Ten Days in Peru

Peru is a huge country and traveling it involves a lot of the same problems as traveling in the USA. To do all of typical Peru would take about two and a half weeks.

The things I didn’t do could fill a trip by themselves. There was the Awamaki weaving village and the excursion into the snowy Andes. I went West instead of South so I didn’t get the plane ride over the Nasca lines or the afternoon chilling on the floating villages of Lake Titicaca. There are also serious dunes and canyons here that provide opportunities for adrenaline junkies.

There was even the extremely tempting side-trip into Bolivia where you can visit the salt flats.

Our trip can really be summed up as hike, shop, spa… ooh a monkey!

Day 1: Fly into Lima. ATM this is unavoidable and a major time suck but tis life. Lima isn’t very exciting for tourists and given the other things you will be I wouldn’t even bother with it. Everyone told me this, I ignored them, they were right. We had no good food, the churches are better in Cusco, and wow do you burn out on taxis/hotels/buses/tourism fast. Stay in the airport and get the first plane to Cusco. If you’re desperate to at least peek at Lima stay in Miraflores and book a day tour around the city (one that picks you up from the hotel). Lima traffic is terrible and the taxis are less than honorable (as in “here we are! oh you didn’t say this random municipal building in the middle of nowhere? that’ll be 50 soles to take you back!”).

Quick tip: Keep your luggage sticker handy (you’ll get it when you check your bags when departing your homeland). Once in Lima they will check this to make sure you picked up your own bag. There is then another scanner before you leave the airport. Security is tight and in rural airports you’re things will be hand checked before they are scanned and sniffed by a drug-dog. Leave extra time and pack so that the inspector can just poke around and zip the bag back up.

Day 2: Fly to Cusco. Stay in any hotel near Plaza de Armas or Palacio del Inca and eat along the street where Hotel Ruinas/ the Marriot is. Wander into the cathedrals. Do the small one first, there will be people offering a tour, take it and learn all the history of the square. Do the large cathedral second. The large one is a working church so tours aren’t offered. Ask if there are any parades happening. There are lots of restaurants con balcony and sitting there to enjoy a parade with a Pisco Sour is quite nice. The Inka museum has a few mummies with conical skulls and evidence of brain surgery. The rest of the museum doesn’t have much but you can run through the museum in 20 minutes and see the mummies. Head up to San Blas for shopping, particularly artisan jewelry.

Day 3: Hang out in Cusco which has many cute shops and pretty mountains.

Day 4: Pisac or Sacsayhuman or day tour of choice. All ruins pale in comparison of Machu Pichu so if you don’t care don’t bother as neither ruin is particularly well-preserved. If you want to do Pisac have a taxi take you to the top of the ruins and hike down (2 hours) you can not hike up – the altitude is killer and it is very steep. The bottom of the hike is the market which is the same stuff they sell everywhere. We oppsied and tried to hike up so we never made it but we did make it to the waterfall and steeps. If you skip Pisac market you can use this day to transfer to Aguas Calientes.

Day 5: Machu Pichu. See my post on how to do this best. I would certainly stay in Aguas Calientes and I’d do all the shopping I skipped in Pisac here as well (the market is huge if lacking in ambiance). I’d also live off of snack in Aguas Calientes or eat in a major hotel.

Day 6: Return to Cusco for transfer. The spa in the Palacio Inka is amazing and with their trio of pools and the star room you can spend the entire afternoon re-cooperating from your hikes for the very reasonable price of a facial.

Day 7: Fly to Puerto Maldonado. I would stay at Reserva Amazonica again no questions asked. They scoop you up like a baby duck and coddle you throughout your stay which is what you’ll want after a week of navigating Peru alone. The PM airport is teeny and the surrounding towns seem to be purely residential. We did the 2 night stay which I blogged here.

Quick tip: check these flights constantly. All flights in the country are constantly changed but flights to and from PM are often condensed due to limited traffic.

Day 8: Hike.

Day 9: Fly back to Lima as late as possible. If you are compelled by the travel fairies to see Lima good luck to you. If not stay at an airport hotel and happily eat room service and look through your photos.

Day 10: Fly on home!

