And although the selection of meats throughout Peru and Ecuador has (thankfully) expanded substantially, guinea pig remains a prized meal.

As part of a microfinance project we profiled in a village outside of Huancavelica, Peru, we took the opportunity to visit a local, yet fairly large-scale guinea pig farm. The rate at which guinea pigs multiplied here makes rabbits look tame. In the course of only a few months, the guinea pig population in the breeding center had expanded from a few dozen to over 1600. We tried to get our heads around the math and gave up.

After our guinea pig eating experience in Ecuador, we declined another offer even though our Peruvian friends insisted their cuy was much better than Ecuadoran cuy. Neighborly rivalries — even when it comes to guinea pig — run deep.

Panorama: Guinea Pig Farm in Huancavelica, Peru

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Articles About Peru

Keep Peru on Your Bucket List: Here’s Why

The Salkantay Trek: From Glaciers to Machu Picchu

Peruvian Food: More than Just Ceviche

Machu Picchu? Not Yet. A Slideshow of the Real Peru

More Photos from Peru

Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu

Incan Ruins of Machu Picchu

Microfinance in Mountains of Peru

Peruvian Cuisine

Originally posted on the Uncornered Market travel blog. Find beautiful travel photos from around the world. | 15 comments

A shot of the ruins of Kuelap, the citadel they built in those clouds, can be seen in the panorama below.

We tend to carry a healthy dose of skepticism with us when visiting ruins, but this particular pile of rocks — and its stories — exceeded our expectations.

Panorama: Pre-Incan Ruins at Kuelap in Northern Peru

For best panorama viewing results, press fullscreen (four arrows) and navigate around with your mouse.

Our Kuelap tour guide was refreshingly honest — he admitted that almost all the information available about the ruins was speculation. He offered competing theories from archeologists the world over and suggested that we decide which explanations made most sense to us.

Wonder why the “cloud people” lived in circular homes? One theory suggests that this structure offers better protection against earthquakes. Another keys off inhabitants’ superstition: circular homes don’t provide corners for spirits to hide in.

Our money is on the latter.

See those short rock wall dividers inside the dwellings? (You have to look really hard.) Piles of cuy (guinea pig) bones found in those areas suggest that they were family guinea pig pens. Now, before you think how cute it was for parents to allow their kids to keep their pets inside the house, we remind you of #1 on this post.

Although the Incas steal the limelight for Peru, remember there were groups of people living there before them…and no one really knows much about them.

That’s part of the fun.

Travel articles from Peru

• Keep Peru on Your Bucket List: Here’s Why
• The Salkantay Trek: From Glaciers to Machu Picchu
• Peruvian Food: More than Just Ceviche
• Machu Picchu? Not Yet. A Slideshow of the Other Peru
• Fawlty Tours: 7 Games Tour Companies Play
• Accommodation, Restaurant, Transport and Wifi Tips for Peru

Travel Photo Slideshows from Peru

• The Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu
• The Incan Ruins of Machu Picchu
• From Microfinance to Alpacas in the Hills of Peru
• Exploring Peruvian Cuisine
• Northern Peru: Chachapoyas, Kuelap and Cajamarca
• Crafts, Churches and Parades in Cusco

Originally posted on the Uncornered Market travel blog. Find beautiful travel photos from around the world. | 14 comments

We’re here to suggest — despite it all — that you keep Peru on (or consider adding it to) your travel bucket list.

Why?

Thousands of people earn their livelihoods by way of the tourism industry in and around Cusco and Machu Picchu. They work as guides, porters, and hotel staff; they are weavers and craft vendors.

With the latest wave of rain-driven natural disasters, locals have suffered plenty. The last thing they need is a fear-driven tourist drought to take away what few jobs they had, making it even more difficult to provide for their families.

We understand that tugging at heartstrings may not convince you to visit Peru anytime soon, but maybe our experiences and photos will.

If you would like to skip ahead to our photo essays, here they are:

• Northern Peru: Chachapoyas, Kuelap and Cajamarca
• Cusco
• Machu Picchu
• Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu
• Huancavelica and Microfinance in the Andes
• Peruvian Food (mostly Lima)

There’s certainly more to Peru than just Machu Picchu.

