PERU
Peru is an extremely diverse country in which you can visit the heights of the Andes and the jungle of the Amazon region. Watching the condors remains an unforgettable experience as every morning they circle high into the sky in the Colca Valley near Arequipa. A visit to the Inca town of Cuzco is a must for every traveller in Peru. From here, for example, you can continue by train to Machu Picchu an ancient Inca hillside town. The train winds up the hill with amazing hairpin bends - sometimes forwards - change track, and then backwards up to the next turning point where the whole thing begins again from new. If the taxi driver forgets to collect you from your hotel in the morning, don't necessarily worry about missing the train as the next taxi driver can quickly take you by road to one of the loops where distraught tourists can jump on the train as at these points it goes very slowly. | You should sleep at Machu Picchu as then in the evenings when most tourists have gone back or continued on their journeys you can see the impressive structures without the crowds of people - perhaps even as the sun goes down. The name in Quechua is the name of a hill called Machupicchu. Machi means 'old' and 'Picchu' hill. Another highlight near Cuzco is the site of the 'Saqsaqhuaman' fortress. Americans without knowledge of Quechua often enjoy pronouncing this as 'Sexywoman'! When you return to Cuzco in the evening there is a nice inconspicuous cafe situated right in the Plaza de Armas. Here you can enjoy a coffee served Peruvian style to classical music with a view of the impressive churches. |
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