There’s a 4 by 3 foot map of the world consuming a wall in our office. It’s studded with pushpins designating nearly 100 countries, the ones that I’ve been fortunate enough to explore. Some locations are completely saturated with pins. Others are unchartered territory. It was only in 2024 that I made my South American debut, in Chile.
But Peru had been calling me for a long time. An earlier planned trip was thwarted by insurgents who rendered the country too risky to visit. So it was with excitement, lofty expectations, and blissful awareness of a world class food scene that I boarded my flight to Lima.
The trip encompassed a one week yoga/hiking retreat plus 3 days each in Lima and Cusco with 3 friends. We covered a lot of ground during the yoga/hiking portion – Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, Maras Salt Flats, Moray and Pisac ruins, the unexpected villages of Ollantaytambo and Urubamba.
In Lima, where the (winter) sun never made an appearance, we enjoyed a 4.5 hour foodie walking tour, the gem that is the Larco museum, and freshly-made crepes atop a windswept beach cliff. We ogled colorful and creative street art and puttered around the enticing Miraflores and Barranco neighborhoods.
As the experience starts to settle in my mind, I’m recalling it in the following buckets.
The Food
Always foremost for me!
I loved it. What I recall most vividly was the potatoes (fun fact – there are more than 4000 varieties!), the corn (over 55 varieties), quinoa, and fruits like lucuma (tastes a bit like the lovechild of a mango and a sweet potato), aguaymanto (gooseberry), granadilla (sweet passionfruit), and chirimoya (custard apple).
Potatoes prevail in the gamut from rough and crispy chips to the humble fried potato planks, as in lomo saltado – one of Peru’s wildly popular dishes. Lomo saltado promises a plate loaded with quick stir fried beef strips, tomatoes, red onion, Peruvian chiles, French fries and often rice as well. It’s an iconic example of Chifa Cuisine (Peruvian and Chinese fusion cooking). The Chinese migrants who arrived in the mid-19th century chose Peru to work in agriculture and brought along their woks, soy sauce, ginger scallions, and the like.
Corn can be savored on or off the cob, although kernels are often considerably larger than what we’re used to. But it’s most interesting and addictive in salty snacks, and even in a sweet purple corn drink called Chicha Morada.
Speaking of drinks, you could gulp the local favorite- Inka Cola (a bubble gummy sweet soda with cult status), or follow my lead and sip Pisco sours. The perfect cocktail, imho, it pairs local Pisco brandy (made from grapes), with lime juice, simple syrup, and egg white. This is topped off with a few drops of Angostura bitters to create the perfect balance of citrusy sweet foamy tangy deliciousness. At 45% alcohol content, the ease with which Pisco Sours go down, and the impact of the 11,000+ altitude – well, let’s just say, one does need to keep an eye on intake!
Come to think of it, perhaps it’s the excess of Pisco Sours that would lead one to order the national dish – Cuy (Roasted Guinea Pig!) or even Alpaca. I did no such thing.
A culinary highlight was the Pachamama lunch where we dined al fresco in the gardens of our cozy hotel, just a stone’s throw from their own small batch coffee roastery and spirits distillery.
Pachamama means Mother Earth; she is a revered figure by the local Quechua people, who call the Andes mountains home.
For this extraordinary meal, our uncooked food was layered on top of sizzling rocks in a huge pit in the ground. First the myriad of potato varieties were lovingly placed, then fava beans, a whole pineapple, more rocks, then chicken, pork, lamb. This was doused in a green sauce flavored with local Muna (Andean mint), garlic and cumin, then banana leaves, dirt and finally, a bouquet of wildflowers as an offering to Mother Earth.
For this lunch, our dessert was simply fire-roasted pineapple and local coffee from the farm. But elsewhere in Peru, elevated desserts matched the outstanding food. Chocolate is featured prominently and so are seasonal fruits. The most memorable sweet ending was a Suspiro (meaning “sigh”, because that is exactly what results from one tucking into this creation!) Ours was studded with chirimoya (custard apple), then stacked with meringue, whipped cream, strawberries and caramel.
Runner up status goes to the Alfajores – heavenly shortbread cookie sandwiches, traditionally filled with dulce de leche caramel, but I sampled unique versions such as chocolate lucuma and passion fruit.
The Topography
We’ve all seen photos of Machu Picchu and yes, it’s as glorious as one would expect. But I was equally mesmerized by the surrounding mountains which frame the famous ruins. These peaks can be sharp or rounded, staggeringly high or just average, and verdant green or ice capped. There is nothing one-note about this landscape.