(Our trip was 11 days. We spent two nights (first and last) in Lima, first San Isidro and then Miraflores. We also spent extra time in Cusco which we thoroughly exhausted but enjoyed. We did in fact spend an entire day tucked away in the Palacio del Inka. We stayed in the Sacred Valley instead of Aguas Calientes which cost us about a day. The drive from Cusco to the Sacred Valley is very pretty so consider a taxi or bus for this journey.

Top Ten Tips for Visiting Peru

10. Don’t skip your vaccines or fail to fill your stomach prescription. The water is roughhhhhhh.

9. Bring 100 SD cards. Oh the pictures you will take!

8. Use Isango! or Viator to book taxis before you go. You’ll get a better price and won’t get tricked (particularly in Lima).

7. It’s not that hot. Bring a rain jacket, fold-able sweater, and hiking boots (that’s right not sneakers!). But also sunscreen and an awesome hat. Peru has that whole scorching sun – cold mountain wind thing going on.

6. Machu Pichu must be done at dawn. Sorry.

5. Don’t miss the Amazon. So many people skip the Amazon because they expect it to be a terrifying adventure in the wild. Tambopato is very well-organized and there are a ton of reserves you can stay at. I wouldn’t show up unplanned or camp though… never camp… (We stayed at Inketerra Amazonica).

4. By the time you arrive in Peru your information will be outdated. Things are changing in Peru by the second. They are currently building an airport near Cusco that will render everything I’ve written useless (should take about five years). I did my research before this trip and spoke to people who had already been – everything is different. Prepare for the worst in amenities, food, and health care – things aren’t that bad but it varies greatly by region and it’s better to be prepared.

3. Bring a Spanish guidebook. Unlike in Spain, Spanglish won’t get you far in Peru where most people speak a blend of Spanish and Quechua. Sometimes pointing to a word in a guidebook is more effective than trying to say it – even if you speak fairly good American-University Spanish.

2. Think of prices as suggestions, you can haggle and your provider (taxi or hotel) can change the price on a whim. Just because you spent 2 soles to get to the market doesn’t mean it won’t be 14 to get back.

1. Get soles before going to Peru. The idea of wandering around with $1,000 is daunting, particularly in Peru, but getting small bills in Peru is nearly impossible and many businesses won’t take larger bills. A taxi ride may be 2 soles (50 cents) but it will cost you the full 100 soles (50 USD) if you don’t have change. Many places also take American dollars if you ask. Also use your credit card whenever possible and save those bills you do have! For the most part banks in Cusco are ATMs without humans and ATMs give out 100s which is a huge amount in a country where your average meal will cost you 7 soles.

 

This is Post 1 of my Peru:2014 Series.

Jewlery Making in Brooklyn

Brooklyn Navy Yard sits coldly on the East River and is full of industrial buildings and small businesses. It is now the the manufacturing pride of America – being one of the only areas where American manufacturing rose in recent years (3% if your interested). The buildings are not friendly ones but the people are, and are even quick to show you their museum or craft. The best way to get a glimpse into these tightly locked studio is to take a class.

On Saturday I studied the metal arts with cuff making via Sidetour (now owned by Groupon).

I love a good bracelet and the idea of making my own immediately won me over – worth the serious price tag. The class was 4 hours long, and you need all of that to transform a four inch long strip of copper or brass into a cutout cuff.

Even with a history in jewelry making I had no idea what went into making these creations.

Step one – make your design. This is always the hardest, especially given the time restraint and beginner level. At first I wanted a dozen stars or maybe just four for my own stab at the Wild pendant I have been coveting, but then I realized I’d have to move in with the artist to ever finish it so I went with a fire and ice theme. My strip would loose its straight edge in favor of a wavy bottom and then is add flame lick cutouts into the metal. That was the inspiration, the finished product is abstract at best. After drawing and taping my design into the metal I grabbed a jewelry saw and began cutting away the wavy bottom this only took about an eternity. Then I pierced holes in the middle of the metal so I could thread the saw through the hole and make a donut hole. Then I sawed and sawed and broke three saws and two drill bits and sawed some more. Finally my image had emerged and I could sand it down for comfort and to get rid of hesitation marks (Dexter anyone?$. Then I got to play with a blow torch a bit – all under the watchful gaze of my tutor – and get the metal hot enough to bend. Then it went into water and then an acidic mixture hen back to water before I was able to touch a strip of metal that looked the same, albeit pinker, but was flexible! Then I wrapped it around a wrist form and hammered the sides and edges to fit. A quick polish and I could wear it home!

