Leaving Peru - Final Thoughts and Observations

Road to Chile Slide Show

Due to a complicated combination of bus schedules, Peru exit fees (if you fly OUT of the country), Chilean entrance fees (if you fly INTO the country), we were Nomads for the few days that it took us to get to our first destination in Chile.
After our Lake Titicaca boat tour in Puno, we hopped on a bus the next day bound for Arequipa, Peru. Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru. It is nothing like Lima though. The city was founded by Spaniards and as a result, has mostly European architecture. It feels like you are in Spain instead of Peru. It is a much more modern city than the rest of Peru. We stayed in a wonderful place run by a Dutch man, but were only able to stay one night due to our previously mentioned schedule.
After Arequipa, we took a 5 hour bus ride to Tacna, the southernmost city in Peru. Once there, we hired a Collectivo Taxi to help us with the border crossing from Peru into Chile. This proved to be money well spent as we saved over $1,000 in airport exit and entrance fees, and a lower flight cost to Santiago and moved smoothly across the border to Arica, Chile.
Due to a flight the next day, we stayed only one night in Arica. We attended a large "Minnesota State Fair" like celebration in Arica, commemorating the anniversary of Peru's Independence. Noah and I got to throw balled up socks at metal cans in an attempt to win Jennifer a fine vintage bottle of Chilean wine, but we both failed. I decided not to try to throw a ring around a Whiskey bottle to win a bottle of whiskey. I wouldn't have felt right having the 8 year old working the game handing me a bottle of whiskey as my prize.
The last leg of our trip was a plane ride from Arica to Santiago, Chile on Sky Airlines. Even though it stopped twice on the way to drop off and pick up passengers at small 2 gate airports, the service was outstanding. The drink cart came by 3 times (free wine) and even served us a meal! We weren't even charged extra to bring our bags on the plane. Nice!
*** Final Thoughts and Observations About Peru ***
As we sat on the airplane, our thoughts turned to Peru. In no particular order, here is what the three of us came up with.

• Peru is extremely inexpensive, which allowed us to spend well below our daily budget for the trip. Taxi rides for 3 people across town for $0.33 makes for a happy budget.
• The people of Peru are a mixture of modern Peruvians, Quechuan, and Amayri. There seems to be a mutual respect for the cultures of each group. Overall, we found Peruvians to be humble, friendly, helpful, service oriented and very welcoming to tourists. Not once did we feel threatened even though we stuck out quite a bit with our height and blonde hair. Both the Quechuan and Amayri people dress in bright colors, making our black, tan, and olive attire look quite drab.
• The official religion of Peru is Catholicism, but they mix Catholicism with their ancient cultures and rituals. There are lots of parades and ceremonies commemorating religious and national events.
• We underestimated how much there is to see and do in Peru. As one of our guides stated, "Peru is much more than Machu Picchu". He couldn't be more right. We saw a lot in our 17 days, but we didn't see the extreme sports of the North, the jungles of the East, and the canyons of the South.
• The mix of ancient ruins and natural beauty is a very unique aspect of Peru.
• An interesting note is that for the most part you must pay in cash and have the correct change. Either nobody has change or they are not willing to give it up. I had many cab drivers look at me like I was taking their first born when I asked for change. Does anyone out there know why this is the case?
• We underestimated the time it takes to cover distances. The only routes that Peru has through the Andes are switchback roads up and over the mountains. Expect to travel 20 to 30 miles per hour when calculating times. Not calculating correctly led to an 18 hour overnight bus ride - not good.
• We cannot recommend anyone from the United States driving a car in Peru. The cities are filled with buses and taxis that perpetually move, never coming to a stop even though there might have been a stop sign. The buses and taxis seem to be choreographed to all keep moving and somehow never make contact.
• With all the walking and hiking, if your legs can't get in shape in Peru, they can't get in shape anywhere.

*** Miscellaneous Traveling Lessons Learned ****

• Noah likes Inka Cola (their local pop made from lemongrass). He says that it gives him energy.
• We enjoy small towns and natural scenery over big cities
• The money paid for quality backpacks and hiking shoes is money well spent.
• Due to space limitations, we can't buy anything unless we get rid of something. This is a good and bad thing. Good for the budget, but not so good if you really want something.
• In future countries, we plan to visit less places, but spend more time there. There just isn't enough time to see all that a country and their people has to offer.

Overall, we would highly recommend Peru as a family vacation destination. The people and the scenery are well worth the visit. Go to the following link to see a slide show ==> Road to Chile Slide Show