Peru 2022

Travel Day. Our long awaited trip to Peru began with flights from Whitefish to LA to Panama and on to Lima, Peru.

Lima, Peru

Click on the following images for video.

Our driver from the airport encouraged us to visit the Magic Fountain Park in Lima. Home to the largest water fountain park in the world. \240Strolling past the 13 fountains was a delight.

https://circuitomagicodelagua.com.pe/ing/index.php

The Fish Market - Chorrillos

A guide took us to the local fishing village. \240By 9 am the fishermen were back and all the catch was cleaned and ready for sales.

Fishermen were tending their nets and some were selling fishing line with a weight and a couple of hooks on a peice of wood. \240That is all that is needed to actually catch a fish. No rod required.

Fisherman’s Breakfast

Our guide took us to where the fisherman have breakfast. \240Booths that serve hot coffee and a fresh bun with sliced onions, a vinaigrette and lightly fried fish or fish eggs (cavier like). Mark and I took hesitant bites and then ate the whole thing. Delicious and the coffee was the best!! \240

Couldn’t resist getting a pic of the fisherman and his pup.

Chorrillos Market

Peruvians eat fresh. \240The food, the colors, the flavors are all so appealing. \240

I asked our guide how there are so many booths and which one she goes to. She says that everyone has their own “casada” a shop keeper they are loyal too. \240A “mom”. The shopkeeper does favors for you and the more loyal you are the more favors.

Families will keep the same shopkeeper for generations. \240Our guide shops at the same booths her mom shopped at. \240Loyalty and honor is very important in the market culture.

Peruvian Lunch

Second story from the market our guide took us to an authentic Peruvian lunch. \240We had seafood soup with crab, fish and seaweed and a triple plate of seafood. \240A rice dish, \240cervichi and some breaded fish and sweet potatoes. \240

Again we took hesitant bites and then ate it all. \240So fresh and so delicious.

Our guide said that lunch in Peru is the large meal. \240Dinner is light; bread and jam but lunch is significant. \240She said everything we had would be a single persons portion for lunch. \240All the soup and the triple fish.

Barranco

Art is celebrated in Barranco.

Let’s create a Peru we all love was the message on the yellow bridge.

The single mother by Bronik artist was really telling. \240The rise of women in Peru has been a recent emphasis. \240Our guide said most women do not marry and they carry the responsibility for raising the children.

Miraflores

Sights around the city this afternoon. \240Traditional moms with babies selling wears. \240Lovers park with many couples, and the incredible cliffs to the ocean providing spectacular views and flying opportunities.

And tons of dogs. \240This one on particular has great character.

Peru #8

Lima City Historical Tour

including a parade with

a dancing table 🤨,

catacombs ☠️,

neat architecture

and a library 📖📕📚

Peru #9 Cooking Class

Had a blast 🔥 literally, at a cooking class of Peruvian food.

So delish!

Peru #10 Sent Mark to Soccer ⚽️ game

An opportunity came up for Mark to see a game. There was only one seat available.

Mark had to get himself to the town square, meet up with “Carlos”. Carlos was a arranger and had a group of 10.

A family of 5 from New York, a lawyer and his daughter from Edmonton, a single woman from New Jersey, Mark, \240Carlos and the driver.

They piled into a Volkswagen van and headed, at blistering pace, over an hour away to the stadium.

Marks passport was needed to secure a ticket. The name on the ticket has to match the name and number on his passport. \240 Mark had to leave his belt behind.

There were 3 checkpoints to get into stadium. \240First two were checking tickets and passports and the last was the police line with the body search (😳) Mark said it wasn’t bad. 🤣.

He was told to lose the hat 🧢 but it was a Whitefish Bulldog hat! \240He backed up in line, hid the hat under his shirt and took a different line!! Hat saved!! ✅

The game was between two premier league teams in Peru. \240The Universitario from Lima against the Ayacucho FC at the Momumemtal Stadium.

The stadium seats 88,000 but only about 25,000 were at the game. \240Mark said the stadium was built decades ago and seats hadn’t been cleaned ever.

The atmosphere was electric. Many fans stood the whole time and cheered for 2 solid hours. \240Mark noticed the a scoreboard didnt keep time. \240 No one but the ref knew the time. \240That was likely done for fan control.

Good game. \240Home team University wome 2-1. \240 Happy fans.

Then Mark squished back into the van, drove lightening fast back to city and then had to get his own Uber back to hotel. \240The last video is his return home!

Awesome night. \240He never feared for his life more than 10 times during the drive 😳🏎🏎🏎🏎🏎🏎

Marks pics below. \240Note there is none of him - he forgot to take a selfie!!

Peru #11. Lima to Cusco

Today we were up at 4 am for flights to interior of Peru to the city of Cusco and the Sacred Valley.

We landed at 11,000 feet elevation, drove out of Cusco and tonight we are staying at the quaint place in town of Urubamba at 9,000 feat. \240

We were told to eat light today, rest, no exertion. \240We followed that advice until we stumbled upon an oasis with a Peruvian Buffet. \240Like a heavenly spread of delicacies. \240Needless to say, we ate a bit more than we should but it was all so delish. 😋

Today included getting friendly with Lama’s, seeing more Peruvian culture, incredible vistas as we prepare for tomorrow. \240Machu Picchu. 😳

Machu Picchu Peru

Oh what a day. \240An experience not for the faint of heart.

