Like everyone else, we came to Cusco for Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is the item on everyone’s bucket list. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and a Unesco World Heritage Site. It gets all of the attention and is the focus of most tourists to Peru. As many as twenty five hundred people a day make the trip to Machu Picchu, but only a lucky 200 hundred of them actually get there by hiking the traditional Inca trail. With numbers like that it is easy to see why Machu Pi

Lima, the capital of Peru, is one of the largest cities in South America. The colonial city is well preserved and the city is full of museums, churches and plazas. Lima's historic center is famous for it's overhanging spanish colonial balconies. They were built in the 17th and 18th centuries and are located throughout the district. The 16th century cathedral and Plaza de Armas are the center of the historic area. The Presidential Palace, museums, and government buildings are

After a wonderful day of exploring ancient ruins, we were once again excited for the remainder of our stay in Peru. We caught an early flight to Lima, the capital of Peru. When we arrived at the airport we were pleased to discover that we were flying first class. It was a quick flight to Lima and for the first time on our journey we did not have a reservation. We landed at 10 am and asked our driver to take us to the historic central district. We knew that we couldn’t go wron

It’s funny how one person can change your perception of a place. One person really can make a difference. For us that person was Dilser. He helped us fall in love with Peru. We had just left Truillo’s square and caught a cab to Chan Chan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the largest city of the pre-Colombian era in South America. It was once the capital of the Chimu from 900 to 1470 AD. We met Dilser, who works as a guide, and explained that we had only one day in Trujill

At two in the morning and we were in a long line at the Ecuador and Peru border. I looked at the beautiful twelve foot posters of Machu Picchu and was excited to be on our way to our next adventure. In less than three weeks we would be hiking to the beautiful lost city of Machu Picchu and this horrible line would be long forgotten. We thanked the Ecuadorian border guards as they stamped our passports and then handed our passports to the Peruvian border guards one foot away at

No trip to Ecuador is complete without a trip to the Galapagos Islands. Friends have asked if we were going to make it to the Galapagos on this visit to Ecuador. As much as we would like to do so we simply don’t have the time. Three years ago we spent our Christmas family vacation in the Galapagos Islands and we fell in love with the islands and the people. The natural beauty, the exotic animals, and the beautiful people will always have a place in our hearts. It was amazing

During our stay in Banos we realized that we had over 4,000 kilometers to travel to Santiago, Chile to meet our children for the Christmas holidays. As much as we enjoy slowly traveling, we had to speed things up. We would have to make an itinerary of all of the things that we wanted to do in an area and then wake up early and do as much as possible. Be tourists all day long, return to the hotel room exhausted, sleep, repeat. At the top of my list were a few of the places tha

Banos is a small tourist town in the mountains of central Ecuador. It is also the adventure capital of the country. This is where most of Ecuador comes to play. Banos has zip lining, rafting, canyoning, mountain biking, and hiking, but most importantly it is known for its thermal springs and spas. Religious pilgrims came to the area because of the healing powers of the waters. In fact, the full name of the town is Banos de Agua Santa (Holy Water Baths). Banos has the feel of

We generally avoid tours, but some things we want to do require guides. And, so it was with Cotopaxi Volcano. Climbing is not allowed without a licensed guide. We arranged our hike through our hostel Tiana, in Latacunga. Our guide was Diego and he met us in the lobby of the hostel. Joining us were two Germans and two Dutch backpackers. These young guys had just finished university and before starting their careers they decided to tour South America for a few months. We all l

Between the food, the jacuzzi and the llama we decided to stay another day at Llullu Llama Hostal. Our cabana was delightful. We had a beautiful view from our deck and Ol made a new friend. After just a little attention the St. Bernard at Llu Llu’s followed him everywhere. When we heard a noise in the morning we opened our bathroom window to find Llullu. When we went out our front door in the morning for breakfast, there was Llullu. Later in the afternoon, when we heard a n