We returned to Lima for one last night. We spent the time with new friends and returned to the Barranco district for sightseeing, lunch and shopping. The highlight was the Flores and Floreros exhibit at Dédalo. After a late checkout, we had a few hours before leaving for the airport. Read more…
We arrived to the Hotel Monasterio around 6pm; many in our group were tired and wanted to eat at the hotel. The restaurant was beautiful and had opera playing when we arrived. The following morning we woke up early and explored our hotel and streets around the hotel before joining Read more…
After a glorious breakfast outside, we started our journey to Machu Picchu with a bus ride from Urubamba to the Ollantaytambo station, and then boarded the Vistadome for a picturesque train ride to the Machu Picchu station. From there we took a bus up the mountainside to the Sanctuary Lodge. After Read more…
We drove about an hour to a remote village where we were greeted with a flower necklace and hot muña tea. Gilmar, our guide, translated the Quechua into English as we learned about herbal remedies, common foods, clothing styles, and methods of cleaning and dying wool and cotton. We again Read more…
The phone rang for our 6:00 am wake up call. Having been to the Lima airport a couple of times, we were surprised by the crowds on a Sunday morning. Nonetheless, the lines moved quickly. Ian and two travel buddies, Nancy and Susan, wanted some dark chocolate—there was a wall full of choices Read more…
The hotel sent a birthday cake with a card to our room. In the afternoon, we joined our group for a tour of old town. We explored the area around the Plaza Mayor, Plaza Bolivar and Plaza de Armas, viewed numerous wooden balconies, and visited the Church of Santo Domingo. Read more…
We woke up late (for us) and went for a walk to el Parque del Amor (Love Park) on the cliffs of Chorrillos. The park opened on Valentine’s Day in 1993 and features Victor Delfin’s sculpture “El Beso.” We spent the afternoon walking through the Museo Nacional de Arqueología, Antropología Read more…
Some of our clothing needed washing and the Belmond Miraflores Hotel charges by the item, so we found Lavanderia Barranco (the highest rated laundry in the area) and walked to the small shop to drop off our a bag of clothing. The Laundry was around the corner from our previous hotel, Read more…
We arrived mid-afternoon to the Hotel Win Meir. It was very basic and clean—nothing on the walls, a non-working television, and to our surprise, great towels. We walked to a nearby restaurant, Café 900 for a huge lunch (they had great vegetarian options). While eating, we watched a trio of Read more…
On the drive from Trujillo to Chiclayo, we stopped at El Brujo—an ancient site in the Chicama Valley located 37 miles northwest of Trujillo. Similar to Huaca de la Luna, there were seven temples (each built on top of the previous). Despite looting, archeologists discovered the tomb of the Lady Read more…