Pointing to Peru

From the lively Amazon jungle town of Iquitos, to the Capital of Lima on the western coast, to the lazy beaches and ancient ruins of Chan Chan and Sipan on the northern coast, to the Sacred Valley, Cusco and Lake Titicaca in the south – Peru has something to whet everyone’s trip-taking appetite!   And right now it seems everyone is going!  And why not?  Given that Machu Picchu is now one of the “new” 7 wonders of the world, people are pointing their adventure compasses south and heading down to the land of the Incas!  

If I’m being honest, I have to admit I was several years behind many of my friends in visiting this amazing place.  Prior to my guiding trips there, I’d heard so many stories about Peru and almost without fail, a single word was used over and over to describe this particular country – “MAGICAL!”  And incredibly, for all of my friends and acquaintances that had visited Peru, I probably had just as many that wondered why anyone went there at all!  The idea that a place like Peru could be off anyone’s radar at any point after the “discovery” of Machu Picchu by Hiram Bingham in 1911 is astounding!  This discovery set ablaze the imaginations of people throughout the world and further, some say, was born the inspiration behind the Indiana Jones character! However, this popularity is still good news for travelers that like to visit exotic places that have not YET been completely overrun by uber-tourism!  Again I say YET!  And I always like to point out a line by the Eagles in their song, The Last Resort, “You call some place paradise, kiss it goodbye.” We’re all aware of human nature and realize we tend to have a virus-like reaction to anything which has become en vogue!  😉 Right now it’s all about Machu Picchu and you will most certainly see loads of tourists there- so get ready!  Having said that…right now is the time to go because Peru will only get more popular with all that it has to offer.  So stay tuned as my next post on Machu Picchu will get you ready to have the best time on your next trip there!