ABD Peru - Back!

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Myself, ds and dd just returned from the December 30th ABD Peru trip. I may try to post a brief trip report this weekend, but wanted to post some thoughts.

The guides on the trip, Rudy and Ken, were both excellent. On day 2 we flew from Lima to Cusco where our group split into 2 since the roads in the Sacred Valley aren't conducive to large tour buses. Rudy and Ken would alternate days on the buses, however we started with Rudy and really got to know him better, since the times we had with Ken were relatively short in comparison to the time we spent on the bus with Rudy. We had no preference, so this worked out very well. Ken is a very, very gifted story-teller and really captivates you with his words. Rudy was more detailed with Peruvian history and very passionate about his love for Peru, so they balanced each other out very well.

Our group had 35 guests (was supposed to be 39, but a family of 4 left on day 1 due to health issues -- a reminder to always have trip insurance). This number seemed to work well as we never had any bottlenecks or problems moving around / long lineups. There were 2 couples and the rest were families; the kids ranged from 8 to 22, so a nice mix of ages.

Ds, dd and I started taking diamox (to prevent altitude sickness) before we left Lima and it really seemed to help. I had a bad headache after we left the Textile Center, but didn't have any other issues in the Sacred Valley. Ds was feeling confident that he wasn't going to have any symptoms, so he stopped taking it on day 3 (perhaps a mistake on his part). Other than being very winded climbing stairs or going uphill I was fine. Some in our group drank cocoa tea and thought it helped, but I don't drink any caffeine (and heard it is strong than coffee), so I avoided this. There were 3 teenagers that had altitude sickness in our group, 1 who required a doctor visit at the Sol y Luna (this family was not taking diamox). No adults suffered in the Sacred Valley, other than headaches on the first day. I am very glad that dd and I were taking diamox because we started to have stomach issues on our 2nd day in Cusco (which didn't resolve until we got home). Ds spent the first full day in Cusco in bed with a splitting headache, but was able to get up and shower for dinner at the hotel that night.

Hotels were all very nice, with Sol y Luna being my favorite.

We didn't go rafting -- dd and I went horseback riding and ds slept late and relaxed at the resort. In total 7 guests (+ 2 sick teenagers and 1 mom) didn't do the rafting. Note: no one reported getting sick from the rafting or reported any GI issues afterwards.

One negative that I must mention was the length of time between breakfast and dinner. With the exception of the Machu Picchu day, breakfast was around 7:30am and we didn't eat lunch until 2:00 or 3:00pm. It was super hard for those like me that have high metabolism. The snacks were mostly high sugar (cookies, chocolate, etc.), which I don't like to eat for sustenance. Luckily I had brought nuts and Kind granola bars with me, but others were quite literally starving by lunch time. For example, on Day 8 we left the hotel at 8:15am; our flight was delayed by 2 hours (obviously nothing could be done about this); by the time we landed in Lima and drove to the historic center it was close to 2:45pm. We then walked to the Presidential Palace for some quick pictures, then headed to the destination for lunch. Logic would dictate that we would eat right away, since it was after 3:00pm, but instead we were led into a room and presented with drinks (some alcoholic). We were then led into another room and finally a third area where there was a small band and dancers ready to play for us (no seats - standing room only). Oy. Closing in on 3:30pm and I was sure I was going to faint from lack of food in my system. We didn't end up eating until just after 3:30pm. I think the order could've been switched around and we should have had lunch first, then enjoyed the dancers. No matter since the rest of the trips end in Cusco.

The highlight of the trip for me, was Machu Picchu, and I thought we had just the right amount of time there (more would've been nice, but we had 3.5 to 4 hours with 2 private, local guides, plus Ken and Rudy). The llama visit was also a lot of fun and I really enjoyed horseback riding in the Andean mountains.

If I had to place this trip among favorites, it would be close to the top. Japan is still my favorite, followed by Australia. However this trip is the perfect combination of great food, fantastic sites and just the right length and I highly recommend it to anyone considering. This is definitely a trip that I would not want to do on my own.

If someone can let me know how to re-size pictures from my camera I will post a few more pics. Currently the file sizes are too big.


Hummingbird outside of a casita at Sol y Luna




Waterfall in the background -- when I re-sized the clarity was lost

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Day 1: arrived in Lima around 3:00am. Unfortunately a few other flights arrived around the same time, so we had to line up to clear customs for over an hour. Retrieved bags and found the car company (CMV I believe) the JW Marriott had arranged, then headed to the hotel. For some reason our driver wanted to show us the back alleyways of Lima, and at times I thought we were being set up for a robbery, but we made it to the hotel safely around 4:00am. The JW Marriott is showing its age -- the rooms were dated (but very clean) and the lounge was tiny, given the number of guests that seemed to have access. I would recommend the AC Marriott directly across the street which is brand new and a fraction of the cost. The view of the ocean was nice and the a/c worked well (it was hot in Peru).