Chachapoyas and Kuelap
Don’t let the endless bus rides full of sheer cliffs scare you away from the northern Peruvian town of Chachapoyas. The town itself is pleasant and the nearby pre-Incan ruins of Kuelap, with their circular stone buildings, are worth a side trip. After all, everyone has heard of the Incas. But who were the folks in the region before them? Archeological theories abound as to why buildings were circular, but the reality is that no one really knows (our guide was quite honest about this speculation, thankfully). It all adds to the mystique of the 1000 year-old mountaintop citadel.

In the town of Chachapoyas, the friendliness of vendors and the abundance of fruit at the central market is surprising. There’s even some street food! Don’t forget to try the black olives — delicious and absurdly inexpensive.

Cajamarca
There’s something about the not-too-thin air of mid-alpine colonial Cajamarca. People are friendly, dairy products like manjar blanco, dulce de leche and cheese are likely some of the country’s best, and the indigenous head wear appear carved from giant loaves of white bread.

Because Cajamarca is a university town, cultural events are frequent. You might even be lucky enough to catch an international folk dance festival during your visit.

Or more pedestrian concerns may draw you to avail yourself of one of the best and cheapest haircuts on the planet.

Lima
Many people dislike Lima; they minimize their time there or often avoid it altogether. The biggest thing going against Lima is the weather: a chronically gray perma-drizzle. But in Lima’s defense, it’s actually a nice place to visit.

We are convinced that Lima’s poor reputation has this has to do with the neighborhood where most travelers choose to stay: Miraflores. While Central Lima is a bit down-at-the-heels, Miraflores is downright soulless. Do yourself a favor and stay in Barranco, a neighborhood a little further out from the center than Miraflores, but one with an abundance of independent restaurants, cool graffiti and an air of an artists’ community.

Most importantly, a visit to Lima is worth it for the eating experiences alone.

Huancavelica
Interested in someplace without any tourists where you can get a feel for indigenous Andean Peru? If so, Huancavelica is the place for you.

We found ourselves there for a photography project and saw only one other traveler in the course of a week. The town itself is relatively small, but you can head out into the surrounding hills and villages for some visually spectacular walks. Although the region has been affected by the recent heavy rains, we’ve been told that the damage hasn’t been on the scale of that seen in Cusco and the Sacred Valley.

Cusco
We didn’t take excursions to the Sacred Valley or buy entry into the various churches or museums. Instead, we used our time in Cusco to acclimatize, look for a trek to Machu Picchu, and walk the city. We also hung out on the main square on Sunday to talk with handicraft vendors and take in a parade marched by local military, school and hospital staff. If the hawkers in Cusco’s main square drive you mad, consider taking a walk up into the hills of Cusco where ordinary people make their way.

Note: Cusco’s main square features a handicrafts market on the first Sunday of each month. The vendors are decked out in their colorful indigenous dress. They are exceptionally friendly and are happy to talk about their crafts and the techniques they use. Local craftspeople enjoy participating in this market because it allows them to sell their work directly rather than through middlemen and souvenir shops.

Machu Picchu and the Salkantay Trek
The granddaddy of sights in Peru, Machu Picchu makes the bucket list of many. And for good reason.

If you haven’t already, check out the full story of our Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu in which we document our entire journey.

——
So don’t let pictures of Peru’s floods scare you away; keep it on the list.

And when you build your Peru itinerary, keep in mind that it’s a big country. Throw in an exploration or two beyond the main tourist sights.

Travel Tips for Peru: Accommodation, Restaurants, Wi-fi Internet, Transport and Activities

Originally posted on the Uncornered Market travel blog. Find beautiful travel photos from around the world. | 23 comments

I feel sorry for the Colombians. They only have three types of peppers.

– A pepperista — surrounded by 40 different pepper varieties at the Mistura Peruvian food festival — sheds unintended humorous light on one of the many advantages of Peruvian cuisine.

Peruvian cuisine has attained a certain hipness over the last decade. So when we put out a call to our network for Peruvian food suggestions prior to our visit to Lima, we were surprised when the net response amounted to “ceviche and pisco sours.”

For sure those are requisite tastes, but the Peruvian food scene offers so much more. Influenced from the mountains, from the jungle, from the coast, and from abroad (Europe, Japan and China), Peruvian cuisine — tart, rich, spicy, and international — stands distinct in Latin America.

Peruvian food is accessible: you don’t need to spend a fortune to eat well. Peruvians are understandably proud of their food, too. During our visit, we often developed a rapport with fellow diners. As a result, our conversations moved to family, politics, economics and life. Once again, good food opened the doors to a culture.

But before we enter a culinary philosophical vortex from which we can never return, let’s dig in.

