Chinchillas & Llamas & BATS! Oh My! ... Indy''s back from Peru!

[iheartscience]

It looks like you had an awesome trip! The bald llama kills me! I''d love to go to Peru. I''m sort of worried about the altitude sickness, though. My fiance gets altitude sickness pretty easily so I''m sure he would get it really bad there.

My sister and I talked about going in March but the flights were super expensive so we''re going to Costa Rica instead. I''ll have to save Peru for when I''m out of school and working full time again!

 

[monarch64]

Date: 12/26/2007 7:57:19 PM
Author: Independent Gal
Yeah, isn''t that Chinchilla just so SNUGGLY!?

Monarch, Ecuador shouldn''t be too expensive, although going to the Galapagos is REALLY expensive. Do you guys have airmiles? That cuts the cost of the trip in half.

Just as a gauge, my trip cost about $450 / week including taxis, food, guides, decent accomodation, transport (by plane, train, boat, and bus), and entrance fees, including the exhorbitantly priced entrance fees to Machu Picchu. Going in low season means you can usually get your accomodation for about half the usual price. The flight to Lima would have cost about $800-1000 I think, but mine was through a birthday gift of airmiles from my dad.

Thanks for the info IG...DH is a frequent flier so we''ll see what kind of discounts we could get on airfare at least. We may use those towards a little inexpensive winter getaway here in the states somewhere warmer this coming year, though...I''m dying to go somewhere warm if only for a couple of days just to break up the monotony of the everyday dreariness that is Chicago between November and March.

What is "low season" for South America? And if we cut out the Galapagos and just went to either Ecuador or Costa Rica, do you think we could do it for under $5k for a week to ten days including airfare? Just curious...dH has a wonderful TA who could give us all this info but just in case I thought I''d run the question by you, hee hee. What would you recommend, btw, between Ecuador and CR? Never having been to SA, should we start out with one or the other? I doubt we can fit in both...also, I''m the type of vacationer who would rather stay in one place and absorb it all rather than flit all over getting just a taste of things, kwim? Thanks again for your advice.

 

[Independent Gal]

Hiya Monarch! You can DEFINITELY do the trip for 5K or less including airfare if you don''t go to the Galapagos. I just checked on Orbitz, and, e.g., in January, you can fly from Chicago to Quito for about $650 each. That would leave you about 700% of my weekly budget in Peru for everything else, so, uhh... yeah, you''d be pretty much good to go! And in style...

Costa Rica is much more developed than Ecuador. So these would be two very different holidays. Costa Rica will be more comfortable, with better organization for tourists (and a LOT more tourists...it''s a pretty touristy place) and it will be much more expensive. Ecuador will be a little more adventurous. It has a more varied climate and landscape too. On the downside, I''m guessing there''s probably more crime, since there is more poverty.

My advice: go to a bookstore and pull a ''Rough Guide'' to Ecuador, and one to Costa Rica off the shelf. You''ll quickly get a sense of what each country has to offer.

And then I think the acid test is: do you want a true adventure that expands your horizons, and to see people, places, cultures and landscapes that are really new, different, and exciting? Then go to Ecuador. Do you want a relaxing holiday where things are a little more familiar, a little ''cushier'' and more tourist friendly, but where you''ll still get to see interesting wildlife and things? Then go to Costa Rica.

You can''t really go wrong either way! It''s just a matter of what you''re in the mood for.

 

[monarch64]

Thanks IG! I really appreciate your insight re. the differences between Ecuador and CR...I will take your advice and grab those two rough guides on both countries. This is a trip that will require planning for probably 2009, but good info to have now. You''re the best!

So what are you up to now that you''re off holiday??? Back to work, or just enjoying married life...do tell! Wait, did you already get married? I am having the toughest time keeping track of who''s married now, who''s pregnant, who''s just had a baby, who''s just gotten engaged....LOL!

 

[anchor31]

Hey Indy, welcome back! Glad to hear you had a great trip! Thanks for the pictures, they''re really beautiful.

 

[bee*]

Great photos! D and I were thinking of maybe going to South America next year and it''s great to hear some info about it.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

What great pics, Indy!

Peru has always been on my "top ten" travel list. Your pics helped it jump up a couple of slots...

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Great pics Indy--thanks for sharing! Glad you enjoyed yourself, got home safely and suffered very little from the altitude.....would be nice to see you my way!!

cheers--Sharon

 

[Independent Gal]

Hi Guys! Glad you enjoyed the pics.

Canuck-gal there''s still a chance I might be coming up your way. I was told it would be locked and loaded - or not - by mid January. I will definitely let you know if I''m coming!

 

[princesss]

Wow, Indy, those pictures are incredible! Peru was on my list of Places To Be Experienced, but after seeing these pictures it''s edging closer and closer to the top.

 

[TravelingGal]

Whoo hoo...almost missed this! How awesome to live vicariously through your trip, especially since it was next on my list of travels before I somehow got "tied down." It looks beautiful and it really made me miss traveling alone and all the adventures it brings.

Hope you are over your jetlag. I just got back yesterday from Oz and am suffering a bit of it myself. Thanks for sharing these...only 50 pics! I would scold you, but I am guilty of doing the same!

 

[sumbride]

Wow! Thanks for the pics, Indy! I was thinking about you last week while watching Samantha Brown in Peru. Some of the reactions were the same... as in she loved the llamas, but when she took a bite of guinea pig, she chewed it, made a face and said "uh... I just can''t..." I don''t think I could either.

We have a Peruvian chicken place in our neighborhood that we LOVE and I always thought the fries were for the Americans, but now you''re telling me that''s pretty typical? Hmm... I do like the fried yucca more so we usually get that instead.

I wonder if that bald llama has some sort of compulsive plucking problem or a follicular issue or if he''s in a gang??

welcome back!

 

[musey]

What COOL pics! Thanks for sharing!

Now you''ve got me thinking that Peru would be a great honeymoon destination...

 

[Independent Gal]

Glad you''re enjoying the pics, folks!

Musey, Peru would be a good destination for a honeymoon IF you know what you''re getting yourself in to. Have you traveled in less developed parts of the world before? You just have to more vigilant, both about crime and health, so it''s good to think about whether you feel like being vigilant on your honeymoon. E.g., although you can reduce the risk somewhat by STRICTLY observing the ''Cook it, boil it, peel it, or forget it'' rule, the chances of some kind of tummy trouble are pretty high. And it can be very constraining to follow that what-you-can-put-in-your-mouth rule religiously (no salads... all those yummy fresh fruit juices off limits, etc.). Usually, your chances of getting sick in the less developed parts of the world are about 50% (though I''ve been REALLY lucky on most of my trips), but Peru is notorious and according to my guidebook (and everyone I met), tummy trouble is "inevitable". Normally, you just deal and it''s not that big a deal if you come prepared with approrpiate medications. It''s just that on your honeymoon... well, you know what I mean? But it would definitely make for a fun and interesting adventure! I loved it.

T''Gal Yeah, so I ended up going to Machu Picchu after all! And I didn''t regret it. I saw a few people traveling with babies and small kids, and it''s a pretty family-centered culture, so you could always pack up T-Tot and head on out! Maybe you wouldn''t want to hike the Inca trail with him (him, right?) on your back, though, especially given the risk of bandits... But you can always take the train.

Anchor Hey there! Hope your exams went OK. So, did you find an interview suit yet?

Summer Yup, papas fritas come with everything. You name it, it comes with fries. Grilled fish? Sure, there''s some rice with it. Rice... and fries. The fries down there are a little different though. Still recognizably potatoes, if you know what I mean! Tasty.