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I just booked a flight to Lima, Peru for August to travel for 11 days in Peru! I'll be traveling with at least 2 other friends.
We're planning on doing this 5 day hike to Machu Picchu: http://www.sastravelperu.com/english/program/342/salkantay-machu-picchu-5-day/
And that's about all that's planned at this point.
I have a few questions for those who live in Peru or those who have traveled there. I realize this is not a travel forum, but I know there are some Peruvians here and why not blog this on my favorite forum :D
-How should we travel from Lima to Cuzco? I know I can go by bus or plane, and that bus takes forever and can be uncomfortable... but how bad is it, and is there any value to the bus ride besides being cheaper? I'm probably willing to fork out the extra 80$ or so for a plane ticket round trip if it's a lot faster and I wouldn't be missing out on anything taking the bus.
-What is there to do in Lima? Is it worth dedicating more than 1 or 2 days to exploring it?
-What should we do for the remaining 4 or 5 days after the hike? Is it reasonably safe for a few polite white guys to roam the country side with backpacks checking out random cities and taking buses/trains?
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FREEAGLELAND26781 Posts
Wait a minute... aren't you supposed to be playing mafia?!
Jk sounds like a fun trip, wish I knew stuff about Peru.
This post is useless :D
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On June 01 2010 16:42 flamewheel wrote:Wait a minute... aren't you supposed to be playing mafia?! Jk sounds like a fun trip, wish I knew stuff about Peru. This post is useless :D
I'm going in august  if mafia is still going on then fu!
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Don't get ling rushed, or buker rushed, or cannon rushed, or jajajajajaja xD'd.
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never been, but keep hearing it's absolutely beautiful
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United States10774 Posts
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Went there for two weeks a couple of years ago.
Machu Picchu was absolutely breath-taking.
Also visited some other random temples but they weren't as awesome as MP.
I would also urge you to go sand-buggying. Shit's more awesomer than a rollercoaster.
Just a warning: since you're white, you'll probably be swarmed by street vendors selling hats and other random stuff everywhere you go. And you probably know this already, but don't buy any food at all from street vendors. I made that mistake and bought some orange juice. Threw up for a whole day straight.
Also, llamas are the shit.
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United States24740 Posts
On June 01 2010 17:38 TheBeardedWonder wrote:
I would also urge you to go sand-buggying. Shit's more awesomer than a rollercoaster.
My friend went to Peru last year and spoke about this also... said it was awesome but a bit dangerous :3
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we require more advicings
cmon peruvians come out of the woodwork
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watch out for all the lings that are running around
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Make sure to stay safe. Thieves and con artists take interest in tourists. Aside from that have a wonderful trip and if you'd like take pictures so you can share :D
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I never been to Macchu Picchu, shame on me for being peruvian 
But i recommend you to take the plane, the bus is extremely unconfortable as far as i know and i don't think you'll miss anything important.
And yea there's plenty of stuff to visit in Lima, i recommend you visit Plaza de Armas, Plaza San Martin, Parque del Amor, Larcomar,Miraflores is nice if you want to spend the night just walking around and getting something to eat, and the beaches.
But yea there are plenty of thieves , so you might want to keep your bags in the hotel specially at night.
One thing i guarantee you, the food is absolutely AMAZING.
gl on your trip
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Riding the bus isn't that amazing... I mean you would probably travel at night anyway so you won't really get to see much. Also, the bus ride will probably make you sick (not kidding) I went with my class for our senior trip... (Have pepto bismol with you It helped me cuz I didn't feel much of it) half the class got sick and threw up on the way up there though... It'll take you at least a day to get used to the altitude... As far as the hiking goes... I've heard it's pretty amazing... I took the train myself so I would not know... Have an umbrella with you just in case? It rains randomly up there... It only rained for like 10 min the day I was up there and then it was blazing hot >_>
DO NOT TRUST STRANGERS... As a Peruvian I can't stress this enough... My English instructor got kidnapped in Arequipa (They let him go cuz he was actually living in Peru and he didn't have any money LOL). As far as taxi's go... it's better if you get the number of a company in the city or at least make sure you take the ones that have the cone thingy on top (like a domino's delivery guy?)or a phone number painted on the side ... It may not be that risky to take the others (at least in cuzco and lima that are cities used to foreigners), but why take the chance
Lima is a big city, check the main historic places... Most people will agree on which those are, I think you can see most of the better stuff in 2 days, but you can always dedicate more to it if you feel like you're missing out.
Roaming around in buses/trains is fine, just take normal precautions you would take anywhere else.
TAKE PICTURES TAKE PICTURES, OMG TAKE PICTURES (have like 2 extra batteries and buy disposable cameras if those die) And yeah as the guy above mentioned ^ Food is AMAZING.
You'll find Peru to be pretty darn awesome :D I love going to visit there, and it will be that much more awesome if you speak any Spanish
Have fun, be safe, Enjoy Peru =]
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Yo Cr4zyH0r5e a quick question, is there a difference between Mexican spanish and peruvian spanish?