Ceviche: Traditional Peruvian ceviche features raw fish that is citrus-cooked by marinating in Peruvian lime juice, raw onions, and chili. It is usually accompanied by some corn (on or off the cob) and a slice of sweet potato whose sweet starch provides almost perfect balance to the acidity of the leche de tigre, the ceviche marinade. For greater variety, try ceviche mixto which throws in octopus, shrimp and other shellfish. You will also likely be served an appetizer or side of canchas, large toasted, salted corn kernels.

Where to get it: For some of Lima’s highest value ceviche, pop on into Lima’s Surquillo market on Saturday at midday. Find the seafood aisle and chat with the seafood woman who will tell you that the fish most often used in ceviche is the ojo de uva. A few meters away at this popular place, locals will be downing large plates of ceviche mixtos (including fish and shellfish) for 12 soles ($4.50). Share a table, eat beautiful ceviche and — if you put yourself out there — enjoy some conversations about Peruvian history and life in Lima.

Tiradito: Similar to ceviche, but more subtle and refined, hinting at some Japanese influence. The primary difference between ceviche and tiradito? No onions. In place of onions, tiradito marinades often feature ginger and aji (Peruvian hot pepper). You can also find tiradito served (as in the photo below) with creamy aji amarillo (yellow hot pepper) or rocoto (hot red bell-like pepper) sauces.

Causa rellena: Bright yellow mashed potatoes seasoned with lime and aji, filled with tuna, shrimp, or crab and topped with avocado and a creamy cocktail sauce. The ultimate comfort food in the Peruvian kitchen. Just as decadent as it sounds — and looks in the photo at the top of this post.

Conchitas a la Parmesana (parmesan gratinated scallops): Rich and buttery. Scallops topped with grated parmesan and baked just brown. Our favorite appetizer.

Seafood Stuffed Tequenos: Taking a culinary cue from Asia, Peruvians give us tequenos, the Peruvian spring roll. Thinly rolled, filled with chicken or seafood, fried and served with various dips.

Where to get these dishes: Although we sampled seafood fare at several restaurants, we found the best quality and value at El Muelle, a restaurant/cafe located in Lima’s Barranco neighborhood. Location: At the corner of San Martin and Alfonso Ugarate Streets (one block away from Metro Supermarket).

Chupe: A creamy chili-seasoned stew-like soup chock full of fish, shrimp, crab and whatever else the chef wants to throw in.

Pescado a lo Macho: Fish fillet topped with a creamy aji-rocoto pepper and shellfish sauce.

Seafood Chaufa: Peruvian Chinese fried rice turned with ginger and spices. Particularly in Lima, you’ll find it chock full of shellfish (squid, mussels, and shrimp).

Parihuela: Think Peruvian style bouillabaisse. Tomato-based seafood soup spiced with hot pepper.

Sushi: We know, we know. Sushi is not Peruvian. Lima’s Japanese influence and position on the Pacific coast makes it home to some decent sushi, however.
Where to Get It: From the moment we walked through the door at Edo, we enjoyed the atmosphere and pace. A line of Japanese sushi chefs behind a well-supplied counter dish out inventive rolls and healthy cuts of sashimi. Address: Berlin 601, Miraflores, Lima.

Rocoto Relleno: The Peruvian stuffed hot pepper. Stuffing can include just about anything it seems, but the norm is some combination of chunked or ground beef, cheese, hard-boiled egg, onions, garlic, herbs, spices and raisins, all in a hot cream pepper sauce. Originally a specialty of Arequipa, rocoto relleno is popular and available throughout Peru.

Lomo Saltado: Slices of beef stir fried with onions, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, and soy sauce.

Anticuchos: Marinated and spiced beef hearts, skewer-roasted. Very rich and tasty, but more than one might just leave your heart beating a bit faster than normal.

Aji de Gallina: Chicken — pulled or on the bone — served in a creamy aji sauce. While we loved the concept of this dish, we found most versions to be lacking the oomph one might expect from a pepper sauce. Having said that, the sauce in the aji de langostina from Trattoria dei Prati at the Mistura festival was subtle, earthy, rich and delicious.

Ocopa: Boiled, sliced potatoes lathered in sauce blended from milk and dissolved saltines, aji panca amarilla chili pepper, walnuts and huatacay (a regional herb sometimes referred to as Amazon black mint).

