Peru

[tufbuf]

Hi smep! Isn't the Peru adventure just wonderful? It is really so worth it!!

Bobo, I kept an eagle eye on my 10 y/o daughter since she is probably the most I am worried about. The funny thing is, only grown ups got sick in our group. Nothing bothered the children - the altitude or the food. They were buying street food and all and they are still alive and kicking the next day. It's amazing how much stamina and energy these kids have... which we did way back when. My daughter got even splashed on the face while in the river and she rode on a different boat from us since she wanted to be with her friends. I gave her strict instructions not to drink any water and she told me she immediately spat out whatever was in her mouth. Thank God, she is not prone to gastroenteritis, I can count in my one hand the number of times she has had it. My hubby is a different story and same thing, he didn't want to deter his trip and hacked it out. Poor guy, he had chills and fever the time we went to Moray but I'm glad he turned out okay.

 

[WeLoveABD]

SayHello: bags as stated above--good for the plane, but otherwise I'd stick with good ol' backpacks!

semp013, a few questions:
1. the info booklet suggests water shoes for the river rafting--did you find that to be needed? (I'm trying to cut down on the amount packed for four of us, so don't want to bring a bunch of different shoes if I can avoid it; and other than the rafting, were water shoes needed?) Also--for hiking, would a good pair of tennis shoes suffice?
2. I got sols to bring--we have a couple of days in Lima, etc--any advice on how much local currency you needed vs use of credit cards?
3. Although the web site says travelers checks are OK for tips, the Peru booklet states only local of US currency. How did you handle tips? Were the ATM machines close by and easy to use, or would you recommend bringing cash for tips and not rely on ATMs?
4. did you try guinea pig???

thanks!

 

[tufbuf]

Hi WeLoveABD! Hope you don't mind if I chime in.

You will get wet in the river rafting. If you are trying to minimize luggage load, you can get away with tennis shoes. I would suggest bringing extra socks in case your feet get wet since you will be climbing the ruin in Ollantaytambo after lunch.

You can use tennis shoes for the hikes. It can be slippery though especially the hike down from the salt pans. Most of us wore tennis shoes but my family wore hiking shoes. It really has a much better grip. There was one teenager who slipped and got a nasty gash but the adults did fine.

A good meal in Lima will cost about 20-40 soles per dish. If you will spend 2 days in Lima, that is probably where you would spend the soles most.

In our case, we tipped US dollars which I already set aside in the beginning of the trip. The guides will let you know if an ATM is nearby, we didn't use them so I am not much help there.

Quy is offered at the hotel restaurant but is outside the set menu with ABD. You can also probably get it in Lima but we didn't try it.

Hope that helps.

 

[smep013]

SayHello: bags as stated above--good for the plane, but otherwise I'd stick with good ol' backpacks!

semp013, a few questions:
1. the info booklet suggests water shoes for the river rafting--did you find that to be needed? (I'm trying to cut down on the amount packed for four of us, so don't want to bring a bunch of different shoes if I can avoid it; and other than the rafting, were water shoes needed?) Also--for hiking, would a good pair of tennis shoes suffice?
2. I got sols to bring--we have a couple of days in Lima, etc--any advice on how much local currency you needed vs use of credit cards?
3. Although the web site says travelers checks are OK for tips, the Peru booklet states only local of US currency. How did you handle tips? Were the ATM machines close by and easy to use, or would you recommend bringing cash for tips and not rely on ATMs?
4. did you try guinea pig???

thanks!

We wore Keens for the white water rafting, some wore flip flops. It is not intense. Once you get on the raft, you are secure, so it's not like you will be likely to lose a shoe. I would NOT wear sneakers on the river, because you will need dry sneakers to change into after you get off the river.

Sneakers worked fine for me for all of the hiking we did.

We brought $300 US worth of soles with us and used it anywhere we could. We paid for larger purchases in nicer stores and paid for nicer dinners with Visa. There are ATMs available and they are easy to use. Your guides will also be able to direct you to ATMs if you need assistance. No worries there.

No need for travelers checks. You can use US dollars or soles for your adventure guide tips. We prepared our adventure guide tips before we left the US. We placed the amount in envelopes and kept in room safes. You do not need tips otherwise, unless you want to tip a local guide. There, we used soles.

No guinea pig for me. I don't eat meat at all! But it was available.

 

[WeLoveABD]

Thanks tufbuf and smep013! Good suggestions, very helpful and appreciated!