As a fan of jewelry both DIY and store bought this tour was fantastic. The tutor was Carrie Bilbo, etsy shop owner and professional jewelry artisan first and foremost. Her pieces are amazing and come from both metal working and cast moldings. I can’t imagine how long her branch cuff must have taken.

taken.

The Travel Photography Cheat Sheet

One of the final joys of travel is printing out your pictures. Up until you print and frame them you can’t really be sure of you got a gem or not and coming home without that ultimate shot is always a bit of a let down. Photography is the act of capturing a memory. It can freeze fleeting happiness. An image cannot be recreated the next year or in another place. This is my cheat sheet for always getting the shots I want.

1. Selfie! I know a lot of people who go to the Eiffel Tower and don’t get a picture with themselves in it. Ok, maybe you don’t want one but that’s now. The fact is you’re pic of the Eiffel Tower will look a lot like my pic of the Eiffel Tower and while landscapes are good for memories you’re scrapbook will be lacking without you in it.

2. Recognize your own travel favorites. In all of Athens my favorite thing was walking through the square by my hotel every morning. It wasn’t something we planned, it was a necessity to get to the Plaka, but the fresh fruit and people were a highlight and as much as I expected to come home with a framed picture of The Parthenon I framed a picture of devil red strawberries. I also had to send that pic to all my friends because no one else took a pic.

3. Your hotel room. If its really nice or really ugly it makes for a good story.

4. Amazing food you want to recreate. If you’re a kitchen maven and like to recreate dishes from the road these pics will add to any recipes you perfect and write down.

5. Have a signature shot. For a long time I had a photo wall of architecture, always shot really close to the building and looking up. It was easy to always get and it adds a cohesiveness to you collages.

7. Group shots and singles. It’s easy to fall into the habit of taking pics in large groups but you may not want to remember everyone from your trip. If you’ve been dreaming of a place your entire life just say it is for a relative and be sure to get it.

How things work traveling with your iPhone

I am always jealous of bloggers and gadgeters who seem to have no problem snapping away on Instagram and searching for good eats on their iPads while wandering abroad. Roaming charges are astronomical and buying a local phone seems excessive for a week long stay.*

For this London trip I decided to take my iPhone and use it strictly for wi-fi. I was a bit worried about somehow getting charged (I didn’t) but I knew people who had done it. I flipped my phone’s airplane mode on (settings) before I left New York then, once in London, I found a cafe and turned on the wifi (leaving airplane mode on always).

It worked! I had to continually turn or on and off since it will drain the battery but it allowed me to email family back home, stop to look for directions, and upload those twitter pics!

The directions were the most helpful. I used my iPhones screen snapshot feature (press down center button and power button) to take a pic of maps and travel tips. All bauble content was already downloaded, finally a day of wandering without maps and heavy guidebooks!

* If you’re staying more than a week, the European smart phones can be pretty cheap and of your a frequent traveler it’s worth it – think $75 phone and $20 plan for texts, Internet, and calls!

Chin chin Gin Gin – yeah we’re back!

I’ve returned from London and survived the post-trip sinus infection why is New York still so hot omg why didn’t i stay in London five more days hell.

My return has driven me to drink, luckily i had an Icelandic (yeah I know…) gin on ice which is nothing compared to the slosh i had been so enjoying in London. London the land where even crappy pubs in Covent Garden have Hendricks and no one makes your G&T with Sprite.

