Peru - final post

Ok, yes, we got back from Peru almost 2 months ago and I am still blogging about it. It was so much fun! Now I look at the pictures and it is strange to think that we went somewhere so exciting. I had to add one final post, because Chris has been working on putting his journal from our trip online. He's got it just about complete on our wedding website:
http://www.sweetestdayoftheyear.com/goingson/peru/perutrip.html

I included a couple of sporadic travel tips, but I'll try to summarize the major points I took away from the trip:
1. Bring some plastic silverware, plates, and cups, like you would use for a picnic. They can be really handy when you just want to grab some grub at the local grocery store.
2. Along those same lines, our metal water bottles were so handy. We were able to buy huge 2-5 liter jugs of water and just leave them in the hotel room, refilling our water bottles to take with us during our daily outings.
3. Print out itineraries for every flight so you have something official looking even if you have an e-ticket. It almost caused us a huge headache that we didn't have itineraries printed when we had booked e-tickets on two separate airlines on our way home.
4. It doesn't hurt to ask for a better deal.

I might think of more. Post your own favorite travel tips as comments!

And one final note from the trip. I forgot to include this in the blog, but we saw the greatest mullet up at Macchu Pichu. As Chris put it, business in the front, rasta in the back.



Happy travels!

January 10, Lima to NYC

Woke up at 6:45, after getting much better sleep for a couple hours than I could have on the plane! We enjoyed the delicious spread at the hotel breakfast after a nice hot shower. When we got to the airport to check in, we were very happy to find out that LAN had already paid our $30 per passenger departure tax! Then we treated ourselves to 20 minute massages in the massage chairs - only $10 each. What a treat! Ok, this delay wasn't so bad. We headed to the gate (after a tiny bit of shopping) and boarded right on time. Our flight was half empty, and our seats were in an exit row! We readily accepted the hefty responsibility. The LAN flight had individual TVs (unlike our AA flight on the way out) and free wine (unlike our AA flight on the way out). I am starting to feel like a real moron for being so upset last night. I still miss Lilly, but she would definitely want me to enjoy flying so much. We arrived in Miami and everything went smoothly through customs and passport control. The worst part was the long line to go back through security - but we did get to go to back to our favorite airport bar and enjoy another Sam Adams Cherry Wheat! Flight back to LaGuardia was also smooth. We were very happy once we drove home and unloaded the car - it was good to be home.

So I didn't take any pictures during our travels on this last day, but once we got home, we did get to open our Christmas packages that had arrived just after we left. Chris got a great new shirt from my mom and it looks great.



That's the end of our Peru trip. We picked up Lilly uneventfully the next day. The whole trip was great, and even though it has taken 6 weeks, I'm glad I finally got to share the whole thing with everyone.

January 9, Mollendo to Lima - On our way home!

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Woke a little after 7, without alarm. So nice to wake up without alarm. I had a dream that I was a hostage where I worked (it was named Circuit City but it was an outdoor store and also a restaurant). At first it was scary and I almost got killed twice - I stuck my finger in my chest in a bullet hole in case I had to stop the bleeding but it wasn't bleeding that much. After a while a bunch of the employees found each other and it wasn't so bad. I wondered if my family had seen anything about the hostage situation on TV. After a couple of days, they moved us to a Bed, Bath and Beyond. Lilly was there and I was happy to see her. People were sleeping on the display beds and had opened air mattresses and since I was one of the last to arrive I was searching for an air mattress in the store when I woke up. Then I told Chris about the dream and he said he'd punch those hostage takers in the face.

We got ready and decided just to head to the bus station for the next bus to Arequipa rather than try to find something good for breakfast. We got a bus leaving 5 minutes afer we arrived at the station. Don't worry, we had 4 wafer cookies left to snack on for our breakfast.







Once in Arequipa, we took a cab to Plaza de Armas (the main square of the city) and walked (with our backpacks!) to a vegetarian restaurant recommended by Lonely Planet. It was a very yummy lunch and we got some coffee which was also good.



Then we walked around a bit, looking for those last minute souveneirs. I thought the prices were better than Puno. When we had happily found everything we were searching for, we sat at a restaurant on a balcony overlooking Plaza de Armas





and enjoyed a cup of coffee



and a tasty dessert - me, lemon pie,



Chris, banana crepes.





We walked around a bit more. Arequipa is a pretty city with a nicer vibe than Cuzco or Lima, and much friendlier people than anywhere else we went. Maybe they just felt sorry for us - whenever we walked into a shop with our big backpacks, we got some funny looks and giggles. We couldn't have been the first ones to wander around with backpacks! Anyway I would have liked another day there but I enjoyed the short time we had.







