A traveller posted some questions about Peru on the European board because he couldn't get much information here. So, I am posting my answer to him for those that might be interested.
Peru is fantastic. There is no other way to put it. Lima is wonderful and shouldn't be missed. Tour only during the day, do not wander into narrow side-streets and be mindful of your belongings at all times. You can take a tour and have some safty in numbers. All that being said, don't miss the beautiful colonial architecture of this beautiful city.
We actually stayed in Miraflores a few miles away. Miraflores is a very cosmopolitan city with a couple of great museums and a fun cafe/restaurant scene. We drove to Lima on pretty good roads for day trips. If you do drive, observe all laws carefully. We were pulled over by an immaculately uniformed Colonal who entered our car and directed us to drive as he gave us instructions. Our Spanish is limited, so we had to ask him to repeat his directions as we drove and it was clear he was looking for a payment. We kept asking him what law we had broken. He just kept issuing directions and we kept asking him to repeat them. Finally, he waved us to the side of the road, exited and bid us good day with a salute as he walked away. Whewh!
Cuzco is (OK, here I go again) fantastic. The city is truly beautiful. Ancient history is all around you. Colonial Churches are actually built on the foundations of Incan Ruins. Consequently, the lower levels are still intact. Incan Ruins are all around the city and can be visited. The Indian Markets on the other side of the portals are fascinating. Don't be over there at night. There are good restaurants and cafes everywhere. If you are fortunate (we were), there will be a religous procession honoring some Saint or special day on the central plaza while you are there. They occur frequently.
From Cuzco, it is an easy drive on good roads out to the Urubamba Valley, the agricultural center of Peru. There are beautiful farms, a few wineries and a fantastic market at Pisac. This market is for Peruvians and features agricultural and meat products, artifacts and street food stalls. Not far from Pisac is one of the most beautiful hillside Incan Ruins in Peru. If you are not driving, you can negotiate with a cab driver near the central plaza in Cuzco and for about $25 (I am sure it is more now) and a tank of gas, he will become your driver for the day. He will take you out into the valley, to Pisac, to the ruins and wineries, wherever and wait while you tour. The views as you descend from the hills down into the valley are spectacular.
We took the train from Cuzco to Machu Pichu. Very comfirtable old cars and a very sceneic trip. Much of the trip follows the Inca trail. If you go this way, be sure to try the tomales sold by the natives at each train stop; savory and sweet. We had savory on the way up and sweet on the way back. They will come up to the train windows while it is stopped and you use finger language to order and they will do the same to tell you the price. They are warm and delicous. There will be many artisans selling there wares at the train stops as well. My daughter negitiated with a young man that had a beautiful handmade (of course) rug. As the the train started to depart, they came to an agreemant and my daughter told him to return the next afternoon and they would conclude their transaction. Sure enough, on the return trip he was there and ny daughter bought the rug.
Machu Pichu is majestic. We arrived in the early afternoon and stayed the night at the only hotel up at the ruins. This essentially gave the place to us alone in the late afternoon, evening and early the next morning. The stillnes, the views and the ruins are just awesome.
The rain forests near Iquitos are very interesting as is Iquitos itself. The markets that lined the main street through the town are very colorful and interesting. There are villages of shacks on stilts on the water where natives live their whole lives. Good restaurants and cafes are at the water's edge with views of the Amazon and the stilted shack villages as you dine. Remember, Iquitos is a frontier town. So, don't expect the height of luxery. But, the restaurants are pretty and the food good.
If you can, arrange to take a river boat down the the Amazon with Explorama to a couple of their jungle compounds. You will live in a grass shack with an open back wall, sleep in mosquito netting beds, lounge on hammocks on elevated bamboo walkways (the Amazon does flood) and you will have parrots, macaws, tapirs and monkeys for companions. You will eat in a large, common table, netted dining hall and the food is good if adventurous. You will have a guide assigned to you when you depart from Iquitos and he will stay with you for the length of your jungle stay. Our guide, Secondo, was a local and was able to get us into places we would otherwise not have seen. He took us to friends stilted huts (these are very large and have several rooms) made typically of bamboo. Cooking is done on an arrangement made of stones. Sometimes there is electricity. Some times there isn't. Their livestock, pigs, chickens, ducks, goats, etc. live in the area under the stilted shacks. These people appear to be very happy.
Secondo took us to a sugar cane distillery where we drank the brandy released directly from the copper tubeing. The owner shook out a couple of metal cups and drew the drinks. I hesitated as I looked at the cups, but than realized that any germ that could survive this almost wholegrain alcohol would be an exception indeed. Maybe it was the jungle, but it was delicous. Secondo inquired as to our interests and then he set up a program to see those things. We saw snakes, spiders, sloths, monkeys and poisonous frogs. The frogs are tiny and very bright red. The natives stew the frogs and use the liquid to dip the tip of their blowgun darts in order to stun their prey. Secondo took us to a native village where we tried using the blowguns. My daughter did very well getting near to the target. My dart fell off the end of the blowgun as soon as it excited. I keep telling everyone I am not as long winded as they think.
Peru was an adventure including our experience with Peruvian Airlines (another story, another time). We loved it. The people are kind and while not outwordly friendly, responded well when invited. The country is beautiful. We will go again.

