Peru

A cited experience of Peru

      Peru trip was my step in Latin America to explore its vast and diversified heritage, culture and traditions. Away from the big cities, exploring the ruins in the deep pockets of mountain not only provided a small window to view old Inca traditions but also to interact with the natives. Our tour driver who also acted as our guide, exposed us to the local food, local markets and native Inca languages which is hidden or suppressed beneath the Spanish customs.After the Spain-yards conquered the entire continent they discouraged and penalized local to follow their old traditions which is also common today. Peru is also land of majestic and mystic mountains. Each aspect of their living is full of live and bright colors, mythical stories and equal amount of love and respect to their natural world. Last leg of my journey included a short stay in the Amazonia rainforest. After the long hikes in the mountains and exposure to the sun, proximity of the rainforest was soothing and caressing. Natural symphony of the rainforest which included sound of rain, parakeets, insects, frogs and monkeys, rejuvenated my body, mind and soul.

- Anonymous

After a quick search on the most popular tourist attractions on the net, i have come up with the following

The following is an experience from Ajay K. Yadav. He was polite enough to recount his travels.

DAY 1	Flew to Lima(capital of Peru) from Sf. From Lima took a domestic flight to Cuzco. - Cuzco is placed on higher altitude. It helps tourists to acclimatize to the thin oxygen. Peruvians gave tourists the coco leaves to drink which helps tourists to suppress nausea feeling. In Cuzco , I took a day trip to visit Chinchirro. - It is a small town only known among the natives for its weekly fair for people to trade living necessities. Everything in the market was splashed with bright, contrasting, and lively colors. Our next stop was a Vista point looking at the rising mountain and the glaciers, deep drowning valley, and Urubamba River, which was coiling itself at the bottom of the valley. My final stop at the end of the day was the Ruins of Pisaq. Among the long shadows of broken walls, orange color of the setting sun added the shining effect of the fragmented structures.
DAY 2	Second day started with a long drive to Moray. - Moray is an old agricultural town which is now preserved as a historical place. It is one of the few places where the natives started learning step farming. After Moray, our next stop was Salineras which is known for its hot springs (acidic) and salt pan. Over several centuries, Natives started storing spring water in thousands of pans along the slope of the hill to produce Salt Crystals. Our final tourist destination of the day was Ollantayumba. This was the last fort before Macchu Picchu. The fort was where the Incans fought against the Spaniards.
DAY 3	We took a train from Ollantayumba to reach Aguas Calinates. Aguas Calinates is a small town and a gathering point for all the tourists who want to visit the majestic Macchu Picchu. After spending a day in Macchu Picchu, I took a train back to Cuzco and from there I flew to Puerto Maldonado.
DAY 4	Puerto Maldonado is a town on the banks of Madre De Dios. We took a boat ride to Amazonia Rain Forest. After arriving to the base camp, we were given a short orientation and guided to our respect organic cabanas. In the evening, we went on our first excursion in the rainforest. After long walk, we were served with fresh and cold ice tea and other refreshments. Our next excursion was in the night on the boat to explore the Madre De Dios banks for Caiman and Capybara. Night boat ride in the middle of the river was peaceful and joy giving.
DAY 5	The next morning, my cabana was tuned with the voices of Macaques, Parrots, and Parakeets. First part of the day was walking on the sky high canopies. High above the ground Vegetation, Flowers, Insects, Butterflies, Fruits and Animals are different than the life at the floor of the rain forest. It is a different botanical garden, which cannot be visualized standing on the ground. In the afternoon, it started raining cats and dogs, which sounded like a symphony. I spent couple of days exploring the rain forest and enjoying the nature.

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