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Thu 23 Dec, 2004 11:55 am
Hey!
Going to Peru. Anyone could give good/bad experiences when going there. Thanks.
Re: Where in Peru?
Charli wrote:Where are you going in Peru? With a tour group? Vacation or business?
Next to Mexico, I choose Peru and peruanos for a favorite place and people. You're going to like it there! As in all "tourist" destinations, watch your wallet in the cities especially and in the markets. There is so much to see. Peru is an incredibly beautiful country. Whatever the number of rolls of film you are taking, double it! Yes, you can buy film there, but Kodak film from the USA does seem to be better. That is, unless you are taking a digiital camera.
We were carrying an expensive Nikkon SLR and warned by people in the street to wear the jacket or shirt over the top of it. In a market stall, we were told to pull the shirt sleeves down over the watches.
In Cuzco, it was almost impossible to buy shampoo or toothpaste - in the hotel or in the stores surrounding it. Yes, the Plains of Nazca were worth the small plane over-flight. Somewhere, in the hustings, we drank "homemade hooch" from the locals' communal cup and ate "guinea pig" in a restaurant.
Do you speak Spanish? That was an interesting experience: speaking Spanish to one of the Indians who then translated our words to a Quechua-only Indian. Then, came the reverse translation. A small digression: we'd had a similar experience in Mexico with Spanish to English to German and back again.
Take a light-weight down jacket with you. Very packable and you usually can roll up one in a small ball to carry around. If you are "going up into" the Andes, take a prescription (filled in the U.S.A.) of diamox with you (for altitude sickness). It WORKS! And, it's cheap!
Ask and we'll try to answer. For what to see, take a Fodor's with you. Enjoy![/color]
Hey Charlie,
Thanks a lot for taking the time to help me !!!. Your advice will be useful. Happy Holidays !!! :wink: :wink:
PD: I think the "indians" are also Peruvians.
If you're going to Peru and don't climb the steps to Machu Picchu you will have deprived yourself of one of life's golden opportunities.
gustavratzenhofer wrote:If you're going to Peru and don't climb the steps to Machu Picchu you will have deprived yourself of one of life's golden opportunities.
Hey Gustavratzenhofer,
Thank you !
. I absolutely don't want to miss a golden opportunity!
(got emotional)
Happy New Year
If you plan to visit Machu Pichu leave youself some extra time. We allowed ourselves just one day and that day the site was socked in with cloads. It cleared up the next day of course but we were already back in Cuzco. And speaking of that place stay completely away from any Chinise style food (chufa I think). My wife was so sick I had to call a doctor to the hostel. Huancayo was nice for visiting the mountains and I liked Arequipe., the white city. Get some one there to drive you out onto the high plain and find a water hole to spot Vicuñas.
While it's certainly a good idea to check the Warnings don't get too wraped up in them. They seem to almost be a kind of disclaimer. The warnings for Colombia for example are so extensive a first time traveler would probobly cancel his trip after reading them yet every month North Americans arrive and depart with out incident.
Re State Department Warnings
Pitter is correct in part about "paying too much" attention to ("don't become too wrapped up in") the Government State Department Security site warnings. However, IMHO there are some strong reasons in favor of following their direction. That is, depending on whether:
You speak the language fairly fluently - on a scale of 1 to 10, at least a 6 or 7.
You have a firsthand knowledge of the country - and not just as a tourist - i.e., unless you have you been there a number of times and feel very comfortable in traveling "there." That is, with good knowledge of the country, people, and customs.
Or, you are with a person or group with the above knowledge.
This is from my own experience of having traveled to Mexico many, many times, living and teaching school in Mexico City for two years. When we were there a couple of years ago, there was a lot of scuttlebutt about the dangerous situation. Consequently, we saw very, very few Tourists from the U.S.A. Usually, my travels to all of the countries have been solo. This time I had a novice companion. So, at first we were cautious, but soon we were traveling about almost as freely as I had in other years. Note the word "almost."
Yes, my Spanish is fairly good - a BA in, etc., etc., etc. At one time, I probably had an 8 or 9 fluency. Now, its down to about a 6 or 7 - not having read or spoken the language since that last trip. (I'm not a native speaker.)
For a number of years, I worked on radar interception equipment. It was necessary to have security clearance before leaving the country - with the latest State Department updates in hand - and a thorough debriefing upon returning to the U.S.A. However boring or irritating their advice might be, they won't steer you wrong. It behooved me "to listen up." Go and have a good trip! (I did!)
It's just my impression from various news storys and hearsay but I would feel more nervous traveling around Mexico than Colombia. I suspect there are a lot more "incidents" involving tourists (which admittedly could be because there are a lot more tourists in Mexico). Reading the Lonely Planet Thorntree forum and staying occaisionally at the backpacker mecca Platypus in Bogota I almost never run accross accounts of tourists experiencing mis adventures here.
It's kind of funny- kind of sad. In 40+ years in Mexico City I've never been mugged (and I take an average of 5 cab rides a week). But with the things I read about Colombia (the latest, the mugging of the coach of Once Caldas, the winner of the Libertadores Cup, which left him quadraplegic), I'd be frightened to go there. Perhaps, I, like Pitter, have access to slanted info. The thing is that good news are no news and bad news travel fast.
About Peru, this thread might help:
http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=28265&highlight=
Why funny or sad? I would say that safety record is something to rejoice about. However citing the mugging of the coach inspires mention of the police agents recently murdered by an angry mob and the rise of vigilante justice. That said neither of these incidents has much to do with tourists traveling about. I think if you were deciding where to vacation based on the sections on crime in the Consular Information Sheets for both countries it would be a toss-up.
One thing about Peru that my wife and I observed is that there were almost always a few other foreign travelers on every overland bus we took.
I'm going to Peru, and I want to go on some treks through the jungle...but I'd prefer not to be on a guided trek. I know that the guided treks are basically in 3 places -- iquitos, manu, and Tambopata-Candamo. If I want to go on an unguided exploration, should I avoid these places, or should I still go to one of them? Manu is too restricted and probably not a good place for an unguided trek but I was thinking Tambopata. Is there any jungle that is closer to Lima than this one, because that would require 1 or 2 flights from Lima to get to.
Indeed, there's no way I'm stepping a foot in Mexico.
I don't know about Peru. I heard they have lots of indians
Stuh I'd suggest you post that question on the South American branch of the "thorntree" section on the "Lonely Planet" site. You should get gobs of responses to that one.
Duke, I dunno, I've heard that too. Must be something to it.
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