The first question one might ask is why I went to Peru in the first place. Well, it happened like this. I have a friend named Youn. She got to know a guy named Fernando who was in Washington DC (where I live) studying to be a diplomat. The two of them developed a friendship, and I interacted with Fernando a few times. In early 1998, Fernando finished his training and was sent to the US embassy in Lima, Peru for his assignment (he is a native Spanish speaker). Apparently, Lima is a lonely place, and so he called Youn and asked her if she would come and visit. She asked if I wanted to tag along. I had never considered going to Peru before, but I figured that this was a unique opportunity. I would have the chance to see Peru with a guide who not only spoke fluent Spanish, but had also lived there for a while. Plus, it always helps to have a friend in the embassy.
We decided to go around the weekend of October 10th, 1998, since that was a 3-day weekend for Columbus Day. The first step was to get a plane ticket. I searched around on the internet for a while and I was able to get a pretty good fare. $580 round trip, flying from Washington National to Lima through Miami on American Airlines. I was hoping to bring the whole trip in for less than $1000, considering that Peru is pretty cheap, and I was going to stay with Fernando for most of it.
I looked around on the internet for information on Peru. I did not know anything about the country. My research showed me that there are a lot of things to see and do. Lima is a Spanish, modern port city. The Inca ruins lie up in the mountainous Andes. The strange Nasca lines are in the southern desert region. Further west is the rainforest and the Amazon River. Unfortunately I would not have too much time to spend, so I decided to concentrate my trip on a few days in Lima with Fernando, and then to the most famous Inca ruin, Machu Picchu.
The next thing that I did was to but a guidebook. I bought the 'Rough Guide: Peru' book. It was less useful than I thought it would be. I had really only intended on going to Lima and Machu Picchu (with Cusco as a stopping point), but the guidebook only dedicated a few pages to these parts. It dedicated a few pages to every single place in Peru, so that unless you were intending to spend months wandering around the entire country, most of the information would be useless to you.
The other major concern I had was the fact that I do not speak Spanish. I took French in school and I even speak that very poorly. I was worried that I would not be able to get around. I went out and bought a Spanish textbook, 'Teach Yourself: Latin American Spanish'. It proved to be very useful. I studied only the first half of it, but it gave me the knowledge that I needed to get around. I also bought another Spanish book 'Fodors: Spanish for Travelers', that came with a tape and a phrase book. I didn't find that one too useful to study from, but while in the country, I found the phrase book almost invaluable.
You really don't need to know that much Spanish to get around. The things that I found most useful was the numbers. Knowing the numbers can make everything much easier. I also tried to learn questions (where is...?, what is...?). And I also learned directions (right, left, block). I got around great. Most people speak English though, or at least enough English to sell you things.
I would also like to recommend getting a pair of Timberland hiking boots if you plan on going to the Andes. The mountains are very steep and rough around Machu Picchu. I walked around for days and my feet never hurt. I saw some people wearing plain sneakers, and they must have had problems with the terrain. I also bought a woolen sweater and a pullover windbreaker with a hood. The mountains are very high up, and the temperature does get sort of cold sometimes. It also rains a lot up there, which makes things worse. It never rains in Lima though, so don't bother bringing an umbrella if you're only headed there.
One thing that I didn't get was any sort of medication. I completely forgot to check and see if vaccines (like malaria) are recommended for travel. I came back fine though. I didn't bring any sort of water purification either. Lima is completely safe for drinking. Up in the Andes it may be less safe, but there is bottled water everywhere.
As for money. Don't worry too much about changing it. The Peruvian currency is the Sol, and it trades for about 3 Solas to the US dollar. However, every single person in Peru accepts dollars. It is as useful as Peruvian currency. In fact, many shop keepers prefer dollars. There are also many places all over that will change currency for you. There didn't seem to be any price gouging on the currency exchange no matter where I went. Even the shady looking currency traders on the street give 3 to the dollar. Most places accept credit cards (at least my Master Card), and they have ATM machines. I did meet some British travelers who told me that no one takes UK Pounds, so if you have European money, things might be more difficult.
OK, on to the trip itself...
Part 2: Lima
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If you are thinking of going to France instead of Peru, see my France Page
If for some reason you think that I'm a great writer, and you like scary, conspiracy-laden, psychological thrillers, you can read my novel, City of Pillars, published by The Invisible College Press. It has nothing to do with Peru though. PS: I use my middle name as my nom de plume, but it's still me.