Peru and Chile in 11 Days – Part 1 – Travel to Peru

Our Itinerary:

• Day 1: Flight to Lima, Peru
• Day 2: Flight to Cusco, Peru + tour of Cusco + tour of Cinchero in Sacred Valley
• Day 3: Full-day tour of Sacred Valley – Pisaq (or Pisac), Ollantaytambo, and Moray
• Day 4: Full day at Machu Picchu
• Day 5: Flight from Cusco to Juliaca, Peru + transfer to Puno (Lake Titicaca)
• Day 6: Tour of Lake Titicaca + tour of Sillustani + flight from Juliaca to Lima, Peru
• Day 7: Full day in Lima, Peru + red-eye flight to Easter Island, Chile (from Lima)
• Day 8: Full-day tour of Easter Island
• Day 9: Early afternoon flight from Easter Island to Santiago, Chile
• Day 10: Full-day tour of Santiago, Chile
• Day 11: Flight back to the US from Santiago, Chile (via Lima, Peru)

Travel Prep – How Many Pairs of Socks Should I Pack?

It was supposed to be a trip of a lifetime and I didn’t start packing until the night before.  After all, I reasoned, we were each bringing a rolled carry-on and a backpack.  How much time would it take to pack two small bags?

Turns out, the lighter you pack, the more forethought is required and that translated into a couple more hours than I had originally planned of packing madness.  In the end, as I was racking my brain to see if I was missing any vital travel necessity,  I comforted myself with the realization that I was bringing along my ultimate back-up plan – Mom.  Whatever item I neglected to pack, I was sure she would have a spare in her suitcase, Mary Poppins’ style!  That is, unless that travel necessity proved to be my passport, in which case, every woman for herself.

Further lightening the load was the fact that we were going to be travelling with a new set of travel shoes – Vibram FiveFingers!  Weeks earlier I joined the ranks of amphibian resembling bipeds by purchasing our first pair of Vibram FiveFingers and test drove them during our weekend trip to see the Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC.  The shoes passed the test after surviving three days and 25 miles of stomping through city concerete with nary a sore knee or back twinge.  In fact, we were so impressed by their performance that we made a last minute decision to drag my mom to the nearest sporting goods store and insisted that she get herself fitted for a pair.  Suffice it to say, these matching 5-toed shoes will be making a recurring appearance in our South America photo log  (I’ll try to post a warning to look away for those that find themselves easily offended by bright green footwear).

Bags packed and travel documents triple checked, all we had to do for the rest of the night was sleep.  With an ambitious 11-day, 7-city itinerary ahead of us, we were going to need it.

Off to the Airport

In what would be a recurring theme throughout the rest of our trip, I had a 5am wake-up call the next morning in order to get to the airport on time for our scheduled 7:30am flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles.

Once we landed in Los Angeles, the fun began.  We had to schlep our luggage (good thing we packed light!) from the Domestic to the International terminal, not an insignificant distance, and by the time we arrived at the LAN counter, huffing and puffing,  we hit our first travel roadblock – check-in would not commence until an hour later!  This, despite the fact that there were two agents manning the counter, one of whom was finalizing reservations for a couple that suspiciously looked like they were heading to Lima on the same flight (later confirmed).  Not one to accept defeat easily, I tried to convince the agent to check us in early, but sadly, my friendly entreaties were shot down with an icy stare and a finger that pointed to the definitive piece of paper that proclaimed the official check-in time.  So we waited.

An hour and 15 minutes later (apparently scheduling rigidity doesn’t apply after the stated time has passed), we found ourselves at the front of the check-in line.  This time, however, our travel karma had changed and the new agent assisting us was the model of friendliness and efficiency.   Two minutes later, we were on our way through security and to the OneWorld Lounge that was just steps from our departure gate.  I could finally catch my breath and feel the stress start to melt away.

The lounge itself was impressive, with a clean, modern feel and a nice selection of hot and cold food items – including the ultimate comfort food – two kinds of vegetable soup!  I got to work on the buffet.  It’s all about priorities and I don’t like to keep hot soup waiting.

When it was time to board, my stomach was happily mellowed out by the mixture of soup, snacks and champagne and I was prepared to enjoy our 9-hour flight to Lima!

On the Plane

Flying business class does have its perks – spacious leg-room, lie-flat seats, comfy blankets and delicious food, to name a few.  Since we would be spending about 6 hours in the Lima Airport upon arrival (waiting for my mom’s flight from Miami to arrive and then continuing onto Cuzco), we were cognizant that we should take full advantage of the amenities and get plenty of rest on board.

The next several hours were a blur, alternating between food, drink, channel-surfing the on board entertainment and sleep.  I was just easing into the early stages of deep slumber when the PA announced that we were about to land in Lima.

After securing a table by the wall, I must have drifted off to sleep again because when I opened my eyes, my mom was standing in front of me, flashing a big smile.

Two hours later, we were on our way to Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, where our tour of Peru would officially begin!