SOUTH AMERICAN JOURNEY

And, once again, the big travel begins! I invite you to travel along with me and the hubby as we journey to Lima and Cusco en route to Macchu Picchu in Peru, then Guayaquil, the Galapagos Islands, and Quito in Ecuador, and finally Cartagena and Bogota in Colombia.  Yep, that is a lot of ground to cover in three weeks (12 flights total) ... but there is so much to see and experience here. So why not cover the northwest area of this immense continent this time, and hopefully return to several countries not yet visited (Chile and Argentina were loved on a previous trip here). Good news is there is only a 2-hour time change from Los Angeles so not having to deal with jet lag means we can hit the ground running.

First stop:  Peru 

I always say there's at least one "OOPSIE" on every trip and I'm hoping the one we had getting here is it .. a luggage snafu which thankfully is a rare occurrence given the amount of travel we are fortunate to enjoy.  This was due solely to a late LAX departure, missing the planned Miami connection to Lima and opting to accept the next flight on LAN, not our original carrier.  Instead of the luggage arriving with us, it arrived 24 hours later after a series of mis-communications.  But if the worse thing that happens is staying in the same clothes for 48 hours (including all the travel time to luggage delivery), I will take it ... 

Best sight so far ..

Our first dinner spot was recommended by our hotel and an excellent choice. Dining hours are very European in terms of time .. i.e., few dine before 8:30 and most much later.  So we Americanos are easy to spot as the "early birds."   Cala - Mar de Amor - was close by, overlooking the ocean with waves crashing, and really delicious.  A few pix follow ..

Hummus Peruvian style

Shrimp with Sweet Potato Puree

The Lighted Cross is an iconic symbol in Lima, erected when John Paul II visited.

Library in Santo Domingo

We toured the historic part of Lima -- the downtown area, Presidential Palace, Covento de Santo Domingo, and then to the upscale areas of San Isidro and finally the coastline of Miraflores where we stayed. As is typical of many countries, one-third of Peru's population resides in this capital city (9 million); it is quite large and diversified.

Downtown Lima

Another first-rate meal at was at Amar Amor.  Peru has become quite the food paradise, and this restaurant was no exception.  Unquestionably the highlight dinner was at Astrid y Gaston, voted the #1 Restaurant in South America. Rather than opt for the multi-course (28!), prix-fix, formal menu offered, we chose instead the more casual ala carte bar menu. This was just a great experience.

Our biggest challenge was getting a true translation of the complex dishes, as the English version menu was not available (the restaurant had just moved to a new location).  The staff was very helpful, professional and friendly, and we were thrilled to meet Astrid herself (Chef Gaston was in Paris), who not only is present but seemed to know most of the guests.  Photos follow of the most delicious food ..

From the raw menu 

Best dish:  Shrimp with quinoa (native to Peru) and baby vegetables

Tres Leches dessert

There was a short flight (1:20) for the stay in Cusco (and trip highlight Machu Picchu);  one can drive from Lima but it would take 20 hours as there are no shortcuts through the mountains. Cusco is a city of 500,000, most of whom depend on the tourists for their livelihood, although there is a new copper mine providing well-paying jobs. Our accommodations were in an old monastery (Hotel Monasterio), which is quite elegant but small as they are not permitted to move any interior walls. Adjusting to the altitude (11,000 ft) is challenging .. tons of water, a special Mate de Coca tea offered everywhere, and taking it easier than normal.  My only complaint was a chronic headache. They are having El Nino ... this year it will rain approximately 55" and the weather changes at a moment's notice.   For the backpackers (of which there are tons), inexpensive hostels are everywhere.




Our trusty guide Camila and driver Fausto, provided by tour company Belmond,  were very knowledgeable, professional, and punctual and enabled us to navigate the remarkably narrow, cobblestone streets and see the sights .. the main church beautifully decorated for Easter, some nearby ruins, and cavorting among the llamas, alapacas, and even the precious vicunyas whose yarn is the priciest.  We visited The Sacred Valley of the Incas, which is pretty spectacular, including Ollantaytambo in the Urubamba Valley but skipped the 260 steps to the top ...

A highlight of the day was lunch at the Hacienda Huayoccari, the drive to which is positively daunting, which made this majestic destination even more remarkable. Wonderful food, beautiful table setting and another incredible view of the valley. 

 Next post:  Machu Picchu ...

THE ULTIMATE JOURNEY

“You are not cancelling your trip!”  Those were the oft-repeated words said by my mom as her cancer progressed since the beginning of the year, knowing I was due to leave on the hubby's and my annual post-tax-season vacation. But how does one choose to go away when a loved one is sick and the ultimate ending is obviously unpredictable ... ?

Frankly, the thought of leaving the country (this time to Peru, Ecuador and Colombia) and not having my customary daily conversation(s) with my mom was nearly unthinkable.  If a true vacation is one where the smart phones are left behind, then focusing on when and how to call didn't make a lot of sense. The exception to that was last year upon learning our hotel room included free international calls; you can pretty much guess who was the first person I phoned. (You're correct.)

When the daily phone calls with my mom went away, she and I still had our visits. And when she didn't have much energy left even for that, it truly became a race against the clock.  There was no way I was leaving so close to her end and there was no way of knowing when exactly that would be.

I almost never pay for trips in advance except airline fees, with major airfare booked using miles which can be reinstated and reused.  The internal flights can be easily be changed (I learned that along the way).  So it is ironic that the first part of this particular trip is with Orient Express in Peru, including Machu Picchu, and that is fully paid, non-refundable inside of 45 days, which deadline was long past.  Travel expert, huh?  Travel insurance rarely speaks to me; I have found the limitations for repayment not commensurate with the cost.  I may rethink this in the future.  

How about leave and then come back if her passing is imminent?  Reality check:  No can do (for me personally), even though there are lots of flights between those countries and Los Angeles on AA.  After all, we both knew what was coming and little had been left unsaid.  Nevertheless this was indeed a fluid situation, changing day by day.

I really owe the genesis of Travel with Teri B. to my mom. My writing started on these long, annual trips with lengthy emails to her detailing every day.  She would ask me if she needed to forward the emails to the family and I would tell her no and she would forward them anyway. Then it morphed into a Shutterfly share site which then two years ago morphed into this blog. She was always the first to read a new post and always the first to glowingly comment (only via email as couldn't figure out how to post on the blog site). When she could no longer use her computer, I would share my new posts with her from my phone.

In the end, none of the "should I or shouldn't I" mattered as she passed a week before the scheduled departure.  After her suitable and beautiful send off, filled with gales of laughter and buckets of tears, please know that she would have loved hearing about the latest travels as I hope you do too ..

Lovingly dedicated to the memory of Annette Michaels   

5/16/29 ~ 4/10/14