A Taste of Peru

Day 1: Early flight from Lima to Cusco. Our hotel (Hotel Rumi Punku) sent someone to pick us up at the airport. We enjoyed coca tea in the hotel to get acclimated to the altitude (we also took altitude pills that we'd started the day before). We walked around Cusco and grabbed lunch at Pachapapa- delicious empanadas. From the square, we grabbed a taxi up to Saqsaywaman and enjoyed exploring the site. We had made a sauna and massage appointment at Hotel Rumi Punku that evening, which was inexpensive and wonderful after a busy few days.

Day 2: Early morning PeruRail train to Aguas Calientes from Poroy train station. We were able to organize a ride with our hotel. We grabbed lunch at Incontri del Pueblo Viejo in Aguas Calientes and bought tickets for the shuttle bus for our 2:00 pm entry ticket into Machu Picchu (make sure to print this in advance!). Our Airbnb host organized a private guide for us, and I'd highly recommend getting one, whether you do it in advance or at the actual site (there are plenty on-site that you could hire when you arrive). It was nice having someone explain what we were looking at, and he was able to take photos for us. We had dinner at Mapacho Craft Beer & Peruvian Cuisine- very tasty.

Day 3: Woke up early to get in line for the first shuttle bus to Machu Picchu (departs at 5:30 am). We had a 6:00 am entry ticket and a 7:00-8:00 am entry ticket to hike Huayna Picchu. The Huayna Picchu hike was tough (VERY steep) but worth it to see Machu Picchu from a different vista. We took the PeruRail train back to Poroy at 3:20 pm. We arrived back at Poroy at 7:05 pm and checked into our Airbnb.

Day 4: We slept in and had a relaxing day after all the traveling. We dropped off our laundry and walked around Cusco. Our Airbnb host said we needed to go to Qorikancha to understand the history of the Incas, so we did and really enjoyed it.  I purchased an alpaca scarf as a souvenir. We had dinner at Uchu- steaks and alpaca steaks- delicious! We purchased a bottle of wine to enjoy on the patio of our Airbnb. Definitely feel the alcohol quicker at altitude!

Day 5: We did a day tour of the Sacred Valley- absolutely breathtaking. We saw Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Moray, and the Maras salt mines. Very interesting history and grounds. We also stopped at a local chicheria to try the original corn beer of the Incas, along with some Peruvian potatoes and other Peruvian snacks/drinks. We loved trying the salt and salted chocolate at Maras, and purchased some to take home to family and friends. When we returned to Cusco, we went to Cicciolina for dinner (delicious) and the Museo del Pisco, which had live music, delicious drinks, and a very fun vibe.

Day 6: Woke up and packed up to get to the Cusco airport for our flight to Puerto Maldonado.