Papas Huancaina: Think of it as a simpler version of ocopa. Boiled potato slices served in an ocopa sauce, roughly minus the nuts and herbs.

Papas Rellena: Deep-fried mashed potato logs stuffed with various fillings including seasoned ground meat, spices, and olives.

Tacu Tacu: An Afro-Peruvian dish. A seasoned mixture of beans and rice formed into a tortilla/turnover and fried. Often served with an egg and a slab of fried beef or chicken.

Pachamanca: The classic Peruvian grill: meat, potatoes, corn, lima beans, humitas (sweet tamales) all cooked in a pit lined with heated stones.

Pisco Sour: The cocktail that grows on you. Get your fill of the traditional pisco sour, a cocktail made with Peruvian pisco liquor and lime juice with a layer of beaten egg whites on top. After having done that, try some other flavors, including the one made with maracuya (passion fruit). When well-made, it’s incredible.

Where to get it: Huaringas in Miraflores, Lima. We sampled several pisco sours. If you want a serious, top-quality cocktail, this is the place.

Chicha morada: Alcohol-free drink made of purple corn (or black maize, if you like), boiled fruit juice (pineapple, quince or other citrus) and spices like cinnamon and clove. Recipes and quality vary widely. Surprisingly good with ceviche.
Where to get it: Lots of places serve it, but our favorite: the cevicheria at the Surquillo market.

Picarones: A donut/fritter made with sweet potato dough and served with a sweet honey and fig syrup. This snack is a Peruvian favorite and drew the longest of all lines at the Mistura Peruvian food festival.

Alfajores: Two buttery shortbread cookies with a healthy layer of manjar blanco (or dulce de leche) in between. The center is sweet, but when served with a proper shortbread cookie (not overly sweet), the result is terrific.

Leche asada: A baked custard made of evaporated milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla.

Where to get it: You can find leche asada, alfajores and a whole array of other desserts at La Tapa cafe on the corner of the San Martin Avenue and Domeyer Street in Lima’s Barranco neighborhood.

Chocolate Cake: Not quite a Peruvian specialty per se, but a slice of moist, rich chocolate cake at a bargain price of $0.75 is worthy of a mention. We thank Felipe, the owner of our guest house in Lima, for pointing out that the Chinese-run shop on the corner of Avenida Grau and Miraflores Street dishes the best chocolate cake around for thousands of miles. It almost competes with Audrey’s homemade version.

—
Lima is worth a stop on your Andean itinerary, if only to sample the food. If you go, however, you must make an effort to beyond Lima’s tourist ghetto, Miraflores. Consider this: the “Best Ceviche” award at the Mistura Peruvian food festival was given to a cevicheria in San Juan de Miraflores, considered to be one of Lima’s poorest neighborhoods.

Therein lies the key to Peruvian food.

Slideshow of Peruvian Food in Lima

If you don’t have a high-speed connection or want to read the captions, you can view the photo set here.

Originally posted on the Uncornered Market travel blog. Find beautiful travel photos from around the world. | 58 comments

So what happened? Our guide got drunk two nights in a row, tried to pinch us for more money with unplanned and overpriced transport, didn’t buy our Machu Picchu tickets in advance, missed our meeting on the day of Machu Picchu by two hours, and mismanaged our return train and bus tickets to Cusco.

Not bad, eh? (But we still had a great time. Our group even enjoyed a few laughs because of it.)

At each turn, the ironic assurances of our Cusco-based tour company echoed: “Pay a little more with us and you’ll have a better experience.”

So next time you book that tour or trek – especially in and around high-traffic choice destinations – here are a few things to keep in mind and some behaviors to look out for:

Sniff that price tag with a healthy dose of skepticism. More than once, we’ve been on a tour whose participants paid vastly different prices for the exact same service. And by vast, we’re not talking a couple of dollars, but double and triple the price.

It’s every buyer’s right to try and get the lowest price and every seller’s right to try and maximize his take. But while it’s fairly clear in the airline business that the cost of a flight depends heavily on when you book, that same level transparency does not appear to hold in the tour business.

Our experience: For the same exact services, participants on our Salkantay trek paid $180, $250, $300, $400 and over $500. Some people booked two days before in Cusco, others in Lima and Germany months in advance.

Advice: If many tour companies appear to be offering similar tours and services, visit a few (in person or online) and shop around to determine exactly what you’re paying for. If you are paying extra, be certain you are doing so for higher quality or convenience. Otherwise you are just leaving money on the table.

