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Travelogue: Journey to Machu Picchu,Peru
Preparation:
The trip planning kicked off as I got my Air tickets for
Lima from side step. I
used Lonely Planet guide book as a reference to book my
accommodation and day trips in Lima and Cuzco. The
Alberque
Juvenil Internacional Hostel in Lima is a good location to
stay. They had nice renovated rooms with friendly staff
to book your air tickets for Cuzco and also organize day trips in Lima
and Nazca. I used Inca
Explorers for my Machu Picchu trip and also the other day trips
in Cuzco region. My accommodation in Cuzco was at
Los Alticos Pardo.
This was a reasonably priced and a great place to stay. |
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Day 01 (Wed May 26 2004)
Had a slow start today. My flight to Lima left Tucson at
10.30am. After a short break of 1hr in Houston. I was on the
Continental flight to Lima, Peru. The flight was pretty
smooth. The flight landed on time in Lima after 6hrs. There
were no Aero-bridge in Lima airport so the passengers have to
take a shuttle bus up to the terminal. The immigration was
swift. I got my baggage and I was out of the custom area. I
used the Urbanito shuttle bus ($6.00) to get to
Albergue Juvenil Internacional Hostel in Miraflores.
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The Hostel is very clean and
friendly place in a safe neighborhood. It is also close to
shopping malls in Miraflores. You can also buy air tickets
to Cuzco from them at a good price. I had my day trip to
Nazca Lines done through them. |
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Day 02 (Thrusday May
27
2004)
The day started very early. I was picked up at 5.30am for my
Nazca lines day trip. I used the Royal coach to Ica. It
takes about 4hrs to reach Las Dunas Hotel in Ica. My tour
guide picked me up at Ica and it was another 2hrs drive to
Nazca. The drive was very scenic along the towering sand
dunes. At Nazca I took a single engine aircraft to see the
world famous "Nazca lines". You will get to see 14 different
signs from the air. The most famous signs being Humming
bird, Condor and the Astronaut on the hill.The flight takes
about 30 minutes.
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After the stomach
crunching flight. I got to have a wonderful lunch at Nazca.
I tried some local dishes with a soup. On the way back to
Ica I stopped at Maria Reiche museum. On the way back to
Lima I used Peru Bus (local bus).It was surprisingly good
for the price.In Lima I was dropped off at the Hostel by the
Tour agent.
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Day 03 (Friday May 28
2004)
I took a Pre-paid Taxi from the Hostel ($10)to the domestic
terminal. The Tans Peru flight to Lima was at 9.00am. The
flight was delayed by more than a hour due to landing gear
problems. I was finally at Cuzco by 11.30am.I had a free
pick up from the Airport offered by Los Alticos Pardo. I had
already booked all the tour in Cuzco from Inca Explorer through
the Internet. My Cuzco city tour started in the afternoon.
The main sites they touch on are the Cathedral, Coricancha
(the famous Inca temple)and the nearby ruins of Sacsayhuaman
and Tambo Machay. The Inca fortress at Sacsayhuaman is
indeed impressive. |
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