But surprisingly, it’s not all about Machu Picchu. Every day there were different ruins to scramble up or other interesting geographical wonders to explore. A highlight was the salt flats at Maras, a checkerboard array of more than 6000 little ponds carved into the mountainside by the Incas.
And near Pisac, I ascended to the highest altitude of the trip, a remarkable 11,529 feet at a terraced fortress called Q’allaqasa.
The Culture
Always a major factor when I plan travel, the traditions, values, beliefs, habits, clothing, music, art, and folklore are prominent in Peru. Intricate weavings with vibrant colors bear testimony to a time-honored craft, handmade musical instruments (and yes, the ubiquitous flute) represent the importance of sound and melody, pottery and ceramics reflect all aspects of life and there are utilitarian items made from impossibly soft alpaca, sheep and llama wool.
The hats are extraordinary (some look a bit like the one worn by Abraham Lincoln!) and the woven “backpacks” borne by women carrying small children or a load of goods are iconic.
There are also festively dressed ladies walking around carrying baby goats or sheep or leading alpacas. It’s an inventive way to earn a few Peruvian Soles because who doesn’t want their picture taken with all that adorable wooliness?
An unexpected finding was either a pair of bulls on rooftops and/or skeleton heads in little nooks of exterior house walls. The bulls symbolize protection, prosperity and fertility while the skeleton heads honor the ancestors.
Related symbolism manifested in the local trinity of Condor, Puma, and Serpent. The Condor represents the sky/world of the gods, the Puma represents the earth/world of the living and the Serpent represents the underworld/world of the dead.
Peru was all that I had hoped for. I’m still reliving the experience and am fortunate enough to live in an area with a handful of local Peruvian eateries. A recent visit to a South American market has me stocked with the right culinary ingredients cook my own Peruvian food and yes, I carried home a bottle of local Pisco to try my hand at Pisco Sours. But in addition to some local herbal remedies and a handful of souvenirs (jungle seed jewelry, llama earrings and an alpaca sweater), I took away an ancient and inspirational philosophy.
Ayni, the core value in Andean culture, centers around harmony, reciprocity and helping each other both within our community and in nature. I’m liking the idea of promoting these things in our world, starting here and now.
Gracias, Peru!
16 Comments
I relived every bit of the trip through your words and photos!!! I loved Peru!!! Thank you Alysa this was a treat to read!
Thanks, Alice – you were right there for so many of those photos – glad it brought back great memories of a wonderful trip.
Here’s to the next one! 🙂
We also enjoyed Peru, both the varied sights, how colorful the culture is and we also loved the variety of food and how wonderful the meals were. Thanks for allowing us to relive the experience through your trip.
Great to hear from you, Karl. Thanks for writing. It sure is a special place. In hindsight, we were lucky to get there when we did. We have friends stranded there now due to the strikes.
my mouth won’t stop watering from the food!!
thank u! Wishing us all anniversary in these
turbulent times.perhaps if we all ate more
potatoes and chocolate we would get along.
once again I feel like u took me on ur trip.thank u
thanks, Martha, for being such an enthusiastic reader/supporter/special person! You inspire me to keep going!
Ahhh! Brought back fond memories of my visit to Peru. One of my favorite places. YOU are a constant reminder of planning travel for adventures to be had. You know how to make life exciting and flavorful
It would have been so fun to hike and eat (and drink Pisco sours) with you in Peru. On to our next adventure together!
Wow! Just Wow! Your writing, descriptions and pictures are all amazing! Congratulations on another incredible post. I love reading about your travels. I don’t know of anyone who travels the way you do. Keep going.
Thanks, Lisa. You are so kind, especially as a fellow blogger/traveler.
Here’s to MANY more great travels for both of us. We’re so lucky!
Andy and I have been there. great photos and memories
love to both of you. wishing you a happy new year as well.
Thanks, Elaine, for taking the time to come along to Peru with me! 🙂
And happy new year to you!
Glorious! What an exquisite ancient culture, beautifully described!
Thank you Phyllis – nice to have you “along” for the ride!
Be well!
Thanks for your post. Reminds of our 58 day cruise around South America starting in Peru.
We have a 50th wedding anniversary cruise in January starting in Miami cruising thru the Panama Canal to Hawaii and to the South Pacific ending in Tahiti This will be our 78th cruise since we retired primarily on Regent Seven Seas, a small ship with 700 passengers. We have been to almost every civilized country except for Cambodia.
However, our favorite land trip was to South Africa
20 years ago.
Thanks for writing and congratulations on the big anniversary and wow, 78 cruises! Sounds like it may be time to start travelling to some uncivilized countries? 🙂