Early in 2021, I found out that my son was going to be in Peru in October, so I planned a trip toward the end of the month to visit him because, like many people, I’d always wanted to visit Machu Picchu. When October finally arrived, his plans were altered, and with only a day’s notice I had to change my plan in order to be able to visit Peru while he was still there.
So, what follows is a record of my quick trip to Peru. Usually, I like to write about a trip chronologically, but this trip was somewhat scattered due to the short notice. Chronologically, the trip looked like a day each in Lima, Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley, Cusco, and Lima again, with a few travel days scattered in there. But, since the travel days weren’t very exciting, I’m going to group the trip as follows:
Lima
Machu Picchu
Sacred Valley
Cusco
Swimming with Sea Lions
Also, two things of Note:
1) Because of the hasty nature of this trip, I decided not to pack my big camera so all of my photos were taken with my iphone. While I really missed having the big camera for more quality pictures ({gasp}the horror of being at one of the world’s top destinations without a DSLR!), I think my little phone did a great job of recording my memories.
2) This was a trip taken in the times of Covid, which made the trip a little more complicated. We had to waste spend time getting covid tests and then making sure we received the results in time to fly in and out of Peru. I flew out of Chicago O’Hare, so it was fairly easy (but painfully expensive!) to get a rapid PCR test with a 30 minute turn around time near the airport. The test for the return to the US was less expensive, but took 12 to 24 hours. Lima and Cusco both have concierge testing services that will come to your hotel, it just takes a bit of planning to arrange to meet them. And then there were the masks. In my opinion, they mar every picture in which they appear (it reminds me of a little kid scribbling out the faces in a picture), but it’s just a sign of the times. Hopefully, these times will end before too much longer.
Camera and Covid aside, Peru was Amazing. It FAR exceeded my expectations and I’d jump at the chance to return. If you haven’t been, plan a trip soon — you won’t regret it!