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| Marti
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| Countries traveled: | 51 |
| US States Traveled: | 31 | |
| Essential item: | Hand Sanitizer |
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Place
South America
Peru
Manchu Picchu |
Style Adventurous | Budget $$ Champagne Backpacker |
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A pile of rocks on a big hill
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| Info Source: Lonely Planet, but we found the information to be really bad so we looked at Rough Guide & Footprints |
| Trip Costs | | In general, my costs in US$ were: |
| For the Whole Day: |
40 |
For a Night's Accommodation: |
20 |
| For a Meal: |
3-10 |
For a Beer/Cocktail: |
3 |
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| Activities & Experiences | Trekking
I hiked the 2-day Inca Trek. (The full hike is 4-days). I had checked myself out of the hospital early the night before so I may be jaded on my experience, but it was a long hike up for not much reward. We met up with the 4-day hikers on the top of the mountain and all came in together at 4am to the Sun Gate.
Tips -
1. Our guide told us that Manchu Picchu is only visible from the Sun Gate about 9 days out of the year. We were lucky as it was visible when we were there.
2. If you have come to Peru just for Manchu Picchu then make sure you plan a few extra days in Cusco to get used to the altitude.
3. Do not waste your time staying over in Aguas Calientes. It is terrible tourist trap of a town. The actual hot springs are also not good.
We booked with Inca Tours Peru (incatoursperu@hotmail.com or 0051 054-221658). The big agency that most people go through is SAS Travel (www.sastravelperu.com).
FYI - you do not have to hike to see Manchu Picchu. There is a train that runs to Aguas Calientes and buses that connect to take you up the hill to the site. There is also a 5-star hotel on the site where you can stay and enjoy in luxury. |
| Health
If you get any form of food poisoning get to a medical center. Typhoid is ramped in that region of the world. I got it from a vegetarian stir fry at LOS PERROS (a hipster backpacker hangout). One of the doctors that treated me said he gets 5-6 cases a day. By the way, I was inoculated for Typhoid prior to my trip. It did not help.
If you do run into problems, I had the most wonderful doctor. Dra. Evelyn Valencia Becerra - tel 221797, cel 9620810. She came to my hostel to check me and then took me in a cab to a hospital. I had a room to myself with an extra bed for my partner (who was hiking at the time). The two night stay there only cost US$300 which I promptly sent to my travel insurance.
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| Dining & Drinking
Stay clear of the Aussie joint - Los Perros. As I wrote above they gave me Typhoid which is generally transfered from an unclean cook. There are tons of bars and rests Near or between Plaza de Armas or Plaza Sen Francisco. If you read Hebrew there are all sorts of hand-made signs telling you which places are good and/or bad.
We had a decent meal at Jack\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s cafe bar (corner of Choquechaka & Cuesta San Blas). It was not the most memorable meal, but I happen to take their business card. |
| Local Markets
The area is full of amazing woven blankets. Personally, I liked the ones in Bolivia more, but we still managed to buy some unique pieces. We also bought fantastic oil paintings at the galleries in Cusco.
We also bought some beautiful inexpensive oil paintings at Art Gallery (Carmen Alto 133, San Blas). |
| Accommodation
We came to town and did the walk around for hostels. We had a lot of bad luck until Hostel Amuru on Calle San Blas took us around the corner to a small (hard to find) hostel called Hosteria de Anita. The woman who ran the place was lovely and friendly. The private rooms & bath were built around a beautiful wild-flower garden. We paid $20 a night which included breakfast. When I got sick the hotel arranged for a doctor to come to my room. They also brought me tea, biscuits and water and held the room for me while I went to the hospital. |
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Three essentials for India:
GET YOUR VISA ORGANIZED AHEAD OF TIME. The Embassy wait can be brutal!
A-Z of Adventure Travel Insurance from World Nomads as you will probably get "Delhi Belly."
Hostelworld was a great help for finding cheap, but decent accommodation in India!
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