Don't Fear The Reaper

My family and I travel to South America each January or March. It is easy to get vacation time and coordinate our schedules in the middle of what is Winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Keep in mind that this is Summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Last year (2015) we traveled to Cuzco, Peru a gem in the Andes.

The trip to and from Cuzco via Miami is generally uneventful. One tip: remember that you will need sufficient time in Lima when making your connection to Cuzco. You must claim your luggage, clear customs, recheck your bags and get your boarding pass at the MAIN ticket counter with the local Lima passengers. Finally you must then clear security. I would recommend at least 3-4 hours to keep the stress level low. The flight to Cuzco is a little over one hour. We spent 10 days in Cuzco and I have to admit it was one of my favorite vacations. We absolutely love the JW Marriott El Convento http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/cuzmc-jw-marriott-el-convento-cusco/ and highly recommend the hotel if it is in your budget.

My family and I generally don't do touristy things. We go with the flow and avoid places where English is spoken. We did make the trek to Machu Picchu which was anti-climatic, however, you must go there at least once. Check! One morning we decided to walk up to see El Christo Blanco (The White Christ) which overlooks the city and valley. Nearly at the top of the mountain we encountered a gate to a National Park asking a tidy sum of gringo dinero to enter. We declined. Soy barato! As we stood near the gate enjoying the view of Cuzco a man approached me and asked in Spanish if we would "like to go horse riding?" In my marginal Spanish I asked "where?" He said get in the car. I said, "okay." Don't fear the reaper. We piled in the little death trap and it puttered up the mountain to a little commune, Villa Alta. The driver said in Spanish, "see that path?" I replied, "yes." He said, go up that path. I said, "okay." After a brief walk along a "Inca" canal and through some dense underbrush we arrived at a local horse stable. We paid the Spanish speaking guide $10 gringo per person. I would recommend that you do it even if you do not understand Spanish! He saddled up the horses (European style saddles) and handed us our bungee cord reigns. He took us on a four hour guided tour. We saw many Inca ruins, an Inca rock quarry and sites that we would never had seen on an officially sanctioned tour costing $150 per person. The tour ended at a road where you could catch a taxi into town. I asked the guide about El Christo Blanco and he told us it was down the road about 2 kilometers. We decided to walk back to town and take in more local sites and culture. By not fearing the reaper we enjoyed a wonderful guided tour by local folks. We saw the El Christo Blanco and came through the back side of the same National Park where there is no gate and no fee.

I find that people are generally good. Most folks are simply trying to make an honest living. If you are not in a bad part of town, just generally stupid or drunk you can trust most people anywhere in South America. Don't fear the reaper, enjoy life.

We also recommend seeing while in Cuzco: http://www.planetariumcusco.com/es/