Peru Summary

Our three weeks in Peru were marked by education. We were learning the ropes of traveling and learning to adjust our expectations on both ends of the spectrum. We were green when we first arrived in Peru but we left with valuable experience. As I see it now I think Peru is a difficult location to travel in but I think that we did it very well all things considered. Here are a few things I think about Peru.

Peru is a destination country. I like to call it a "get in, get out" country. It is not a relaxing travel country to travel in, much of it is still unsafe, and it is lacking infrastructure. It is also very large with much of its attractions very spread out. You cannot really stay in a city for too long and stay entertained and there are few cities from which to do many day-trips. Because of these things travellers need to be constantly moving on to the next location which gets very expensive and tiring.

Living expenses are very low in Peru. Hostel prices were 8-10 dollars per person per night for us and food was 5-15 dollars per day for the two of us. We lived very inexpensively when we stayed in one place.the biggest drain on expenses was buses which was anywhere from $20 to $90 per person and tours and special trips which were all around ridiculously expensive. Unfortunately the tours, trips, and transportation were all necessary parts of travelling in Peru. This was our biggest challenge as points of interest always required a bank-breaking tour to experience. There were many things we wished to see that we had to make the decision to cut out due to this issue; the Amazon jungle being the most sorrowful cut that we made.

More things we learned in Peru in point form:
-Always ask how much and settle the price before you take a taxi.
-Haggle for hostel prices, taxis, and market goods, especially during the off season.
-Read between the lines of how wonderful or terrible a place to see is; it is usually relative.
-Cook food when you can instead of going out.
-Pepto Bismol contains Bismuth subsalicylate which is the antimicrobial for E.coli and is sometimes a very good friend.

In the end Peru was a difficult country to travel through but well worth learning. The sights are far between but magical to see and the variety of landscapes is breathtaking. I would recommend visiting Peru but as I said before, get in get out.