For the record my favorite gins are:

Hendricks cause it so cucumberly refreshing
Gordon’s cause it is 15 quid at Morrisons
Botanist
Sipsmiths

Tonic:
Fevertree for those fancy nights
Schweppes

Let’s go to the bar:

Graphic – there is a really nice park right out front so if you want to hang out pre or post drink its rather nice and you can watch people get schooled by ten year old prodigies at ping pong. Then you can drink something called a Gold Paint Tin which is a little collegey, basically a fishbowl and will knock you on your bum as evidenced by the extremely loud youths (please imagine Max Greenfield saying that) inside. They also have 180 kinds of gin and a Juniper Club with gin tutorials for free! Pretty cool my friends. Vibe: loud and trendy

4 Golden Square in Soho

Viaduct tavern – this is when things get real. A gin palace turned prison this place gets the historian’s blood going and serves up traditional fare and an awesome G&T. Vibe: after work tipsy

126 newgate street

The Breakfast Club/Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town
This cute diner offers board games at the table and a speak easy in the basement. (There is also a My LITTLE Pony Bathroom!!) Ask to see the mayor and pop down for a G&T in a dark brick room, which is more fun than it sounds.

12 Artillery Lane in Spitalfields

Tour the Sipsmith Distillery
Sadly this need to be booked waaaaay in advance so I missed out, but it is supposed to be fantastic and since they give you sample I’d say its probably worth the trek.

27 Nasmyth street in Hammersmith

Jet Plane Couture

Why can I not find pants that are comfy and cozy, sweaters that are warm and soft? Last minute outfit changes are inevitable when packing for a trip – how am I supposed to know what I’ll want to wear tomorrow?

To wear an oversized grey Proenza Schouler sweatshirt or a white an black dot polka dot Kensie sweater???

Maybe I’ll just wear both…

RTW: How Possible is it?

5,000
12,250
25,000
42250

These numbers are no joke. I’ve always wondered how a RTW would work, after all if I’m doing it I’ll want to go pretty much everywhere and do pretty much everything. To be honest I always thought a RTW was a bit excessive and after following a few RtW blogs I wondered how these people felt about their trip five years later. Their savings were gone, they had nothing to look forward too and could afford nothing, their career was off track, their kids were pissed. I couldn’t understand why you’d try and take this trip in your thirties instead of waiting until you could afford it in both the short and long term, what would Suze Orman say?!
The first thing I notices in my research was that RtW rarely stands for what I think it should. RtW airline tickets can have three stops and many travelers itineraries are really more like London-three months in Asia- Johannesburg-Sao Paulo- California. Sure Magellan would be proud but this itinerary doesn’t take you on an exploration of Earth. You could do the above itinerary in under six months, which means you can rent out your home, take a leave of absence at work (maybe), and it would only cost about $10,000. Now that’s tempting. The average price per day in Asia is only 20 USD. For teachers this trip is especially possible.

But what about my trip? The one that takes you to almost every country on Earth? The one with six different continents, a hundred different climates, dozens of different hostels? Well I crunched the numbers and with a full year and with $50,000 to spare (per person) you can go on one epic adventure!

I added a sneaky $5,000 just for park and museum entry and a few adventurous jaunts like elephant rides in the Amber Forest. This may not be enough… The $12,250 covers daily costs including light drinking, moderate eating, a bit of shopping, and a single room in a hostel. The big wopper is the $25,000 transportation budget.

Sadly, I won’t be booking this trip anytime soon, and I still think it is foolish to quit a good job just to make your adventure a long haul rather than multiple mini trips. A trek through Asia is probably the only exception because the cost per day is consistently very low and of you’re coming from New York the airfare is very expensive so a longer trip does get you more bang for your buck. Sigh* I can’t wait to be a rich retiree.
The itinerary:
Leaving New York
Reykjavik Iceland
Cork Ireland
Dublin Ireland
Isle of Man
Edinburgh Scotland
The Highlands
London uk
Paris France
Barcelona Spain
Seville Spain
Casablanca morocco
Tunis Tunisia
Rome Italy
Venice Italy
Nice France
Munich Germany
Copenhagen Denmark
Oslo Norway
Stockholm Sweden
Tallin Estonia
Prague Czech republic
Zagreb croatia
Montenegro
Athens Greece
Delphi
Crete
Mykonos
Santorini
Istanbul turkey
Cappadocia
Amman Jordan
Petra
Moscow Russia
St peterberg
Mumbai India
Jaipur
Golden triangle
Goa
New Delhi
Kathmandu Nepal
Madras India
Burma
Vientiane Laos
Bangkok Thailand
Phnom phen Cambodia
Angkor Wat
Ho Chi Min Vietnam
Kuala Lumpur
Jakarta
Manila, The Phill
Macau
Hong Kong
Chengdu, China
Beijing China
Shanghai China
Seoul South Korea
Tokyo Japan
Papua New Guinea
Perth Australia
Alice Springs Aus
Sydney Aus
Auckland NZ
Wellington NZ
Rapa Nui – Easter Island, Chile
Santiago Chile
Buenos Aires Argentina
Sao Paulo
Rio de Janeiro
Lima Peru
Cusco
Nasca
Lake Titicaca
Galapagos Ecuador
Caracas Venezuela
Namibia
South Africa
Botswana
Madagascar
Cairo
Luxor
Giza
Valley of the Kings
Amarna
Toronto Canada
New York – Home!

