Last minute advice requested

Thus far I have packed:
* Underwear

3/20/2013 8:48:04 PM

sunscreen

3/20/2013 8:48:32 PM

Good point! Little known fact - apparently Cusco has the highest UV exposure on the planet

3/20/2013 8:51:11 PM

how long are you staying there?

3/20/2013 8:54:34 PM

if you take a golden idol from a booby-trapped temple, remember there is a giant boulder that is going to crush you.

3/20/2013 8:56:43 PM

8 nights

3/20/2013 11:10:39 PM

pepto

3/20/2013 11:11:14 PM

Cool man! I'm headed there in Sept

If you get altitude sickness (or aren't sure) pick up Diamox before you leave and start taking it tomorrow morning.

Drink as much water as you can, you get dehydrated a lot faster at altitude.

[Edited on March 20, 2013 at 11:49 PM. Reason : .]

3/20/2013 11:46:17 PM

3/20/2013 11:46:48 PM

My advice: keep your head on a swivel

3/21/2013 12:33:04 AM

Quote :

" Underwear"

unnecessary

3/21/2013 12:35:36 AM

you must eat:

ahi de gallina
ceviche
pisco sour

also despite what people say the water is fine. Don't drink a gallon of it but its ok to brush your teeth with ... etc.

Make sure you check out some incan ruins.

Also don't pet the llamas. They don't like it.

[Edited on March 21, 2013 at 3:24 AM. Reason : pisco sours]

3/21/2013 3:23:58 AM

DEET

3/21/2013 3:54:42 AM

Quote :

"pisco sour"

obligatory: the chilean version (you know, the original) is better

3/21/2013 8:14:53 AM

Check out the love park....or basically anywhere on the water. Also get yourself some guinea pig and octopus while you are there. she is delicious.

also...understand that street crime outside of the beachy area of Lima is pretty bad...

3/21/2013 1:21:03 PM

Quote :

"Also don't pet the llamas. They don't like it."

You have just shit on my dreams.

3/21/2013 1:22:41 PM

more like spit on your dreams

3/21/2013 1:48:22 PM

I vaguely remember visiting a great uncle who had a lot of llamas or alpacas or something a few times as a small kid and petting them.

3/21/2013 1:49:09 PM

I think I have a thread on here somewhere detailing my 2 week trip there.

In short, though: Pisco sours are great. Party hard in Cuzco. Do the full hike to Machu Picchu. Check out the Amazon. Everything there is dirt cheap.

3/21/2013 1:51:44 PM

Eat the Guinea Pigs or Coy

3/21/2013 1:51:49 PM

(Cuy)

3/21/2013 1:52:12 PM

Do the hike to Macchu Picchu early enough that you get to the top before the first tour bus...this is the only way to guarantee getting a ticket to Wayna Picchu, which gives you a completely different view of the ruins and has some ruins of it's own. Only 200 a day are allowed or something like that.

Also, when I was there they only allowed cash to get into Macchu Picchu, and they don't have much change in the morning before people get there, so if you hike early like I'm talking about, make sure you have the exact bills needed to avoid getting hung up at the door

3/21/2013 2:27:29 PM

Is there anybody who hasn't done international travel in adulthood? Am I the only one?

I mean, Canada, some tropical places, Mexico...yes, but that stuff doesn't really compare to the type of travel it seems like every one else is doing.

Also, how can people be traveling so much but still not be cool?

3/21/2013 2:35:44 PM

Me too bridget

3/21/2013 2:44:15 PM

Nice.

If you end up going some place cool, I hope you won't be blasé about it!

3/21/2013 3:12:03 PM

Definitely ignore the one person being nonchalant about the damn water.

It will literally kill you.

Pepto won't really help very much either. Take Cipro.

Also, (sealed bottled water) buy the big jugs, like 3 liters, combined with powdered Gatorade could save your life.

3/21/2013 4:52:52 PM

It will not literally kill you.

[Edited on March 21, 2013 at 5:44 PM. Reason : or metaphorically for that matter]

3/21/2013 5:43:45 PM

There's a wine bar in Cuzco that's good. You can get a ton for the money, too. There's a local Malbec blend that I really liked.

I didn't try the cuy (would have if they'd had prepared it some way other than just throwing a whole guinea pig in the cooker). I've killed and cleaned plenty of animals, but I prefer it to look like meat, not an animal, by the time it hits my plate. I did order some alpaca, though. It was OK.

3/21/2013 5:47:56 PM

Cuy is delicious. Although the one I ate pretty much looked like a rat on a stick.

Also Cuzco is the tops. We used to go to a place called Mama Africa right off of the main square all the time. Had a blast.

3/21/2013 5:52:39 PM

If you're looking to hike, Choquiquirao is way better than Machu Picchu, IMO. And either way take DEET. You can get 99% DEET in Cuzco. Its super necessary, they have these biting black flies that are really small and the bites end up itching like the devil!

Don't buy your water / Gatorade on the main street in Cuzco, go back one block and you'll save like 80% on their already cheap prices .

3/21/2013 10:01:49 PM

My wife's extended family lives in Peru, even they dont drink the water without boiling it or just buying giant bottles of it. Street crime is mainly theft from tourists and they can indeed be brazen but dont dress nice or flash lots of bling (even wedding rings) and you'll be fine.

What irritated me the most while down there and was not mentioned a lot before I went was that you aren't aupposed to flush your TP other than the expensive hotels or restaurants that have upgraded their sewer drainage; you literally wipe your ass, fold it up, and throw it in the little trashcan beside you. It makes you realize how much of a force of habit it is to plop and drop.

The touristy places can rape you in prices if they know you're one and will highball you so negotiate no matter what if the prices arent listed.

3/22/2013 7:48:11 AM

Quote :

"If you end up going some place cool, I hope you won't be blasé about it!"

what would you prefer people say? it's an advice thread, not a "please gush about the most amazing places on earth that you've been and how lucky you are to have been able to go there" thread

3/22/2013 8:35:27 AM

have fun

[Edited on March 22, 2013 at 8:39 AM. Reason : ofcourse you should post pics here ]

3/22/2013 8:39:31 AM

careful when you take a taxi, unless you negotiate they will rip you off... and or kidnap you. Take busses instead.

3/22/2013 1:53:03 PM

^^^I wasn't accusing anybody here of being blasé.

3/22/2013 2:19:04 PM

Quote :

"It will not literally kill you."

You're right you dumb fucking asshole.

Ignore my advice, scud, drink all the water you want. Drink straight from the tap actually, and dont inspect any bottled water you get at a restaurant for a broken seal on the cap.

Its not common knowledge that certain countries are dirty, etc. Whenever I travel south of Texas the first thing I always do is sample the water.

3/23/2013 2:52:48 PM

You're right, I'm a total asshole.

Living in Peru taught me nothing, and I contracted the AIDS multiple times through water consumption.

Congratulations. You just won the internet. Enjoy bragging about that to your friends.

3/23/2013 4:32:49 PM