Next time…. Next time…. Next time… That was the start to many sentences during our trip to Peru. Ten days was simply not enough time to take in everything Peru had to offer.

We started our Cusco trip with a note from YOUR recommendations and reviews right here in the Luxury Lounge and stayed at the gorgeous Aranwa Cusco. What a treasure this was. The Aranwa was the perfect way to get acclimated to the culture, local food and the altitude.



I really fell for Cusco. The timing of our trip just happened to be during Cusco’s Winter Solstice festivities. Score! This meant parades, dancers, huge guinea pig-pumping-iron-statues, and more just plain craziness.


We got in a few good tourist sites such as the cathedral, Iglesia de la Compania, Convento de Santo Domingo and (last but certainly not least) the Chocolate Museum.


We recommend the fondue.

The Mercado San Pedro was a fantastic place to see. We stopped here a few times for food and gifts for our family back home. (Can’t have a weak stomach walking through this place!)

Loved this sight

Food: We had a great meal at Cicciolina. The atmosphere was fun, yet relaxing. We had our first taste of guinea pig here. As an appetizer – sans head, teeth and claws – it was fabulous.

For dessert we asked our waitress what she would recommend and without skipping a beat she blurted out, “strawberries!” We ordered the strawberries in port wine sauce with pisco ice cream. I’m still dreaming about it today… We also loved Jack’s Place. The food was fresh, the portions were huge and the milk shakes were very yummy.

On day four of our trip we sadly said goodbye to the Aranwa to meet up with our tour group, and to hike the beautiful Sacred Valley. The next day we were off to hike the Inca Trail! Day one was not so bad, but day two….ugh. Everyone warned us that day two would be the toughest, and they were right. The trek up to Dead Woman’s Pass was one of the toughest, yet most rewarding things I’ve ever accomplished.

Day three was a breeze and offered some of the most beautiful sights. Then came the final day of our tour – Machu Picchu! We woke up at 3am so we could make it to the Sun Gate at sunrise. Truly spectacular! Every moment of the Machu Picchu tour was what we had hoped it would be, and then some.


While we are thrilled that we were able to do the 4-day Inca Trail trek, it is definitely not for everyone. One of the side notes we told each other was, “Next time we see Machu Picchu….we’re taking the bus!” This truly once in a lifetime trek is one more thing we can check off our bucket list, and we are forever thrilled that we did!

p.s.
This is the Machu Picchu:

Drinking it was almost as difficult as hiking it...