We ended up spending about 7 weeks in Peru. This was because of its size and attractions but also because we had pre-arranged the Inca-Trail trek months before leaving at the end of August which was the first available date we could get. We did take a short side trip to Copacabana, Bolivia but we did not want to move to far south. Peru has wildly diverse landscapes to keep us occupied. Everything, from beaches and surfing, amazon jungle, majestic mountains, ancient ruins and even a desert. In one country we were able to surf, sand board, white-water raft, cruise the amazon and trek one of the most popular rout in the world.
I have not lost anything else, however, I did send my long sleeve dress home with a package of purchase as it was super cute but bulky not really practical. Jon and I both added two alpaca sweaters each (one with Llamas!) and winter hats and I added gloves and legwarmers. It was quite cold at night for this part of the trip and they were greats items to have. All were really inexpensive so if we need to lighten up we can leave behind.
Our convertible coats are still the most used, however my Birkenstocks have been put to hotel use only and my hiking boots have been top choice due to the weather and the fact we have done a lot more walking/hiking on this section of our trip. I am grateful I took the extra effort to find boots that were super comfy as they were really needed on the 4-day trek and miles of walking we have done. Another really useful items is the backpack covers that can be sued like a duffel. Our bags take quite a beating being on the ground, in buses, planes and wherever else we venture. The bags keep our packs and anything we have on the outside nice and clean and rip free. Plus, they are super easy to carry from the bus to a cab, etc without putting the back-pack on and off.
We did better in Peru than in Ecuador but were still over my budget. For our 47 days in Peru, including accommodations, transportation, tours, food, miscellaneous items, etc., we spent approximately $6,400 for the both of us, which is about $136 a day, higher than the original budget of $100 a day. The two main reasons were the Inca Trail trek which was about $700 for 4 days with tips and rentals and once we hit the popular tourist route we became tourists instead of travelers. We ate at western type restaurants for both lunch and dinner, Jon purchased snacks and non-water drinks on a daily basis and we took tons of tours.
Interesting Tidbits:
- The Andean women’s hats in Peru were much taller than in Ecuador.
- There are women everywhere with baby lambs and alpacas dressed up selling photos for a costs. Hardly any tourist can resist.
- We have probably spent a night’s hotel on using bathrooms as outside of your hotel none are free and most are not worth paying for.
- Not once was I able to flush the toilet paper in Peru (you put it in the basket), something I’m still trying to get used to.
- Cusco is super touristy, if you are in the area try to get out to some of the smaller towns.
- I had my first real glass of wine since leaving, we found a little restaurant offering a glass of wine and lasagna for $4.50
Journey with Christina 