There are two ways to the site. \240Hike in or bus/train/bus. \240Mark and I opted not to hike! 🤣

Day started with leaving villa in Umubramba by 6am. \240Drive to Ollantaytambo to then catch a 90 min train to go to Machu Picchu Pueblo (town). \240There transfer to another bus for a 30 minute “going to the sun road type experience (very steep, many switchbacks, single lane 😳)” to the upper village. \240From there, enter gates to the famous ruins. \240We entered the site just after 11:30 and were nearly instantly hit with the vastness of the site. \240The views in all directions were amazing.

Add on that at each transport both tickets and passports were checked and everything was time stamped to limit tourists at the site per hour. \240It made for a very tedious but thorough process.

At the site every person must be with a guide and there are several routes to tour. Some choose to do more than one route in a day to see more sections of the ruins.

We lucked out and had lamas on the path at a couple places. Kind of like a visitor to Glacier wanting to see a bear. \240Pretty neat actually.

We spent close to 3 hours walking, learning and exploring. \240Amazing.

Then the long process to retrace all the transport back to our villa (bus, train, bus).

Machu Picchu hosts nearly 5,000 people a day. It’s an engineering and orchestrated feat to roll so many people through a significant process 365 days a year.

From a Montana perspective we think that both the logistics on the ski hill and Glacier are a process but each of those only have a limited season. \240This experience is everyday. The Peruvian government, the staff, the tour companies and the Leruvian people \240need to be commended for making the process run as smoothly as it does.

Peru #12. Saga of Marks Whitefish Bulldogs Hat

A vendor selling postcards at Macchu Picchu wanted Marks #whitefishbulldog hat. \240He came up and offered some postcards in trade for the hat. \240Mark was so taken back he said “sure”.

So a couple nights ago Mark saved the hat from being confiscated at the Lima soccer game, to now barter it for some postcards. \240

We hope the new hat owner cherishes his new hat and the Whitefish Soccer legacy that goes with it!!

Pic of them with their new trade!!

Peru #13 Ollantaytambo

Spent the morning meandering a city with modern touches and an ancient past. \240Nestled at the center of three valleys coming together. \240

The people, the views, the ruins, the lunch, all 👍

A travel blog I read before the trip talked about this town. One woman from the US said it was her favorite place in the world. \240So glad we were able to spend some time soaking it all in.

Peru #14 Cusco City, Maras Salt Mines and ATV in countryside.

Picked up at 6:30 am for a drive about an hour out of the city where ATVs and a private e guide were waiting. \240Much fun enjoying the countryside.

Then on to the Maras Salt Mines. \240The salt laden water flows from the mountain and onto layered plots. \240Once the water has evaporated, approx 30 days, the salt is harvested from the plots. \240Pretty amazing engineering feat.

The evening was spent enjoying the city sites and doing a walking tour of bascillcia.

Another amazing day.

Astrid&Gastón Restaurant Lima Peru

When I was researching the trip I learned that several of the best restaurants in the world are in Lima. \240One of restaurants; Astrid & Gaston, was close to our hotel and I was lucky enough to secure a reservation for their tasting menu.

So last night, our last night in Lima, we enjoyed a 14 course, 3 hour, delight of tastes!

When we were seated we were given an envelope which had the nights menu. \240We referred back to the menu as each course was brought and described. \240The menu was a designed to reflect the tastes and culture of all parts of Peru.

(I couldn’t say the following paragraph better; it is from a review of the restaurant).

“Dining at Astrid & Gaston was all about the entire experience from the time that you set foot on their lot, to the time that you leave. We knew we were in a for a superb treat. There was nothing miniscule at this restaurant. It was all about grandiosity. The flavor, the freshness, and the service – bar none! The ambiance alone was a work of art. We didn’t get to explore the entire building, there was just no time. We sat in our dining room the entire time, not because we were stuck in the room, but we had simply enjoyed being in our little corner. Our server, Junior and his assistant Panlo, took care of us from start to finish. They made sure that we had enough drinks to get through our meal, refilled our glasses without being asked. We weren’t rushed by any means. We had the the entire evening to enjoy our last night in Peru.”

Simply delicious.

Adios Peru

Peru trip 2022 final day - Panama

Our trip ends where my first post began; Panama City.

When I realized we had an 8 hour layover in the city on our return from Peru, I coordinated a private tour to pick us up from the airport and take is around the city and the Panama Canal.

Sharon, our guide, picked us up from the airport and showed us her city. \240She was born and raised in Panama and is a professional guide.

Mark and I were taken around the city, the causeway, over the bridges of Americas, stopped for some shopping and then toured the canal all the while learning from Sharon the rich history of her country.

Sharon timed our visit to coordinate with a ship going through the locks. (Check out video).

I asked Sharon what she loves most about her country. \240She answered that she has both the Packfic Ocean and the Caribbean as her playground, she loves the rainforest and her favorite is the birds. \240She also said she was proud to be a part of an up and coming country globally.

Panama built a second, larger set of locks, and opened them on 2016. \240Their airport is completing a major expansion, a new cruise ship port opens later this year and their enormous convention center opened last year. \240Panama will simply grow as a major destination in the years to come.

Fun fact: did you know there is no road between Central and South America? \240There is no way to drive from Panama south to Colombia. \240Only way is to put your car on a ship. \240I didn’t know that.

The few hours flew by and now we are back at the airport, final destination Montana.

Peru and also Panama was a trip beyond our expectations. \240Incredible sights, lovely people.

Peru 🇵🇪 Trip Video

So hard to capture all the sights, the people, the markets, and the colors in just 150 seconds.

We had a wonderful time. \240Adios to an exceptional place with generous and kind people. \240

🇵🇪❤️

Photo dump. 😊

So many things to share. \240Enjoy.