I booked a 'tour' and chocolate bar making session at the Choco Museo for 11:30am on our first day, but didn't even try to wake up dd and told ds to sleep through it (ds had his own room). It was very interesting, if a bit long, but very enjoyable. I was the only booked one at 11:30am, so my session was private. At the end of the 'tour' (it is basically 3 open, inter-connecting rooms) I got to make my dark chocolates! You are given your choice of add-ins (I chose mini m&ms, rice cereal and a few peanuts). For US$25.00 it is a fun experience. Don't know if it is a 'must do', but it's informative and fun!

I then booked a private food tour with Lima Gourmet Tours for 2:30pm. We were met in the lobby of the hotel by our guide, Lucas. I definitely recommend taking this tour, and private if possible. It was outstanding and one of the highlights of our trip (I will post food pics after I re-size them). Lucas was engaging, personable, fun and a total foodie. He interacted well with dd, ds and myself and ended the tour with food at his private club, the stunning Lima Marina Club, overlooking the ocean and beach. Food was beyond amazing and I would do this tour again if I were in Lima.

We were back at the hotel around 7:00 and I headed over to Larcomar while dd and ds "chilled" in our rooms. Did a bit of shopping and looking around, then headed back to the hotel lounge for a cup of herbal tea and a little snack.

A few food pics to drool over:




Amaz: chicken skewers, pork fried rice, plantain cakes (similar to large potato chips) and Amazonian shrimp! All DELICIOUS!



At Lima Marine Club (private club): churros with dipping sauces (so good!)




View of cross overlooking city from the Lima Marine Club (with marina in the foreground)



Next up day 2

 

[ejw]

thanks for writing this trip report. We go in June.

 

[Grifdog22]

So glad you tried the horseback riding. We really enjoyed that and so few people seem to spring for it. Well done, and yes we agree this is a great trip!

 

[acndis]

Such a great trip! We did Lima Gourmet, too! It was great and I still dream about the coffee with Pineapple Juice. Loved this trip!

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Day 2 (on our own):

I had hired a private guide for the day from Tours by Locals. This was an interesting experience. First, he wasn't as engaging as Lucas and seemed a bit dry. We drove by some ruins in the city and I took a picture (nothing spectacular). Next we drove to the historic center of Lima to view some of the Peruvian balconies, the Presidential Palace, Bolivar Hotel, the Lima sign and some statues.

Next we toured a Jesuit church, which was stunning and ornate. There was a service in progress which was very interesting. We then walked to a Franciscan church for a tour; this church was not as ornate and also had a service taking place. The next stop was a Domincan monestary, which is much larger inside than it appears from the street. Our guide proceeded to give us an in-depth tour; I had told him twice that we had had enough (it was very hot and we were getting burned from the hot sun and tired from all the walking), but he kept going. After telling him 4 times that we needed to move on, he finally obliged, but not before insisting that I had to take the stairs up to the bell tower (not a great view). Next things got a bit off course as our guide announced that we were going to head 43 miles outside of the city to see some ruins. Since it was after 2:00 by this point I told him we wanted to eat lunch first as we wouldn't be back in Lima until after 4:00pm. He said we didn't have time to eat as the ruins closed early that day. The guide led us to a bakery in a back alley that didn't look either clean or appetizing, so after some discussion with dd and ds, we decided to skip the tour of the ruins. Instead the guide had the driver drop us off at the Larco Museum where there is a nice restaurant. Here we had a delicious, relaxing lunch out of the scorching hot sun. The guide met us after lunch and wanted to give us a tour of Barranco, but Lucas had already taken us to the main sites the day before, so we just drove through. We also went up to the large cross and Christ statue overlooking the city and stopped along the way for some great pictures. Ds was tired after this and wanted to go back to the hotel, so we dropped him off and had the guide and driver take us to the Incan Markets for a half hour or so. Dd and I looked around but didn't buy anything as we knew there would be plenty of shopping on the ABD. I would give this tour a 6.5 out of 10 and would hesitate to recommend it. I think a half day tour of Lima would be more than sufficient to see the major sites.

Ds, dd and I went to Tanta in Larcomar for dinner. Ds walked to the hotel after dinner, while dd and I looked at a few local shops (most of the stores are chains from the US).

