When we first began discussing our 4 1/2 month around the world trip with our family in 1999, we wanted to get away from everyday life, experience the world, be with our daughters (12 and 10 at the time) and learn something in the process. However, planning it and actually making it happen were anything but that.
In August 2005 we spent three weeks exploring Peru, visiting the Amazon Basin, hiking in Colca Canyon and gazing on the lost city of Machu Picchu.
Lima was our first stop on our three week journey to Peru. We spent time there both at the beginning and the end of our trip. Much of our time was spent walking around the large city and seeing the numerous plazas and cathedrals.
One of the highlights of the entire trip was the visit to the Amazon Basin, which was a short flight from Cuzco to the gateway city of Puerto Maldonado. Once there, we boarded a boat for a journey up an Amazon tributary for a total of eight hours to a research center.
Our time in Machu Picchu consisted of a day trip from Cuzco. After the early morning four hour train trip, we spent several hours at the site, viewng it from above, as well as walking through the various structures of the lost city.
Arequipa, known as the “white city” was the last stop on our three week trip through Peru.
