Sixteen Days in Peru

From the contrasts of Lima to the depths of the Amazon and the heights of the Andes, sixteen days in Peru ended up feeling less like one trip than several — each showing a completely different side of the country.

Lima surprised me. It's a city of real contrasts — areas still developing sitting close to others that felt genuinely beautiful and alive. A walking tour through Barranco and an afternoon at the Larco Museum gave me a first sense of the place, but it was a plate of Peruvian food at Alegría Picantería Piurana that really won me over.

From there, the Amazon — days at a jungle lodge, evenings on a canopy walkway high above the trees, mornings on Lake Sandoval watching for wildlife. Travelling in low season meant small groups and far more time with the guides, which made all the difference. I even did a night walk to look for spiders, despite hating them — I'm not cured, but I came away with a better understanding of where they fit in the world.

Arequipa brought the Santa Catalina Monastery and a very early start for Colca Canyon, where — against the odds, out of season — we had a close encounter with a condor.

The Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu were the centerpiece. Standing in those places, what struck me wasn't how primitive the Inca civilization was, but how advanced — sophisticated agriculture, engineering, and astronomy, all woven into their culture and beliefs.

The last few days, back in Cusco and Lima, I slowed right down — markets, churches, neighborhoods, wherever curiosity took me. It had been years since I'd travelled solo to somewhere completely new, and Peru reminded me exactly why I used to: for the sense of wonder that comes from seeing the world a little differently.