We have our mind set on visiting our 5th continent this spring. Our fifth in the order of continents visited - the destination an ancient Inca city high in the Peruvian Andes. A UNESCO World Heritage site.
All that may sound sexy or highly cultured but is quite taxing on the brain and wallet so getting there is another matter entirely. The easy way is to simply get one of the tour operators to plan it for you and let them drive you like cattle. No control on schedule or destinations and an arm and a leg to boot in terms of Dollars or Soles (in this case).
It is a multi stage itinerary and investigating and booking all aspects of the trip is a journey in itself as we have realized. It reminds me of the days certain religious types from India visited destinations like Tirupati Tirumala Venkata also on a mount (much smaller hill than the Peruvian Andes we are planning) but much older in historic context.
In a way this too is a pilgrimage where our religion is 'incessant curiosity' about the way of life of different cultures and civilizations. Our daughter was the catalyst for this plan though since she wrote a paper in middle school on the Inca people a tribe now lost to civilization much like the Dodo.
Booking things on locally owned websites all in Spanish (it helps to pull the little one to translate some of the lingo) where the English versions are more hell than help. In a multi stage booking process for a local train service, part of the booking process works on an English site then stops and you have to use other people's online hints and experience to finish your booking on a page with only Spanish words - worse than navigating like a bat that uses echolocation in the dark.
I suspect a lot of these issues are reason why Peru and many nations like it are still considered third world where they get to extract tourism dollars to spur growth but are not designed to manage the expectations of the first world crowds.
All that may sound sexy or highly cultured but is quite taxing on the brain and wallet so getting there is another matter entirely. The easy way is to simply get one of the tour operators to plan it for you and let them drive you like cattle. No control on schedule or destinations and an arm and a leg to boot in terms of Dollars or Soles (in this case).
It is a multi stage itinerary and investigating and booking all aspects of the trip is a journey in itself as we have realized. It reminds me of the days certain religious types from India visited destinations like Tirupati Tirumala Venkata also on a mount (much smaller hill than the Peruvian Andes we are planning) but much older in historic context.
In a way this too is a pilgrimage where our religion is 'incessant curiosity' about the way of life of different cultures and civilizations. Our daughter was the catalyst for this plan though since she wrote a paper in middle school on the Inca people a tribe now lost to civilization much like the Dodo.
Booking things on locally owned websites all in Spanish (it helps to pull the little one to translate some of the lingo) where the English versions are more hell than help. In a multi stage booking process for a local train service, part of the booking process works on an English site then stops and you have to use other people's online hints and experience to finish your booking on a page with only Spanish words - worse than navigating like a bat that uses echolocation in the dark.
I suspect a lot of these issues are reason why Peru and many nations like it are still considered third world where they get to extract tourism dollars to spur growth but are not designed to manage the expectations of the first world crowds.
first world clowns, did you say? good luck with the Espaniole! Say hello to all the lovely Senoritas from me!
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