a third world country, Peru is very easy to travel in and most of the amenities of modern life can be found, at least in the larger cities. Despite a struggling economy which has left many regions very far behind in development, the Peruvian people were very friendly and hospitable (with the exception of many of the inhabitants of Cuzco who have been warped by extreme amounts of tourism). Below is the beginning of our travel diary and then our many photos..

Our Trip Journal
Sept 18, 2003 10:00pm

      After all of the planning and packing, it was finally time to go. We drove to my office where we left our car and caught a taxi to the airport. We arrived at the airport before 11, which was more than two hours early and considered great planning by us. However, when we got to the counter of Taca Airlines to check in, we found out that we didn't have e-tickets and that we needed paper tickets to check in. Oh crap. We were pretty sure that we had never received tickets in the mail, but our confidence in that quickly eroded and Andrea took off to make a last minute dash home to look for them. I waited at the airport and was able to convince the manager at Taca to keep the counter open an extra 10 minutes, hoping that somehow Andrea would find the tickets and make it back in time. If we missed this flight, we wouldn't be able to get into Lima in time to catch our morning flight to Chachapoyas. Since there are only two flights per week to Chacha, and our expedition was supposed to start the next day, we would be in serious trouble. This was a very exciting hour and a half wait for me.

In dramatic style, Andrea found the tickets at home and made it back to the airport (minus nearly $100 in cab fare) at 12:14, four minutes after the counter was supposed to close. However, the ten minute extension saved us. We made it!

      It was a long flight, sitting next to a guy who really wanted to talk, and in front of a kid that really wanted to kick the seats, but at least we had an in-flight movie that was about a decade old -- Days of Thunder. We had a short layover in San Salvador, El Salvador. Just enough time to rush to an airport bar and grab a beer.

      Another layover. We had about four hours to kill in the San Jose, Costa Rica airport, which is a pretty small airport. Our choice of restaurants was limited to Burger King, Papa Johns, or Church's Chicken, which we thought was pretty funny. After eating a few whoppers, we had time for a nap on the floor of the terminal.

      Arrival in Lima. Despite what we'd heard about Lima and the airport there, we found it to be a pretty modern and orderly place. I suppose that after traveling in India, anywhere else we go is going to seem very tame and sane in comparison. We got suckered into a crappy bus which cost too much and took forever to get us to our hotel in the Miraflores district of Lima. By 9:00 we had checked into our hotel, which turned out to be a very nice place. After nearly a solid day of traveling, we were ready to grab a good supper and then crash for the night, especially since we had to get up at 4:30am to catch our flight.

      Near my office in Redwood City there is a Peruvian restaurant that my friends and I frequent. Our favorite meal there is called 'lomo soltado', and we were told that it would be difficult to find in Peru anywhere outside of Lima. Given that info, when I saw it on the menu of the first restaurant we visited, I had to get it. 

Mmmmm, lomo. It was good, though I'd actually have to say I like the lomo better in Redwood City.

      After dinner Andrea and I walked around for a little while. The Miraflores district is a pretty nice area, with lots of shops, and a small park that was near our hotel. The photo below is of Andrea in front of one of the fountains there.

Sept 20, 2003 4:30am

      Rise and shine. We checked out of the hotel and headed back to the airport, where we encountered our next bit of trouble.

      For the next eight days, we would be trekking in the northern Peruvian region of Chachapoyas. The trek was organized by a company called Chachapoyas Tours (http://www.kuelapperu.com/). They had made all of the arrangements, including our flights to and from Lima. However, when they purchased our tickets to Chachapoyas (usually called just Chacha), there had apparently been a mix-up, and our tickets were actually to the city of Chicalayo instead. Luckily, Andrea noticed at the last second and we tried to communicate with the Aero Continente agents that we were supposed to be going to Chachapoyas, in fact on the flight that was being announced over the intercom as ready to board. Somehow they were able to change our tickets solely based on the fact that on the front of our vouchers from the airline someone had handwritten 'Lima - Chachapoyas', and to make the change in under 10 minutes. Once again we hurried through security and to our gate, seemingly just in the nick of time. However, this would just be one of the many times that Aero Continente was very very late.

To begin the slideshow with the rest of our photos from Peru, click here.

To skip to a particular portion of the trip, click on the corresponding link below: