The land of Incas

One country once again took my heart completely, that country is Peru. My trip to Peru was one crazy idea I got from a song that sings from Peru (or at least the word "peru" was mentioned many times in that song). It sounds crazy, but that's when it came to my head that I was going to travel to that country. A friend of mine said, "Am I out of my mind?" How can I just go there for a little over a week and only carry a small backpack for hand luggage? And get an idea from pop song?"

Well, even crazy ideas are made to be true. And I'm exactly that kind of person that make it happen. At least if it is question about traveling. One week trip to the other side of the world is a bit too short, I have to admit. I found cheap flights from kiwi.com booking site for less than 500 euros and was forced to take up the offer. The roundtrip took place via the connections between Milan and Madrid to Lima, the capital of Peru. In fact, I was lucky with the long changeover time of the flights. I was able to explore the city of Milan for about four hours. I will tell more about it on other blog post.

 However, Peru was the highlight of the whole trip and especially the magical Macchu Picchu. The capital, Lima, is quite a typical big city in the heart of Latin America. Noisy, polluting (not a good thing), cars driving everywhere (no rules), reggaeton music playing on the corner of the street etc. Yes, I knew, I've come to the Latin country. In Lima, I toured the old center of the city with lots of historic buildings and e.g. Plaza de Armas. Unfortunately, however, Plaza de Armas was closed at the time because a demonstration was about to begin in the city centre, according to locals. The demonstration was apparently directed at the coronavirus restrictions of the local government and authorities if I understood correctly.

In Lima, I got a taste of the local traditional delicacy, ceviche, raw-cooked fish. At first, I was disgusted by the idea of raw fish, because I am not e.g. a big friend of sushi. However, ceviche was surprisingly good, and, in the end, I ate more of it. I also tasted a local drink, pisco sour. As its name suggests, the drink in question comes with pisco, lime juice, sugar, egg whites foamed, ice and a drop of angostura bitters (it is an alcohol extracted from bitter spice roots or something). Pisco sour was not very enjoyable, but of course I am proud of myself that I tasted it. 😊

I also had time to spend a few days in a beach area called Punta Rocas, which is about 40 kilometers south of the center of Lima along the coast. The weather was favorable, and it was lovely just to lie on the beach as well as read a good book. That's exactly what I'd miss from this vacation and an ice-cold local beer crowned it all. In Punta Rocas, I stayed one night in Surfari-hostel. I recommend to check this place, I really liked the atmosphere there and staff were cool as well as the cost of room was ok for a solo traveler.

I travelled for last three days to Cusco, which is located more than 3 000 meters above sea level. In Cusco, I did not get the so-called altitude sickness, but something even worse, I got a stomach disease. With bad luck, the stomach bug surprised me on the day of Macchu Picchu trip. I made it through with medication, dozens of puke bags, and Finnish "sisu". But directly from Macchu, I had to rush to the hospital for an IV. However, I felt way better after few hours because I got some antibiotics, hydration, and rest. The journey continued back to Lima where I spent the last night.

Macchu Picchu was the best and just like I expected. It was amazing to roam the lands of the Inca indigenous people. I booked a guided trip to Macchu Picchu through the Cuscoperu.com travel agency. The price of the one-day Macchu Picchu package was about 250 USD, pricey but super well-organized. My guide Walter was lovely. A big plus for good English skills and the fact that, among other things, he arranged me a hotel room after Macchu hike from Aguas Calientes. So, I had to rest in the hotel before I took a train from Aguas Calientes back to Oyallantambo and from there a local bus to Cusco.

The last night was fun in Lima, and I have only lovely memories from Peru. Especially the best part was the people and their hospitality, which was something incomprehensible. This kind of hospitality I last experienced when I was in Mexico in 2018. Latin America never let me down. I warmly recommend travelling to Peru, at least I am already planning to return. Peru as a country is truly diverse and many things to see and experience as a tourist. Of course, there are problems and not everything is rosy, especially from the point of view of the locals. My empathy is on their side, and I would like to do something significant or useful if I return to Peru. I was wondering if I could get more content for my trip, e.g., by volunteering. I have been thinking about this for a long time because I have a strong non-governmental organization background but let's see. Let's have time for dreams.

With love, 

Sini <3