Peru

Patricia Lamb

Welcome to Peru.

Here, Indian and Spanish Colonial cultures blend together in a fascinating land of rugged, snowcapped mountains, arid deserts, lush rainforests, abandoned cities and lost civilizations. Colorfully dressed Quechua Indians herd llamas as native musicians play haunting melodies on flutes and panpipes. Peru is safer and more accessible than ever and offers excellent values. Not only are goods and services inexpensive by U.S. standards, but you also save a whopping 18% hotel tax by showing your U.S. passport at hotel check in. You can find excellent buys on alpaca wool goods-sweaters, shawls, hats or gloves-and also on native crafts, silver jewelry and art.

Almost all visitors enter through Lima, the "City of Kings," which is the nation's capital since 1821. In this coastal city, you can stroll along cliffside overlooks, watching surfers catch waves in the cold Pacific Ocean. Lima's climate is unique, with low rainfall yet typically overcast skies.

Because this fast growing city sprawls in all directions, you may have to make some hard choices about what to see and do if your time is limited. Begin your exploration of Lima in the city center. Here, in the Plaza de Armas, Francisco Pizarro founded the city in 1535. The Spanish Colonial buildings you see today were mostly reconstructed after an earthquake devastated the city in 1746. The oldest building in the plaza is its reconstructed Baroque cathedral, another victim of the same seismic event. Pizarro's remains are interred in an interior chapel.

Thousands of pigeons entertain local children outside the San Francisco Convent and Museum. This adobe church is notable for the beautiful, glazed ceramic tiles from Seville that line its interiors and cloisters. Be sure to view the striking, wooden Moorish dome inside the sanctuary. The small library, with its oversized volumes of Gregorian chants, is also worth a look. Beneath the convent lie catacombs where up to 75,000 bodies were interred before a cemetery was built. Note the unusual way in which the skulls and bones are displayed.

At the Governor's Palace, you can watch the colorful changing of the guard ceremony at 11:45am, free of charge. Another free attraction nearby is the Museum of the Inquisition. Originally an old family mansion, it became the tribunal for the infamous Spanish Inquisition. The museum addresses religious intolerance from the Middle Ages through the Colonial era; it includes a look at prison cells and instruments of torture.

If you have another day in Lima, take in the Gold Museum (admission $7). History and archeology buffs will also enjoy the Archeology Museum (admission $6) and the National Museum (admission $1.75).

During the 1920's, Nasca, a small town in one of the world's driest deserts, yielded a mysterious discovery. The Nasca lines are a series of drawings of animals and geometric figures up to 1,000 feet in size, etched into the desert floor around the time of Christ. These lines, visible only from the air, are one of the Americas' greatest scientific enigmas. You can make arrangements to view these mysterious symbols via light aircraft from Lima.

Cusco, the "Imperial City," was home to the Inca ruler and nobles. Indians of that era believed it was the center of the universe. Today, it's the gateway to the world of the Incas, as well as other parts of Peru. This city of narrow, cobblestone streets teems with art, cultural activities and handicrafts. It has hundreds of hotels and good eateries, as well as a lively nightlife.

Note that Cusco's altitude is over 11,000 feet. Take it easy until you get acclimated to the thin air. Eat lightly, drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol. Drink coca tea (perfectly legal), a local remedy, and ask your physician about the high altitude medication Diamox. The Boleto Turistico, a tourist pass, costs $10 and gets you into 16 attractions in and around Cusco. Buy Exploring Cusco by Peter Frost (about $8), an excellent guidebook to the city and environs.

A good place to watch Cusco life-lovers strolling arm in arm, young children selling postcards and native women in traditional dress-is in the main square, Plaza de Armas. Its cathedral is a beautiful edifice built by local and European artists over 100 years. Inside is an impressive collection of Colonial art, in which talented Quechua artists put their twist on subjects, showing the fusion of Indian and Spanish cultures. The cathedral is also home to Senor de los Tremblores, Lord of the Earthquakes, the city's patron saint since 1650. He is believed to calm the violent tremors that have shaken the city over the centuries.

Calle Loreto leads to the Templo del Sol (Sun Temple) and Santo Domingo Baroque church. Spanish settlers built a church over the foundation of an ancient Inca temple dedicated to worship of the Sun. Before the Spanish conquistadors looted its treasures, the temple glittered with gold altars, a gold sun disc and gold idols. Some of its impressive Inca stonework is still visible. Huge stones fit together without mortar so tightly that not even a razor blade can fit through them. This attraction, not included in the tourist pass, costs $1.

On the same street is a good example of an original Inca wall. Nearby, Hatunrumiyoc Street has another famous original wall with a 12-angled stone. Most walls in the city are reproductions, inferior in quality to the originals.

Outside Cusco are several worthwhile Inca sites included in your tourist pass. You can explore the area on a group tour arranged by your hotel, negotiate a private tour with a taxi driver or rent a car. Some hiking and horseback riding trips are also available.

