Phyllis Does Peru with Globus

Our very own Phyllis Glaser has recently returned from a Globus tour to Peru. Here's what she had to say about her experiences:

My daughter Carol Miller and I just returned from a fabulous 11 day Globus Tour of Peru called “The Legacy of the Incas”. It was indeed an educational and cultural adventure- a history, geography, and geology lesson each day. Globus came through with flying colors in every aspect of the tour- deluxe hotels, excellent cuisine and above all, all-inclusive sightseeing.

The 6 hour flight to Lima was an easy one as there is no jet lag being that Lima is on Central time- 1 hour behind us. Our group of 28 was a very well travelled and diversified one- 15 USA, 10 Canada, 2 Australia and 1 South Africa- who had all been on Globus tours before and chose Peru this year because they are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the discovery of mystical Machu Picchu. Would you believe that our tour director Daniel Ferro lives in Boynton Beach in between all of his tours? He was indeed a fountain of knowledge and had a wonderful rapport with all of us.

Highlights of the sightseeing were as follows:

1. Lima- the capital city of 9 million is located on the Pacific Ocean, in between the Andean desert. Founded in 1535, we walked the historic center with it’s colonial Spanish heritage which blends in a few miles away with the modern $1+ million condos on the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean. A very vibrant financial and shopping mecca surrounds the area that also includes museums dedicated to pre- Columbian and Andean artifacts.

2. Nazca Lines –We drove the Pan American highway for 2 ½ hours to fly in a 10 passenger Cessna plane for a 90 minute flight over the mysterious and ancient Nazca Lines. Over 70 pre-Incan figures (hummingbird, monkey, spider, whale, etc) etched into the desert plateau in approximately 300BC. It was first noted from the air in 1927 and is now a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1994. We then spent the rest of the day and overnight at a Doubletree suites on the Bay of Paracas- the only place in the world where the desert meets the ocean.

3. Cusco/ Machu Picchu- We flew 75 minutes from sea level in Lima to Cusco at 10,000 feet. This beautiful city is the center of the Incas homeland. Known as the Sacred Valley, we toured outdoor fortresses and a living Inca town called Pisac before we arrived at the hotel Casa Andina which was a picturesque mountain lodge with breathtaking views.

The next morning we took a 1 ½ hour most scenic train ride – the only way to get to mystical Machu Picchu unless you want to hike up there for 4 days! Then it’s a 25 minute winding bus ride up the mountain, and there it is, the most spectacular site to behold- one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World”. Carol and I had to pinch ourselves that we were really there- it truly is indescribable! Our group divided up- 14 in each so it was really a private tour for the next 2 ½ hours of climbing and, of course, descending over 250 steps of this legendary Incan ruins built from 1460-1470. Comprising over 140 structures that are an archaeological marvel, we just did the upper half that sunny 70 degree afternoon. The following morning after staying at another deluxe hotel that was built right into the mountain, we again toured the lower half but we now had our first time of rain; thank goodness it was more of a drizzle but that didn’t distract us from learning about how the Incas worshipped and also farmed this terraced land . Then it became the forgotten city for centuries even by the Peruvians until it was rediscovered in 1911 by Yale University explorer, Hiram Bingham.

4. Lake Titicaca-a 1 hour flight from Cusco to Juliaca, near the Bolivian border, brought us to this highest and largest navigable lake of its size in the world. There are more than 40 floating islands- Islas Uros-that we toured by motor boat to see how this primitive Uros tribe has lived for centuries on these islands made of reeds. Their native tongue is Aymara, not Spanish or Quechua like the rest of Peru . We sat around a campfire as our local guide explained their simple lives of weaving and fishing. Then we went to their island school where 20 precious kids ages 6-12 sang for our group. We were all absolutely enthralled by their lifestyle.

Then it was on to another unique island: Isla Taquile , where 350 Inca families still live carrying their supplies on their backs from the boat landing to their hill top village as there aren’t even any donkeys or llamas to do that chore. The women in colorful native clothing were weaving while the men were knitting and of course displayed their wares for us to buy. They then played their musical instruments made of reed tubes while they did a native dance and asked all of us to join them. Again, we were fascinated with their simple lifestyle.

As you can see, this Globus tour of Peru had so many aspects. One thing is certain-it was an experience that we will never forget. By the way, the Galapagos Islands can be added as a 6 day extension to this tour. If you now want to add Peru to your “bucket list” of places to see, I assure you that it will be a trip of a lifetime- just contact your Sand & C Travel consultant.

Check out my photos from Peru!

Sincerely,

Phyllis Glaser
Travel Consultant
Sand & C Travel

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