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LOL... Yes there is a Huge difference in fact...They have tweaked the language way too much for my taste...
However, if you speak Mexican Spanish and go to Peru they would still be able to understand you, aside from a few WTFs and asking you to explain some of the idiomatic expressions. =]
Edit: Didn't want to sound condescending.
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On June 03 2010 09:31 Cr4zyH0r5e wrote:LOL... Yes there is a Huge difference in fact...They have tweaked the language way too much for my taste... However, if you speak Mexican Spanish and go to Peru they would still be able to understand you, aside from a few WTFs and asking you to explain some of the idiomatic expressions. =] Edit: Didn't want to sound condescending.
Lol k, my spanish isn't very good anyways (don't know how that happened either, considering both of my parents speak 95% spanish at my house)..
Guess I've got work to do If I ever go there.
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Went to Peru last summer for mission trip
Visited churches, orphanages, and small villages helping children and stuff
It was a lot of fun
and of course we did a little bit of sight seeing at the end
We didn't get to go to Machu Picchu but went to Miraflores and some other places I don't quite remember
Miraflores is great to just walk around in :D
You should visit there and walk around and eat
Although there are children selling candy and stuff 
its kind of sad to see them work like that
Oh and those cheap marketplaces ahahahaha
they sell shirts for like 20 solace at first, but then you can haggle to ridiculous prices
Got Tshirt for like 2 bucks
And be careful where you exchange money
Do it somewhere regulated and not off the streets.
I don't remember the exact rates but don't get ripped off xD
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Make sure you tip the peruvian pan flute bands generously, or else.
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On June 04 2010 03:04 SoManyDeadLings wrote:
Make sure you tip the peruvian pan flute bands generously, or else.
Just thinking about all the gerbils scares me...
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use common sense and you will be alright.
here everything is pretty cheap if your currency are dollars. some prices, so you get an idea:
a meal 3$ - 4$
taxi 10$-12$ max (lowest 3-4$)
a decent hotel 20-30$ per night i will say
bus between cities average 30-40$ max
1 beer 1.5$
durex 2$
movie 6$
by the way,cuzco is the exception, in there everything is like 3x more expensive.
if you never went to the jungle, then this is your chance too.
go to iquitos and tarapoto.
if you go to iquitos go to quistococha, is like a mini recreation park ,(i been generous dont expect too much), in fact it doesnt have walls thats why you will be able to see some wild animals on the free, snakes,monkeys, and some weird animal that i just dont know his name, just dont do something stupid like trying to feed a wild monkey or dying. (but taking a picture with a snake, is ok, i did this myself, just dont die ok? )
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Hey, Im here to help!
I'll be happy to answer any of your questions.
Have you planned the rest of your trip? (besides de 5 day hike).
I recommend spending at least a few days in Lima, its the capital and its where the best dining is. (Peru has really good food).
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On June 01 2010 16:40 AcrossFiveJulys wrote:
-How should we travel from Lima to Cuzco? I know I can go by bus or plane, and that bus takes forever and can be uncomfortable... but how bad is it, and is there any value to the bus ride besides being cheaper? I'm probably willing to fork out the extra 80$ or so for a plane ticket round trip if it's a lot faster and I wouldn't be missing out on anything taking the bus.
-What is there to do in Lima? Is it worth dedicating more than 1 or 2 days to exploring it?
-What should we do for the remaining 4 or 5 days after the hike? Is it reasonably safe for a few polite white guys to roam the country side with backpacks checking out random cities and taking buses/trains?
1º
Lima to Cusco... If you can afford the airfare, I recommend it. The bus is fine if you want to save, but it takes so long, and you dont get GREAT sight seeing or anything on the bus. You would do best to use that time to rest/ see other things.
2º
Lima is the capitol, and I think its a fantastic city to live in, but for a short visit, you should see more of the rest of Peru. I DO think you should spend a few days in Lima (2 or 3) but not more, considering you have 11 or so days total.
3º
The rest of your trip---- There is A LOT of stuff to do or see in Peru. It depends on what you want to do. I think the best thing to do would be to focus on Cusco (macchu picchu), a couple of days in Lima and maybe ONE other destination for those las few days.
Let me give you an idea of some of your best options, and depending on what you want to do ill recommend stuff.
You can try traditional medicinal hallucinogens (san pedro or ayahuasca) (some people come to Peru just for this.)
You can visit all kinds of ancient ruins and cities (besides Macchu Picchu)
You can eat some of the best food in the world (Lima is best for this)
If you like nature, Peru has some beautiful and remote natural places to visit, especially in the jungle (being in the tropical jungle was INCREDIBLE for me), but also in the coast (some beautiful beaches).
If you want to party, meet people, I would say Cusco or Lima is where you want to spend a few extra days.
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EPT
