Welcome back to the revival of my annual trip series for Year 7! I just arrived back from Peru on Memorial Day after 10 days in the country. It feels great to check off yet another successful annual trip. If you're new to the series, my older brother, Jake, and I started the tradition of traveling to a new international destination every year in 2016. Here's where we've been for the past 7 years (despite a global pandemic — well-timed Years 5 and 6 kept this tradition alive). Year 1 (2016): The Pacific Northwest (Portland, Seattle, Vancouver) Year 2 (2017): Cuba Year 3 (2018): The Balkans — Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro (and London!) Year 4 (2019): Luxembourg (and Paris!) Year 5 (2020): Africa (South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania) Year 6 (2021): Belize Year 7 (2022): Peru Here's what went down on our most recent trip to Peru. Our Itinerary Thursday, May 19 Jake and Kelsey flew from Denver and Phoenix (respectively) to meet in Miami. Jake's originally direct flight was diverted to Dallas, but he eventually made it to Miami for a 1:30 AM departure to Peru. Jake booked both tickets into the Lima on Qantas rewards points, and neither Jake nor Kelsey had assigned seats on their boarding passes. We had a tense (but funny) moment while we waited for a seat assignment while boarding. We believe there was a non-zero chance that we could have been bumped. We fed our nerves with peanut M&Ms that Jake had brought for the plane. Once assigned seats, we sat next to each other on the plane. Jake's ticket had his Qantas rewards number, but Kelsey's just read "Frequent Flyer"—very applicable. Kelsey slept the entire flight to Peru, and Jake didn't wake her for meal service (rude!). Friday, May 20 We arrived in Lima and had to go through customs before taking a domestic flight to Cusco. We had roughly 3 hours before our connection, which we spent in a Priority Pass lounge. The flight to Cusco was uneventful, and we took a taxi upon arrival for 50 soles to the Flying Dog Hostel. We grabbed lunch at Jack's Cafe — hummus appetizer and breakfast food (egg toast + huevos rancheros). We walked to see Plaza de Armas, Cathedral, La Compania, Inca Walls, and La Merced before going to our tour orientation at 6 PM. We spent a relaxing 30 minutes at a fountain park near Plaza de Armas. We went to bed early to prep for our early departure and help adjust to the altitude. Saturday, May 21 Our tour departed at 7:30 AM. In the morning, we learned to tell the difference between llamas and alpacas as well as identify real baby alpaca products. We also drove through the Sacred Valley and toured Pisac (an Inca administrative hub). In the afternoon, we saw the ancient greenhouse rings of Moray, learned about the salt mines of the Marasal Company, stopped for lunch, and toured the Inca site at Ollantaytambo. We grabbed a dinner of Peruvian soup and quinoa risotto before heading to the train station for our train to Aqua Calientes. Sunday, May 22 We woke up around 5 AM for one of the biggest days of the trip — Machu Picchu! We ate breakfast at the hotel and then took the 6:15 AM bus to arrive at the entrance around 6:55 AM. Jake broke his streak of never paying for a bathroom because there are no bathrooms inside Machu Picchu (only before the entrance). By 7 AM, we were in Machu Picchu, and we walked the site for the next 3 or so hours. After the visit, we took the bus back to Aqua Calientes, where we learned how to make Pisco Sours with our guide, Pabel. We also ate a traditional Peruvian lunch at Mapachu Brewery. Jake ordered Aja de Gallina, and Kelsey ordered Lomo Saltado with alpaca meat. We said goodbye to Pabel after our meal. We had tickets for the 3 PM train back to Cusco, but we had a little bit of time to kill. We walked to the main square and got a beer at a nearby cafe. Kelsey slept for the first 3 hours of the train ride. Jake noted that was the most beautiful part (before it got dark). The river flowed on the left side of the drain, and eventually, the glaciers (one was the Veronica) went past on the right. The second part of the train ride was dark and long, as the train was delayed roughly 90 minutes. The baby sitting across from us was not pleased to be on such a long train. From the train station, we hitch a ride with SAM Travel to the Flying Dog Hotel for the night. After arriving, we got dinner at an Italian place off of Plaza de Armas. Monday, May 23 We booked an extra day in Cusco to make sure we saw all the sights in and around the city. We started the day at a coffee shop off of one of the main squares. Walking through the San Blas neighborhood, we stopped at the Chocolate Museum and bought a chocolate bar for 9 soles. Our next destination was Saqsaywaman, which are Incan Ruins overlooking the city. In the same area, we saw Christo Blanco as well as some great views of Cusco. Q'Enqo was another Incan ruin site that we visited about 1 kilometer down the road. We could see the San Blas n