When and where you book will weigh heavily on the price you pay…and the number of middlemen sharing your cash. Prices from internet brokers who are not on location will likely be much higher.

Finally, research whether or not your tour or trek is flexible enough to accommodate just-in-time arrival. With the Inca Trail, this really isn’t an option. For alternative Machu Picchu treks like the Salkantay Trek or Sacred Valley tours, it usually is.

This phenomenon occurs when hundreds of companies sell the same tour and dump their clients into a funnel that empties into the embrace of a handful of freelance companies managing the actual services. You book with Company X, who coordinates with Company Y, and you end up in the hands of Company Z. Of course, Company X (who is really just a middleman) never lets you in on this secret. The result: a confounding mess of expectations and accountability.

Our experience: Our trekking group consisted of nine people who booked through six different companies. The trek itself was run by yet another company — if not an amalgam of companies (in fact, it was difficult to tell). The company we booked with marketed themselves as a “direct agency,” meaning that they ran the whole show. Our conversations with other tourists suggest this dishonest broken-record selling point is in play across many tour operators in Cusco.

Advice: A good tour company either runs their own show or offers transparent options outlining who is actually running the tour. Try to determine how many links are in the chain of agents that will deliver your services.

This is the tour variation on: “my friend has a jewelry [carpet/ceramics] shop with great prices.” When your guide begins to cut corners and offer options that were covered in the paid tour in the first place, you know that you are being chiseled. Mastery of this art involves creating opportunities for friends to make money and insisting there are no other providers in town other than the ones the guide recommends.

Photo Credit: Amagill (Flickr creative commons)

Our experience: Besides directing us to a taxi that was five times the going rate, our guide tried to convince the group to forgo hiking and pay for a bus the next day (driven by the same friend). When that trick didn’t stick, he insisted that we pay to transport our baggage to the next stop, even though every agency had included this service in the tour. Together as a group, we called the guide on his game. Suddenly, transport was available for our baggage and no more mention was made of his friend’s van.

Advice: If something doesn’t seem right, ask questions immediately instead of waiting until it’s too late. If you don’t like the unexpected detours (shops or otherwise), let your guide know this.

This is the chorus of guides and organizers around the world intending to soothe fears and concerns. If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it 10,000 times.

In the world of tours and treks, “no problem” begins when agencies leave details vague enough and open to interpretation so that when it comes down to accountability there is nothing definitive to hang a complaint on.

Our experience: In order to clarify what we were paying for, we asked endless questions when shopping around for our Salkantay trek. Tour companies often made us feel like we were paranoid.

“No problem. We organize everything,” was the common refrain. Yeah, right.

Advice: When you hear “no problem” while booking, expect problems. When you hear “no problem” on the trek, start praying. “No problem” is your cue to ask questions and get more specifics. Bottom line: if the company can’t provide answers, then it’s time to move on.

When your guide begins hinting about money — particularly by sharing stories of outsized tips given by other tourists — you know you are being lobbied.

Our experience: Fortunately, our Salkantay guide did his lobbying for the cook and horse handler (both of whom were competent and deserving of tips).

When we hiked the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, however, our companions’ porter began lobbying on day two of a fifteen-day trek and never let up. Our porter never said a word about money, and in the end, wound up with twice the tip.

Advice: If you find yourself being lobbied, consider diffusing it with humor. Playing dumb or acting aloof can also work. If the guide persists, let him know that the more time he spends talking about money and the less time he spends working as a good guide, the more rapidly his tip will evaporate.

Ah, the musical chairs of responsibility. When things go wrong, the guide blames the tour company; the tour company blames the guide.

Our experience: When our Machu Picchu and return tickets to Cusco weren’t ready upon our arrival in Aguas Calientes, our guide blamed the tour company. Upon our return to Cusco, our tour company’s response regarding the missing tickets and drinking: “The guide is responsible once the tour starts.”

So what exactly are we paying the tour company for?

Advice: Before handing over your money, consider asking the tour company: “If something goes wrong on the tour or with the guide, who is responsible? What will the company do if things don’t go as planned on the tour? What is my recourse?” Listen to the answers and proceed accordingly.

Cultural differences are one thing, but when you take our money and make promises about very basic things (tickets, times to meet, what services are included, etc.), the excuse – “We do things differently here” – begins to lose its validity.

Our experience: As things fell apart on our Salkantay trek, a woman from Germany began asking questions about the way the trek was organized. The guide’s response: “This isn’t Germany. We do things differently in Peru.”

