Machu Picchu: A place I will likely revisit this autumn after 46 years. I was 22 when snapped by a Peace Corps friend while checking my watch against this sundial at the wonderful Inca site, of whose magnificent existence the pillaging Spaniards fortunately never learned.
I arrived in Machu Picchu in the middle of their “winter” (late July) via Guyana, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Bolivia. I was spending the last of the U$ 1000 I had saved while teaching math and chemistry for 2 years as a Canadian CUSO volunteer in Trinidad. I had just enough money to get me to Ecuador and a CUSO cheque in my wallet that would cover my airfare home to Montreal from Quito, the last place on my itinerary.
Armed with a list of destinations, contacts, good, cheap hotels and travel tips collected from fellow volunteers who had “gone before,” I and two friends had set out from Port of Spain on our two month journey. From time to time, in my typical hodge podge, unpredictable fashion, i will post about where we went, but this post is about 2013.
Anita has never been to Peru, so we began researching local tour companies for a guided “Gringo Tour” of Peru. The “affectionally dubbed” Gringo Tour is the most commonly plodded by tourists. Condor Travel offers tours for small groups and is willing to customize them for your personal interests. We will most likely use them. I spent considerable time setting one up for last year but circumstances intervened and we were needed here.
If you are planning to check off Peru on your bucket list, I recommend using carefully researched local tour operators. They are considerably less costly, very cooperative and flexible.
OK… another photo. The Urubamba River from M. Picchu
mightyturk 