Then we caught a cab to the airport for a flight to Lima where we would connect to our overnight flight to the US. We waited 1 1/2 hours (we had arrived 2 hours before our flight, like we were supposed to) and found the flight would be delayed by 1 1/2 hours. Annoyingly enough, the flight that was scheduled an hour after ours (the 6:40 flight) took off on time. I had time to finish my book, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, and Chris started it. Good book although I don't know how I felt about the ending. I need to sit on it for awhile, I think. So first they delayed our flight till 7:15, then at 7 announced it was delayed till 11! Our flight to Miami was out of Lima at 1130. I thought I was on top of it by giving us 4 1/2 hours in Lima between flights. So we went back and forth between the customer service line and the phone with American, which was all very frustrating. Initially we were told by a grumpy agent that because we had no proof of our next flight (it was all e-tickets and I hadn't printed anything out) they could not try to get us on an earlier flight. Then we called AA and wrote down every last bit of our flight info (no, there was no internet access at the airport) in hopes of trying to get on the earlier 9:30 flight. So we were on line and I was crying and an employee in a suit came and asked what our situation was. We told him and he took our tickets and said, don't worry, we'll work on it. We stood in that spot for an hour and eventually got on the 9:30 flight. Unfortunately it didn't take off till 9:55 and we weren't sure we'd make it in time for the Miami flight. When we landed, the plan was that Chris would get our bags and I would run to the desk and try to get us checked in. I took off at 11:15 and ran all over the airport. Nobody was at the AA desks. I was told to go to the offices and nobody was at the office. The status of our flight said "boarding" - we were so hopeful for a delay. Of course I started crying again, so I was running all over the airport bawling and creating quite a show for everyone. I wanted to see my dog, I wanted to be in a familiar place, I wanted to go HOME. My biggest disappointment was that I was so looking forward to spending my final day of this long-awaited vacation just lounging, recovering, cleaning up, typing the blog, and resting. Ok, so it would have been a full day, but that's how I relax! Now we wouldn't get to NY in time to pick up Lilly on Saturday, and would spend half the day Sunday driving up and back to get her. No big deal, I know, and of course I felt silly for getting so upset. Luckily I had a wonderful guy with me that just wanted to make me feel better and stayed so calm. Anyway finally the outcome was that we found AA employees and it turns out that since the delay wasn't caused by weather, LAN was responsible for getting us to our final destination, and for lodging if they couldn't get us out that night. They put us on flights the next day, not getting into Laguardia until 9pm! and put us up at the Ramada at the Lima airport. The hotel was super nice. Of course we didn't arrive till 1am, flight next morning at 830, so we didn't get to enjoy the gym, business center, or cable. But they did include dinner for us - a freshly made ham and cheese sandwich and fires. I hadn't realized how hungry I was. Finally hit the hay for a few hours sleep.

January 8, on the beach at Mollendo

Slept in which was awesome! Got up and went to a little restaurant next door for some breakfast. Eggs and toast. The toast was so dry and stale, surprise surprise. Where do they find this stuff? At least I got coffee - it was instant but not bad at all. Then we went up the street and picked up more water - trying to stay hydrated! We went to the hotel and caked ourselves with sunblock, and cruised down to the beach. On the way down, every 20 feet or so we would encounter a young guy who was asking us something - they were obviously trying to sell us something but we had no idea what. We just sort of tuned them out. Then we got to the beach and saw lots of umbrellas with no one under them, and figured out that they were probably trying to rent us an umbrella for the day!



We thought that sounded pretty good. A guy approached us again, and when we asked how much it was, it was only 4 soles for the whole day! About $1.33! And 5 soles for 2 beach chairs. So for around 3 bucks we were very comfortable.



It was also neat that they rented kiddie pools along with the umbrellas, so that would be perfect for little ones to splash around without going into the ocean.



The guy also showed us a menu - they brought you food and drink! We had a fresh supply of beers all day.



And at very reasonable prices.

Later we ordered ceviche which was pretty good but we were both sort of over the texture. Anyway we got to sit, chat, read, and watch people all day.



I got to wear my beach pants which I got in Guatemala last year and hadn't been able to wear yet!



We went in the ocean every so often, but it was kind of dirty. The current was really strong.



Having the umbrella and chairs was really great.



People were walking by constantly trying to sell us something - ceviche, candy, gum, cigarettes, all types of snacks, balloons, stuffed floaty toy rental.







When a lady came by selling churros, I HAD to have some, even after Chris pointed out that they sell them at the subway at home. Its not the same! And he had to agree that they were yummy. We sat outside all day, and really enjoyed the day.

Later we headed out to find some dinner. We weren't up for more seafood, and decided to try the chinese restaurant. We have seen chinese restaurants all over but hadn't tried them yet. I can't speak for the rest but this place was good.





We both ate too much, then back to the hotel, for a good nights sleep.

Jan 7, Puno to Mollendo

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Alarm at 530.



I was excited about hopeully heading to the beach! We weren't able to find any information yesterday on the internet about morning buses to Arequipa (where we would transfer to a bus to Mollendo), so we just headed to the station.



We found several 8am buses and just got tickets for the one with no line. They charged us 20 soles, everyone else was charged 15! I should have called them on it but I just let it go. We went looking for some breakfast at the station but all we saw were little stores selling candy and chips. Then we noticed sandwiches with cheese, only .50 soles each! About 15 cents! Pretty good, just bread with the yummy salty cheese. We weren't able to find coffee though - boo.