Day 3 (pre-trip):

This was the day we were to meet up with ABD at the Westin Lima so I wanted to keep things light and easy. The concierge at the JW Marriott recommended a walk to Parc Amour to see the statue, which we did and it was beautiful. We then walked back to the hotel and picked up a cab to the Choco Museo so that ds and dd could make their chocolate bars (the owner had told me they could come back anytime to make them, which was very nice); they both really enjoyed this and Choco Museo was very accommodating. From here we walked to the Inca Markets where ds and dd picked out matching sweaters and a few little things. From here we took a cab to Huaca Pucllana for lunch (food is delicious and the view is spectacular); we contemplated taking a public tour of the ruins but decided against it. We then took an Uber (super easy to use and cheap in Lima) back to Choco Museo to pick up ds and dd's chocolates (they have to chill for an hour), then took another Uber to Crem de la Crem for some gelato (seriously delicious and I highly recommend), then an Uber back to the hotel. This was a fun day! We took another Uber from the JW Marriott to the Westin Lima for US $4.00 (the hotel wanted US$65.00 for a transfer). The front desk called down Rudy and Ken to meet us and the adventure begins....
Gorgeous Muslim balconies dating back hundreds of years:




Very ornate -- inside of Jesuit church


Inside or Franciscan church



View of City from top of bell tower of Domincan monastery (dd and ds didn't want to climb the stairs)

 

[ejw]

hoping you continue with the trip report. really enjoying reading it!

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Really enjoying the report. DD and I did a hiking trip to Peru to do the Salkatay trek to MP and loved it. We were both fortunate to not get altitude sickness or GI issues. DD took diamox, but I was fine without. Glad I had it though.

Good reminder about trip insurance and what a bummer for that family.

we had ken in Japan! Loved him. One of our favorite guides. Did he show you the pic of him in the brochure? He looks so different!

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

I feel that I should comment on the Westin Lima. It is a very nice hotel -- modern rooms, super clean, very comfortable beds, huge, impressive lobby, multiple restaurants, huge bathrooms; the only negatives are it's located in the business district and the street noise is loud (even on the 21st floor); not sure if I would stay here on my own simply because I prefer a better location, however in terms of rooms and overall ambiance it beats the JW Marriott without a doubt.

ABD Day 2 (with day 1 being briefly meeting Ken and Rudy in the lobby of the Westin Lima).

Wake up and bags by the door wasn't too early, I want to say around 6:30 and meeting in the lobby for 7:30. Breakfast looked very good, but I didn't partake in anything other than cereal and yogurt. Dd enjoyed some eggs and toast; not sure what ds ate as he was finished before dd and I got downstairs.

After a headcount we boarded the coach to the airport. Nothing eventful happened here. Security went smoothly at the airport and dd and ds had time to get some food and drinks at Starbucks by our gate before we boarded the plane for Cusco. Funny thing happened on the plane; we were one of the last boarding groups; while making our way to the very back of the plane towards our seats in row 28, dd noticed somewhere around row 20 that there wasn't a row 28 on the plane. Apparently Latam had switched planes at the last minute and no one had noticed that we didn't have seats. With the guides in row 1 we were left at the mercy of the flight attendants, who told us they would 'try' to find us seats. It was very awkward as we tried to find a place to stand where we weren't in the way of boarding passengers while the FAs tried to find us seats. Eventually dd and I were instructed to make our way to row 3 (extra legroom), while ds was directed to a middle seat in row 10. Noticing that the seat beside me was empty I asked the FA if ds could sit beside me; by this time Rudy has picked up what had happened (he and Ken were in row 1) and he convinced the FA to allow ds to sit beside me. Crisis averted. For a moment I thought that the 3 of us might be put on a different plane than the rest of the group.

Upon landing we all met up at the baggage carousel and were split into 2 groups for the buses in the Sacred Valley. We really liked our group and everyone got along very well.

We made our way to the Textile Center where we were greeted with a delicious lunch. A table was set up with guacamole (delicious), another spread and some tortilla chips and beverages. Everyone then took seats at a few tables. After a delicious family-style lunch we made our introductions. Interestingly there were several parties in our group that had never done an ABD before or were on their second adventure.

Next was a demonstration by the ladies of their techniques and how they make the yarn for their scarves and blankets. We were given time to shop afterwards (IMHO this was the best place to purchase high quality blankets on the trip). I bought a blanket, a scarf and dd chose a blanket. Note that these are all hand made, so the prices are higher than what you will find in the markets. However you get to meet the ladies that are making them and you are making a big difference in their lives.