Sacsayhuaman, with large grassy grounds and gargantuan boulders, is the area's most important Inca site. Zigzag walls are made of gigantic stones, one of which weighs 80 tons. It is believed that thousands of workers brought many tons of stone from up to three miles away using stone rollers and tree trunks (wheels were not used in the Inca culture.)

Nearby, Tambomachay is known for its Inca "baths," a series of aqueducts and canals.

The Sacred Valley is a rich agricultural area of small villages along the Urubamba River. Besides traditional farming and salt mining, the area is known for such sports as whitewater rafting, mountain biking, trekking, ballooning and paragliding.

Pisac is a small village on a riverbank with ancient terraces that enabled farmers to sow crops in steep terrain. Now, it is known for its famous Sunday market. You can watch local women weave and bargain with artisans from all over the highlands who come here to sell ceramics, textiles, jewelry and crafts.

Ollantaytambo is a famous site where the Inca defeated the Spanish in a 1537 battle. It is notable for its outstanding fortress ruins, as well as its agricultural terraces. In the Old Town below, people still live in Inca dwellings and travel on Inca-built streets. A steep staircase takes you uphill to a sun temple comprised of three massive vertical blocks of pink granite, each weighing several tons. Somehow ancient people quarried the stone at the mountain across the river, carried it over the water and transported it here.

One of the top tourist sites in South America, Machu Picchu rises dramatically out of the cloudforest. Once a thriving city sanctuary, complete with terraced gardens and striking temples, the site remains breathtaking. Azure skies, swirling white clouds and colorful tropical flowers add to its beauty. Because the Spanish conquistadors never discovered it, it remains one of the best-preserved Inca sites.

Some hardy travelers choose to get here via the famous Inca Trail. The 27-mile route goes through three steep mountain passes and takes four days. A shorter, two-day trail has recently opened. You can hire porters to carry your packs. New regulations limit the number of hikers and require them to join an organized group arranged by an approved tour company.

Most visitors arrive via train and bus from the San Pedro station in Cusco. PeruRail currently offers two levels of service: Vistadome, the quickest and most comfortable, $86 round trip; and Backpacker, no-frills, $58 round trip. For the best view, sit on the river side (left going up, right going down.) You'll travel through tunnels and switchbacks through cloudforest, past small villages and farms. You'll view farmers toiling in their fields, homes perched on hillsides, footbridges, stone walls and aqueducts, snowcapped mountains, wild vegetation and flowers that bloom year round.

You eventually arrive in the town of Machu Picchu, also known as Aquas Calientes. The town has thermal baths and is a popular overnight destination, with a wide range of reasonably priced restaurants. In town, walk several blocks from the train station to the bus station. The bus ($9 roundtrip) takes you around hairpin turns up to the park in about 25 minutes. Machu Picchu is open daily from 6:30am to dusk. Entrance costs $20 per day.

Refreshments are available at a snackbar near the entrance. At 8,000 feet, Machu Picchu is at a lower elevation than Cusco. Located between the highlands and the tropical rainforest, temperatures here are not extreme. The best time to visit is the dry season, May to October, although it can rain during any month. Layer your clothing, wear a hat and bring water, a rain poncho and sunscreen with you.

The smaller mountain called Wayna Picchu provides a dramatic backdrop to the ruins. You can climb it only between designated hours and must sign in and out. It is a challenging climb of 700 steps and is dangerous in wet conditions. At the top, you are rewarded with a panoramic view of the entire site.

Arequipa, known as the "White City" because of its buildings of white volcanic stone, is Peru's second largest metropolis and is accessible from Lima and Cusco. Several interesting Colonial homes built during the 18th century are open to visitors. Arequipa is the gateway to Colca Canyon, one of the world's deepest canyons. The region is dotted with lakes, wind-blown stone formations, snowcapped volcanoes and unique fauna and flora. The canyon is also home to a number of giant condors.

The largest lake in South America and the world's highest navigable body of water, Lake Titicaca lies on the Bolivian border in southern Peru. Here, at 12,540 feet above sea level, you can observe island-dwelling Indians living in traditional ways. Trains and buses run regularly from Cusco, with some additional service from Arequipa.

Over half of Peru is comprised of the Amazon jungle, home to exotic birds, monkeys, pink river dolphins, piranhas and butterflies. Here, you travel by motorboat and canoe, and sleep in jungle lodges. From Lima, fly to Iquitos, gateway to the northern Amazon and Peru's largest jungle town.

Peru is an unspoiled country with warm and friendly people, spectacular scenery and vast historical and archeological riches. Visit Peru soon, and ¡buen viaje!

Patricia Lamb is a California-based freelance writer. Her articles have appeared in AAA, Going Places, Highways, and Mountain Living. She also writes a column about adventure travel for Travel World International.