We got on the bus, the ride wasn't so bad, but Chris went to go to the bathroom and some guy told him it wasn't working. Later (2 hours later) we found out it was, maybe the guy was just being a jerk. Everyone on the top level of the bus apparently had to go because there was suddenly a big line.

We arrived at the Arequipa bus station, and found a bus company going to Mollendo. We got tickets for the next bus, which was luckily leaving a few minutes late, and within a couple minutes we were on our way to the beach! That ride took about two hours. It was ok except they played a Jean Claude Van Damme movie and it was SO LOUD. The scenery on the way there was mountainous and desert, very pretty. We went to find something to eat after checking into the hotel, had some sandwiches at a little restaurant. They were okay. We wanted to hit the beach but it was already cooling off by the time we arrived,



so after the sandwiches we walked down to the beach to catch the sunset.









Then headed back up and dealt with our flight back to Lima for an hour, which we thought we had booked but was canceled because of a system error (we came to find out). The outcome was that our tickets were actually a total of $200 cheaper. Apparently, at least on LAN (south american airline), if you book from the country you're flying in, it is much cheaper. So the outcome was good! Wish we'd known that sooner. We walked around and had an ice cream, then headed back to the hotel and hit the hay.

Jan 6, Lake Titicaca tour

I woke up at 6:30 after an amazing full night of sleep! I had a dream that The Shins came out with a new album and it was kind of experimental. I really liked the album and I made a copy for Leah Plisko (with whom I share a great love of The Shins in real life) but then I didn't see her for a long time. So by the time we got together she had already bought the album but she didn't like it that much.

I took a nice hot shower with great water pressure and we went downstairs for the continental breakfast. It was pretty much like yesterday, maybe slightly better. How can they give their guests such stale toast??

We headed out for a trip to the Uros floating islands on Lake Titikaka. At the dock, they have a bunch of paddle boats that you can rent and ride around in a little bay area. The shapes of the boats were neat and kind of funky.









It was a beautiful day,



the boat ride was nice.







We were grateful for the sunglasses, we had been right about the bright sun!



We were sitting right next to the engine, though, and it was really stinky. Chris was afraid we were going to get carbon monoxide poisoning but we escaped relatively intact.

The Uros people live on islands built with dried reeds,



the reeds grow in the lake and they use them to make the islands as well as their boats and homes.





Once we arrived on an island, we had a lesson about the Uros people from one of the guys who lives on the island.





He told how the Uros people used to live on land and built reed boats to escape the Inca, and lived on them for months. Then went back to the land but later used the reed boats again to escape the Spanish and finally ended up building the islands. Something else about how they are built on dirt but I didn't quite get all of that about the structure of the islands. (He did it all in Spanish.)



They also use long poles to anchor the islands in place so they don't end up in Bolivia and have to get new passports. (That part I definitely understood.)



It was cool to see these islands and the people living on them.















They use solar power to charge batteries, then they use the power for important stuff like watching TV. If I didn't have much power TV would be one of the first things to go! Then they practiced the ancient Uros ritual of selling souveneirs to tourists.









We bought a couple of items. Then we all got to ride in the boat to another island.







There are about 45 of the floating islands.









At the other one they sold food and postcards and (guess what) more souveneirs.





We also climbed up onto a lookout tower.









Then after awhile the stinky boat took us back.



I applied sunscreen multiple times but still got burns on top of the jungle/Macchu Pichu burns. The worst was the top of my head, it didn't even occur to me to cover it at first. Later I put on my bandana. We did a little shopping, then had a yummy lunch.



I had fried kingfish,



and Chris had delicious stuffed chicken.



We had an appetizer of cheese which was SO good and very much like something Chris makes with mozzarella.



They have a thick, salty, rubbery cheese that is used in many dishes out there that makes your teeth squeak (C says its like fresh cheese curds).

It is really good, we're going to look for it out here but I don't really know what its called.

Chris rested for a while at the hotel and I went out for more shopping!



I was determined to finish getting souveneirs, and I got almost all of them. The price variation was so wild - everything looked pretty much the same in many of the shops, so I don't know how it works but I doubt if they pay wildly different prices for things. For example I would try to buy a scarf at one place and they would give me a hard time if I tried to give them less than 40 soles, but the next place would quickly go down to 15 or 20 soles. But everything is pretty cheap anyway, it is almost painful to haggle so much for $1-2 difference.

It started to rain just as I got back to the hotel,



and it was raining pretty hard, but we headed out anyway and picked up some sanwiches and cakes at Rico Pan. That's a bakery which was a chain, we saw a few locations in Puno. Then headed to the supermarket for some water and beer. We always bought huge bottles of water and then would pour into our metal water bottles (thanks, Jaz!) to take with us all day. We ate dinner in our hotel room and watched a movie about the Governator Arnold about cloning. I think it is a holiday, I always see Epiphany Day on the calendar. I don't know what it means but everyone in town was carrying around these small fancy basket/basinette looking things with a baby doll inside it. We went to sleep looking forward to heading for the beach the next day!





Costs:
2 boat tickets to Uros S/20
2 entrance tickets to the Uros island S/10
2 for the boat ride from one island to another on a reed boat S/10
lunch S/75
dinner S/25
beer and water S/25
phone card S/3