Back on the bus Rudy dazzled us with his knowledge of Peruvian history (his extensive knowledge is extremely impressive). Once we got to the gorgeous Sol y Luna we were given our room keys and given time to freshen up for a delicious dinner.



Corn skewers with some kind or grilled cheese on top. These were good, but personally I found the corn to be a bit bland.

 

[zmom]

Enjoying your trip report- I have this booked for myself and ds (19) next December. It will be our first ABD and I'm so excited!

 

[Cousin Orville]

Following along! Kate and I are heading to Peru in a couple of months. We'll have a littler over a week there and then a week in Bolivia. Super excited. Just need to get my Diamox!

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Day 2 continued:

Day 2 was New Years Eve! Rudy shared stories with us of how locals celebrate. There is a tradition for the men to wear yellow undergarments on this day for luck for the coming year. Families and groups of friends celebrate together and at midnight throw yellow confetti into the air (and into one anothers hair); yellow is a lucky color apparently! Also at midnight fireworks are set off at many, many houses (we heard these for a few hours into the morning). I didn't get up to watch them, but others who did said some of the displays were spectacular.

I would like to share what we had for dinner, alas I cannot remember. Though I do recall that all meals at Sol y Luna were outstanding.

We were all given a surprise to commemorate the new year; apparently this was a one-time gift as it is not customarily given out to guests (at least this is what we were told). This gift was very special and now occupies a space in my home.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Day 4: rafting / horseback riding

Dd and I skipped the rafting to go horseback riding. She was a competitive hunter / jumper for 9 years and I rode / jumped casually for a few years. I don't think I would've enjoyed the riding without the experience we had. The guide showed up, pointed us to our horses, then got on his and off we went. He didn't speak English and we don't speak Spanish! He was neatly dressed in cowboy boats, clean and pressed white shirt and pants and of course a cowboy hat! My horse was such a good boy. He was happy to just follow along and do whatever he was told. Dds was a bit more nervous, but still a very good boy. We started the ride by going through some backroads / neighborhoods; it was very interesting to see how the locals live (small restaurants, houses and guest houses dotted along the side of the road). Going through town (remember it was New Years day) a little girl (no more than 6 or 7) threw a firecracker in front of dd's horse; her horse started to spook, but she calmed him down quickly; my horse perked up his ears and stopped for a second, but I kept him going. We were going uphill towards the mountains. Once we cleared town we didn't see many locals and continued to work our way up in the mountains. We stopped a few times for pictures and I managed to snap a few (one-handed with my camera) along the way as well! It was such a pretty ride and I am very glad that we decided to do this activity. After the ride the resort had put out a spread for us with freshly squeezed OJ, muffins, cookies and water. I felt badly that we weren't hungry and had to leave to get ready to meet up with the other folks who had stayed behind.





I understand the rafting was great fun! Instead the resort called a van for the group of us that stayed behind to take us into town to meet up with the rest of the group. There was some confusion with the driver as he didn't quite understand where to drop us off. Thankfully we had a fluent Spanish speaker in our group, who was able to call Rudy and communicate with the driver where we were supposed to be dropped off (a lovely hotel just off of the main square).

Our small group sat at one of the tables set up for lunch and waited approx. 20 minutes before one of the staff told us they were going to escort us into town to meet up with our fellow travelers. There was a huge celebration going on in the main square to welcome the new year, which was interesting. Since the shops were open, we wandered around and browsed at the local handiwork.

Taken from our mini bus as we headed into town to meet our group for lunch:



We met up with our ABD group and were given a brief walking tour of Ollantaytambo. We were shown Inca architecture and given an explanation of why they constructed buildings and how it's still standing and in use today. I found it fascinating that the 'locals' live so far away and walk into town every day, then home at night.

After the walking tour we went to the Sol Natura for lunch. The lunch (a buffet) was catered by the Sol y Luna and it was really, really good. There was a selection of salads, quiche, alpaca, chicken skewers and a few desserts.

After lunch we went to the Ollytaytambo ruins. There were 273 stairs (I think) and we stopped twice on the way up. It was here that I realized that my lungs wouldn't allow me to move at my usual pace. My breathing was shallow and labored. I consider myself a fit and active person, but any kind of cardio exercise in the Sacred Valley wasn't going to happen. I was dragging behind at the back of the group and finding it difficult to catch my breath. I did make it to the top (near the back of the group!) for the stunning views. Without the stops along the way there is no way I would've made it (and once again I was very thankful that I was taking diamox).