Sorry, but failing to purchase entrance tickets to Machu Picchu doesn’t fall under the “cultural sensitivity” rubric.

Advice: Respect and cultural sensitivity come first. Maybe everything won’t go exactly as you expect, and culture can certainly play a role in that. But when you see the big stuff going awry, then it’s time to voice your objections.

——–
A big thanks to our trekking group for helping to make the experience what it was. If forced to choose between a competent tour company/guide and a good-natured trekking group, we’d choose the latter.

And, a special thanks goes to Seamus, the young man with the Irish flag who provided the inspiration for the title of this piece and always kept us laughing.

Caveats:

• We queried over 20 people in Cusco, and countless others along our journey. It was incredible how similar everyone’s experiences were, no matter the company or tour.
• Specifically for Cusco, we did hear of well-organized Inca Trail and small-group tours (where, it turns out, lobbying is the biggest problem you face).
• By no means does every tour operator or guide exhibit these characteristics. Having said that, it’s useful to recognize the warning signs should you encounter them so you can respond accordingly.

Originally posted on the Uncornered Market travel blog. Find beautiful travel photos from around the world. | 26 comments

Call one a spendthrift. Call the other cheap. Value is in the eye of the beholder.

The theme and concept of value reveals itself regularly on the road. What is something worth? How much are you willing to pay? What enjoyment or satisfaction have you attained for your money? And how much has the context — the location, the time of day, the feeling of insecurity, or the convenience – influenced your sense of value?

There are no definitive answers; there are as many responses as there are travelers. The value debate will forever rage on.

We consider the question of value because, having just crossed the border from Peru into Bolivia, we find ourselves readjusting our own value-meter to new circumstances. Peru was by no means an inexpensive travel destination — particularly in tourist areas — but there were nuggets of value to be found amidst the expense.

Here’s what two Peruvian soles ($0.66) can buy you:

1. A Haircut: A cafe owner in the town of Cajamarca pointed us in the direction of the town’s “barber street” where the going rate for a man’s haircut is two soles. Not only was this the cheapest cut of our journey, but also one of the best haircuts Dan has enjoyed in the Russian roulette of haircuts he plays about every six weeks.

(In case you are wondering, Dan’s worst-value barber experience? Lahic, Azerbaijan. He ran for his life from the chair after the barber butchered his neck in a shave and greased his hair into a butt-cut. Asking price: $5)

2. Bag of Coca Leaves: In preparation for the high altitude of the Salkantay Trek, we poked outside the Cusco central market in search of coca leaves, the local remedy for soroche (altitude sickness).

“Two soles worth?” the vendor asked. We nodded, expecting a tiny bag. Instead, we got this:

Note: In case you are wondering, coca leaves are indeed the raw material for cocaine. Roughly speaking, it takes two leaps — grinding the leaves into a paste and chemical processing — to transform the arguably innocent little leaf into the white powder known as cocaine.

3. Three Artichokes: One of Audrey’s most favored foods, fresh artichokes are the stuff of glee, so much so that she almost did a jig when we stumbled upon this artichoke stand at Surquillo Market in Lima. The going rate? Three artichokes for two soles.

The outer leaves were meaty and their taste featured the slightest hint of allspice. The hearts, substantial and rich. We steamed and served them with Peruvian aioli. Audrey was on Cloud 9.

———-

The sense of value is a personal one, so we put the question to you: what’s the best thing you’ve bought for $0.66 (give or take)? Be creative. You can also go back in time.

The most unique response gets a bag of coca leaves. Kidding, kidding.

Instead, we’ll send you something from Bolivia as a reward. And don’t worry, we’ll make sure it’s worth more than $0.66.

Next up in the value debate: when the discussion moves to the 100s and 1000s of dollars.

Originally posted on the Uncornered Market travel blog. Find beautiful travel photos from around the world. | 22 comments

But add to Machu Picchu a hike to the foot of a hulking 20,575 foot (6,271 meter) glacier, a walk through Andean valleys, and a skim of the Peruvian jungle. Throw in a diverse and upbeat group of travel companions to share the slog across switchbacks and up giant staircases, and the march to Machu Picchu becomes an event, a series of accomplishments and a trip well worth taking.

That was our Salkantay Trek.

If prose isn’t your thing, skip to the photos here:

Salkantay Trek

Machu Picchu

(And don’t forget to check out the Salkantay Glacier and Machu Picchu 360-degree panoramas below.)

