Working Out The Details

Preparations have moved from the “We’re going to Peru” phase to the “Let’s think about what we’ll actually be doing there” phase. Fortunately, Max, Ben and I have relatively compatible travel philosophies (at least that’s what I’m telling myself now.) Creative young people that we are, we each have our own vision of how we will distinguish our trip to Peru from the millions of others that have gone before us, to experience something that we can call our own. No, this is not some post-collegiate spring-break debauchery with an Andean backdrop. This is not a pre-packaged jaunt with umbrella martinis served up by the ‘local color.’ There will also be no pampering, no therapy with hot stones and no antioxidants. We will be the artists of our own experience, living by our wits as we set off on the trail of that final enlightenment, which is probably around the bend in the next mountain village or at the next stunning view of the Cordillera Blanca.

Whoops! I might have let just a little bit too much of my fundamental cynicism creep into that last paragraph. Great expectations of attaining spiritual wholeness aside, most of the time our biggest worry will probably be catching the next bus. I expect this trip to have plenty of flash photography, traveling with tourists, speaking English to fellow white people and tour-guides as well as visits to many of the predictable landmarks like Machu Picchu. Who doesn’t love Machu Picchu? I’ve seen it on TV at least twenty times so I have a pretty good idea of how important it is. Trust me; I’m going.

As for roughing it, I’m sure we will hit a couple hostels that are a bit tough and ready, but they will still be hostels all the same. We will also have Uncle Rico to help us get our feet in the ground when we get to Lima. Thus far, we have no plans to sleep in any stables, hitch-hike or do any other fun, dangerous On The Road type stuff. Let me qualify that. It is possible that we may do some tenting, especially if we decide to hit one of the canyons. If my plan to climb one of the more accessible peaks comes to fruition, we may indeed get a taste of something that is a bit wilder than the typical tourist fare. The question then is whether we would be tough and smart enough to handle it.

The necessity of Machu Picchu and the possibility of mountains were amongst the topics that came up in the Skype conversation between Max, Ben and I. We had all researched independently, but our visions included many of the same attractions that were stops along the so-called “Gringo Trail.” The Lonely Planet Guidebook identifies the Gringo Trail as the tourist-heavy loop in the South of Peru that includes destinations such as Cuzco, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, the Nazca Lines, Cañon del Colca and the city of Arequipa. To be sure, Lonely Planet has an ideological ax to grind and will make you feel guilty for taking road more traveled by. Despite wanting to feel creative and original, I’ll admit that the destinations on the trail were also the most appealing to me. Arequipa is supposed to be an amazing, culturally unique town. Similarly, Cañon del Colca sounds like a spectacle not to be missed. I might take a pass only if we decide to do the even more remote (and deeper) Cañon del Cotahuasi.

As appealing as the gringo trail is, we want to get to the jungle and somewhere in the Andean highlands. The most prominent jungle city is Iquitos, a town that has no roads leading to it, but is only accessible by air or via boat. I think we may pass on Iquitos in favor of Puerto Maldonado, a less-removed jungle city, which has busses connecting it to Cuzco.

Air travel within Peru is something that I am not particularly enthusiastic about, not because of money but because I’m a lefty, whale hugging, granola chewing environmentalist—although a hypocritical one at that. After all, haven’t I become enough of a carbon sinner by flying down to Peru and then flying back? I know that flying is one of the worst things I can do for the environment. Since I’ve already committed a great crime against the earth by arranging my flight to Lima, it may seem as though a domestic flight would be a small sin by comparison. Well, my moral code is far from perfect. I put a special clause inside the document that states that you can still do something you think is wrong as long as you feel guilty about it for a long time after. Don’t worry; I was just being dramatic there. I’m not talking about justifying a murder or theft of over a hundred dollars. It’s more like my approach to little things like leaving dishes in the sink or putting thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide into the upper atmosphere. It’s not worth it to get all fussed about it.