Walter's Peru Trip Review

[mikelan6]

Walter, thank you for saying a few words about your ABD trip to Perú. I was born in Lima, so I have a special bond with the country, even though I consider myself more of an American than Peruvian.

I am glad you had a great time overall, but you should have been warned about the possibility of an upset stomach. And yes, Peruvian toilet paper can be terrible if you don't go to one of the better hotels.

I think you should keep in mind that it seems you took a trip more geared towards nature and spirituality. There are excellent luxury hotels, especially in Lima and I am surprised ABD didn't select those for you.

You also mentioned that some of the restaurants you mentioned served Llama and Guinea Pig (Cuy). These are exotic dishes. I've been to Perú lots of times and never eaten Llama or Cuy. Let me just say that Lima has some of the best seafood and Chinese (Perú has a big Asian community) restaurants in the world! That's a whole different type of trip that you can take to Perú as well.

I look forward to seeing your trip photos.

 

[lugnut33]

Cuy is not really that exotic. I've had it several times and I never have cared for it. It's a staple up in the Andes. I'll never forget visiting my wife's grandparents up in the little town of Cajatambo and they had a nice little pen of cuy.

Peru is a tough country to travel in, especially if you head up into the mountains. My wife and kids were in Cuzco last July and the altitude kicked my duaghter's butts. You really need to spend about 4 days acclimatizing before hitting up the tourist spots, and I'm sure a tour doesn't allow for that. I know if I ever go back I will spend about 3 days at a middle altitude and then another 3 days in Cuzco before I even plan to do any touring.

Another thing to keep in mind is Peru is a very poor country. While Lima has some very nice areas, the vast majority of Peru is extremely poor. It is not like going to Italy. However, I would contend that if the tour gives people time to go out and meet the Peruvian people I think they would find a very noble and pleasant population.

 

[Miss SD]

Walter, thank you for saying a few words about your ABD trip to Perú. I was born in Lima, so I have a special bond with the country, even though I consider myself more of an American than Peruvian.

I am glad you had a great time overall, but you should have been warned about the possibility of an upset stomach. And yes, Peruvian toilet paper can be terrible if you don't go to one of the better hotels.

I think you should keep in mind that it seems you took a trip more geared towards nature and spirituality. There are excellent luxury hotels, especially in Lima and I am surprised ABD didn't select those for you.

You also mentioned that some of the restaurants you mentioned served Llama and Guinea Pig (Cuy). These are exotic dishes. I've been to Perú lots of times and never eaten Llama or Cuy. Let me just say that Lima has some of the best seafood and Chinese (Perú has a big Asian community) restaurants in the world! That's a whole different type of trip that you can take to Perú as well.

I look forward to seeing your trip photos.

I don't think Walter was on an ABD trip.

 

[sayhello]

I don't think Walter was on an ABD trip.

Yes, my understanding, also, was that it wasn't an ABD trip. (I seem to remember Pete mentioning Walter was camping & backpacking). Thanks for saying this as I haven't listened to the podcast yet.

I haven't taken this trip yet, but I've been told that the Peru ABD stays in some really nice hotels, like the Sol Y Luna Lodge & Spa, Casa Andina Private Collection: Miraflores and the Libertador Palacio del Inka Cusco Hotel.

I guess I need to go listen to the podcast & see what Walter said.

Sayhello

 

[AndyPok1]

It was most definitely not an ABD trip.

 

[SamSam]

Dh and I visited Peru 2 years ago and loved it. It's a beautiful country filled with history and loving people.

However, as others have said you need to take some things into consideration. The altitude, if you go from Lima to Cusco to quickly can be a problem for some. In our tour group, my DH could not get up from the bed for 2 days, another young woman was actually in a medical care center several times and had to be in a hyperbaric (sp?) chamber 3 times because she was so ill. So, take some time to acclimate.

Most of hotels we stayed in were charming, but definitely not what we were used to in the States. Still, a wonderful experience and once we plan on doing again so that DH can see all the wonderful site in Cusco that he missed because he couldn't get out of bed.

By the way, we did eat the Cuy...as usual it tasted like chicken.

All in all, Peru is wonderful. A beautiful, enchanting country.