This Christmas I made a return trip to Peru and Ecuador. Though I had been to both I was excited to see Machu Picchu once again, and this time staying in the small town of Aguas Callentes at the base of the ruins. This allowed us to visit in the afternoon as well as the next morning.
Arriving a day before the tour started gave me the chance to take a walking tour in the Barranco neighborhood of Lima and was able to see some great street art and murals. I’ve included these in a separate post. That first evening I also took a walking food tour in downtown sampling many Peruvian dishes.
During my free time I visited Santa at the Larcomar Shopping Center in Miraflores. Santa said I was very good this year! Ha!
On the main tour we traveled to the Sacred Valley (Urubamba) where we visited a local grade school and had a home hosted lunch. From there we took the train to Machu Picchu for two nights. Our next stop was Cusco where we visited the old town and other local sites.
After ten nights in Peru we flew to Quito, Ecuador. There we visited the Equator and attended a short concert by the Sinamune Disabled Children’s Orchestra. Sinamune provides musical education, training, therapy, and participation in an orchestra for children and young adults with disabilities and special needs. My tour operator’s foundation has financially supported Sinamune for over a decade. A really great experience.
Leaving Quito we flew to the Galápagos Islands for a four night cruise. I’ve created a separate album of my photos from the Galápagos.
Dates: Dec 11 – 29, 2019
Operator: Overseas Adventure Travel
The Adventures of Dave 