After surviving a hail storm and a slippery “short-cut” obstacle course of mountain streams, cows, cowpies, and rocks, we dined with our group at the 3,900 meter (12,800 foot) campsite of Soraypampa. Cold, wet and disoriented from altitude, more than a few of us entertained sneaking off to the five star lodge across the valley. But in the cache of the Humantay and Salkantay glaciers and the star clouds of the Milky Way, we worked ourselves to sleep.

“Buenos dias! Mate de coca!” Our guide Henrique seemed a bit too cheerful for a frosty 4:30 AM wake-up. Through our tent flap, two tin cups of piping coca leaf tea appeared. We huddled around the steam and mustered the courage to leave our warm sleeping bags.

Fortunately, a beautiful, clear day awaited us.

Shortly after 6 AM, we began our walk up. As we carved our way through gravel and rock, the sun began to rise over the peaks above us. The previous day’s fresh snowfall glistened with clean perfection. Photo-worthy views emerged at every turn.

Feeling sluggish and facing the most daunting set of switchbacks of the ascent, we reached for our stash of coca leaves. We tucked a wad of leaves in our mouths and chewed. Hoping for the clarity and energy boost that all locals promised, we pushed on with our mantra: “One foot in front of the other.”

After more than three hours of full ascent, we reached the pass at 4,650 meters (15,525 feet). The cairns laid there recalled similar stone piles neatly arranged for prayer and direction in places Nepal and Sikkim.

For our efforts, we were rewarded with this view:

Click on the box at the far right (4 arrows) and move inside the image using your cursor or the arrows.

Our descent witnessed a rapid transformation from the barren and crisp to the lush and balmy. When we stopped for the night, Sebastian, our horseman, arranged our tents on a verdant hillside clearing with an expansive view of the valley below. Exhaustion and relief reigned at the end of a long day. Some celebrated with a cold shower. We opted for a cold beer instead.

Our trekking group – nine people, four nationalities, and a 41-year age span from eldest to youngest – conversed its way from the day’s reflections to life in Peru and the effect of the “War on Drugs” in South America.

Day 3 of our trek was marked by wild orchids, tropical flowers, lush bamboo and waterfalls. In the few small villages we passed along the way, homes often appeared the same shade of mud brown as the recently turned fields that surrounded them.

Across the canyon, a road was being carved out of the mountainside, reminding us again of the never-ending struggle between man and nature. Landslides — likely the result clear-cut logging — marred the landscape. But it was clear that Mother Nature would win this battle by wiping out sections of the road with the next round of heavy rains.

The weather continuously warmed until our arrival in Santa Teresa, where we relaxed our aching muscles in the natural hot springs. We submerged ourselves in an effort to take refuge from swarms of bugs with ferocious appetites for human blood.

We had completed 57 of the 75 kilometers of the trek. We were in the home stretch.

On Day 4, just a few more kilometers, a hydroelectric plant, and railroad tracks stood between us and our fourth and final night in Aguas Calientes.

Gluttons for punishment, we began the uphill grind from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu on foot at 4:30 AM. Motivation for such a departure: to arrive early enough to obtain one of the 400 available daily permits to climb Wayna Picchu (the steep mountain seen in the background of every Machu Picchu photo). Between us and our goal lay a maddening series of switchbacks and steep rock stairways, and a 400 meter (1,300 foot) climb that would leave us drained and drenched in sweat.

When we arrived, Machu Picchu and the surrounding peaks remained shrouded in morning fog. The light was soft; the atmosphere was — for lack of a more appropriate cliché — mystical. Terraced fields cascaded from the ancient city, showcasing yet another of man’s battles with nature. When we asked the guide why we don’t see terraced fields in Andean villages today, he responded: “We’re too lazy now to build them.”

Makes you wonder what happened to the culture in the intervening years.

Machu Picchu strikes us as one of those places best appreciated as a whole, in the context of its surrounding environment. In this way, it’s possible to begin to grasp what the Incas had accomplished: the installation of a complex, functioning city into an uncooperative mountainside.

A walk up to the top of Wayna Picchu (an endeavor not for the faint of heart) affords one of these all-encompassing panoramic views. From there, Machu Picchu appears a hillside birthmark amidst a vast, imposing mountain range.

Click on the box at the far right (4 arrows) and move inside the image using your cursor or the arrows.