(There are lots of other cities visited but these were all the base camps so to speak, with a few exceptions)

Let’s do the Math on your Trip:

Cost per day http://www.rtwpricetag.com/round-the-world-trip-budget-cost-calculator.php
Cost of airfare: http://indie.bootsnall.com/start

A Flighty Face: London Beauty Packing

Packing up all your makeup for an international flight is one of the biggest pains of travel. It changes dramatically with each kind of trip – the European sightseeing haul, the Amazonian jungle trek, the Caribbean leisure holiday, or the Event. Generally all of the above can be taken care of with a simple fresh face and an absence of extreme makeup but this time I’m going to London for an event – my graduation – and I want to look nice, which means actual makeup. By far the most makeup I’ve ever packed here’s the list:

Stila Written in the Stars eyeshadow palette. A relatively small palette is good since it houses both neutral and statement colors. The pots are often very small and this makes them harder to break.

Cover girl Aquasmooth concealer. This works as an all over concealer:foundation and because it is a solid you don’t have to fear a spill. I may buy a small drugstore foundation when I get there but I never pack foundation it’s too much of a clothing killer.

Sally Hansen shadow base. Again, a primer that is a solid.

Korres cream blush. My favorite blushes are Nars and MAC powders which means they’re expensive and breakable, this cream is really nice and packing proof! (bonus points for packaging).

MAC eyeliner in Industry – this steel grey is perfect for days when you don’t want to load on the black liner which makes it great for events without time to reapply. No need to guess which eye is bigger!

Cover girl lip perfection gloss balm – enough color to add pop but balmy enough to stay off your teeth and in your lip line.

Yves Saint Laurent radiant touch eye concealer. This is liquid so I carry it on but it really hides tired eyes and if your sightseeing or trying to visit every friend in your destination you’re going to be tired!

Jo Malone perfumes – one of my favorites they give great samples (see my summer series reviewing all the scents!) in mini automizers which are perfect for travel.

Flights of Fashion: Packing for London!

Packing always fills me with joy, not only am I going on holiday but I get to play wi all my clothes beforehand! Then it hits me, I have a teeny suitcase and the majority of packing is finding mini tubes of toothpaste that haven’t expired. While I laid out my dresses and cardis weeks in advance its down to the wire and I still don’t know what to wear on the plane. I shun jeans because for some reason they always make the machines go off. On my last trip S and I wore the same exact Old Navy skinnies and only mine rang the sensor, I’m cursed. Usually I wear dark leggings and a tunic (dress) which seems fancy but feels like a nightgown. Unfortunately, I’ve tossed all my leggings in a spring clean so what can be left?!

Uniqlo, which is slowly taking over my wardrobe, has come out with a pair of ‘jeggings’ (more jean than legging btw) that has an elastic waistband *gasp*. They fit a little tight and low for a plane ride, but so far these are the best options I’ve found. Paired with a long army green tee from Target and running sneakers I think they’ll work just dandy. The en-route outfits are always the hardest since the passport line and turned into a bit of a runway but you want to be comfortable for a 7 hour flight.

What else I packed:

2 maxi dresses – a Ralph Lauren boho dress, an H&M sustainable tropical dress
2 short day dresses – white hippie Forever 21, blue lace TJ Maxx
Button down – H&M LOGG… The wrinklier the better!
Uniqlo jeggings in burnt umber
Moto boots Forever21
Pink grosgrain Flats Toms

Not pictured
Skull tank, 3/4 cardi from Forever 21, Tights – Uniqlo and Charlotte Russe