And as the day drew to a close and the crowds thinned, we took a cue from these folks:

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Slots on the traditional Inca Trail are restricted to 500 people per day and demand is so high that booking 3-5 months in advance is usually required. We almost never book anything in advance since our plans change as projects and opportunities arise.

The traditional Inca trail is littered with Inca ruins. On the surface, this sounds ideal. However, we’ve heard stories of trekkers who begin to suffer ruin saturation and fatigue, so much so that by the time they arrive at Machu Piccchu, they feel some letdown. Not so with Salkantay where the trek is defined by imposing glaciers, lush valleys and high jungle; Machu Picchu is the only set of ruins you will see. If ruins are your focus, the traditional Inca Trail is obviously the route for you.

We also trek to get away. The Salkantay Trek offers a low-traffic alternative to an undoubtedly more crowded traditional Inca Trail. Having said that, reports suggest that people are not falling over one another on the traditional Inca Trail. One final consideration: perhaps due to demand and reputation, treks on the Traditional Inca Trail also tend to be better organized.

Taking all this into account, were both options available to us at the time of booking, we would still have opted for the Salkantay Trek.

Originally posted on the Uncornered Market travel blog. Find beautiful travel photos from around the world. | 38 comments

But there’s almost always another side to the countries we visit. And sometimes we disappear into the hills for weeks to find it.

When we told Peruvians we were headed to the hill town of Huancavelica, their response was often: “Huancavelica? But that’s the poorest area in Peru.”

We traveled there to photograph and profile microfinance borrowers and were further exposed to the realities of life in the rural Andes. Here’s what we found:

Note: If you have trouble with the slideshow or you would like to see the captions and titles of the photos, check out the photo set here.

The Challenge for the Interloper
We departed Lima at 11:30PM.

We fell asleep somewhere after midnight, only to wake up around 3:30 AM to shortness of breath, cold perspiration, and a general feeling of anxiety. In less than four hours, we had climbed over 4,800 meters/16,000 feet to the Anticona Pass at Ticlio, Peru’s highest navigable mountain pass and one of the highest roads in the world.

Upon our arrival in Huancavelica later that morning, at a mere 3,676 meters (12,000 feet), we downed cups of coca tea (a natural altitude sickness remedy) and spent the better part of the day adjusting to the thinned air. Our heads were fuzzy, we moved slowly, our hearts beat heavily and our thought processes retained a certain murkiness.

The Challenge for the Native
During our visit to the more remote villages outside of Huancavelica, the surrounding peaks outlined how beautiful yet challenging mountain areas can be. Valleys lay vast as sparse villages of mud brick homes clung to the hills. We wondered what steps people took to survive.

Because jobs are scarce and agriculture is often not enough to live on, village men work away from home in the mines. They return home only once or twice a month. Wives left behind raise their children (often in the range of five to nine of them) on their own. Because the money their husbands earn is usually not enough and the lack of jobs also extends to them, women run basic businesses in order to make ends meet.

For our photo project, we visited rural villages – some only accessible by foot – to witness the work being done by ECLOF, a global microfinance organization whose Huancavelica program is less than six months old and funded by Five Talents, a microfinance NGO based in the United States. The program makes small loans to clients (mainly women) in the range of 200-600 soles ($66-$200). Additionally, the program provides skills training and capacity building so that clients may learn how to improve their businesses and in turn their lives.

Over the course of a few days, our heads became filled with stories:

• Juana produces and sells ice cream in a small town to support her seven children (two more grown children live away from home).
• Paolina raises guinea pigs and sells hand-knitted goods and cheese in a small village to support her seven children.
• Isabel weaves and knits her way into providing as a single mother and dreams of someday exporting her work.
• Donaires sells coca leaves at the main market in Huancavelica and shared with us all the natural benefits of chewing coca leaves (it soothes altitude sickness, provides calcium, disinfects the mouth, cures stomach ills, etc.).
• Zenovia runs a small village restaurant, sews blouses, raises guinea pigs, and weaves traditional blankets (mantas) with the help of her whole family.

At one of the borrower group meetings we attended, a woman broke down as she spoke about the support she receives from the women sitting around her. When she got sick, the other members of her loan group made her loan payments for her until she was healthy again. While individual successes are important, the success of the group is the broader aim.

To make the point, another woman captured a rather uplifting spirit, but with tears in her eyes: “When one of us falls, we help her even more.”

Originally posted on the Uncornered Market travel blog. Find beautiful travel photos from around the world. | 9 comments