Thank you...this is so exciting to read! (I enjoyed reading it on the Europe board, but I want to thank you for bringing it here to see if more folks would like to add.)

Does anyone else have Peru memories to share? I'm joyfully anticipating an August trip to Lima, Cusco, Agua Caliente and Iquitos.

joegri:

Thank you. Your report had me on the edge of my seat.

I have acouple of questions:

1) Tell me more about the Religious processions. Are they colorful? I am not sure if you are saying that these processions add or subtract to the Peru experience.

2) The blowgun thing...were you trying to kill, capture or scare the frogs?
I would love clarity only for educational and not judgemental purposes.

3) What is a sloth?

4) Thanks for the description about the tamale...my mouth began to water. Can you describe a dinner, breakfast or lunch from the number of courses and the possible content choices that you had?

5) How long were you there? What time of year and if it is not too personal aproximately how much should one budget from a journey like this one?

6) What clothing did you pack? What could you do without? What would you advise one to not leave home without?

7) Was visiting the wineries easy? Are they close together or spead out?
How would you compare this wine tasting/visiting experience to the USA's wine experience.

Greatly apprecite your help and the help of others.

My Best,
Oaktown Traveler

Amy: Your welcome. I hope you get some more responses.
Oaktown Traveler: Sorry for the delay in getting back too you. I don't get here every day. To attempt to answer your questions:
1)The processions are very colorful and a definate attraction if you are fortunate enough to experience one.
2)The Yaquas people use the frog poison to dip their blowgun darts which stuns or kills their prey when they hunt. At the village, we were aiming at bundled grass targets.
3)A sloth is a monkey-like animal, pretty large and living in the tree tops. They live on a leaf which contains a drug that causes them to move very slowly. Hence, the term for slow moving, sloth.
4)Our breakfasts were provided by the small hotels we stayed in and usually consisted of fruit, juice, bread and coffee. Except for Miraflores which has resort-like restaurants and cafes, we ate mostly in small restaurants and cafes in an attempt to sample the food of Peru. Lots of fish, chicken, goat, lamb, pork which are fried, boiled, stewed or, in the case of fish,"cooked" in citrus juices as in ceviche. Beans, rice and potatoes (different colors) are staples. Peppers of several kinds and degrees of hotness are typical seasonings. Stews often contain fruit as well as vegetables. Often rice and potatoes are on the same plate and some dishes are topped by a hard boiled egg. This is a very cursory description and I would encourage you to try a good Peruvian Restaurant. We have several in San Francisco. The food is flavorful and hardy.
5)We were there two weeks in August. Cost of living is very inexpensive. We try to stay in more modest hotels in order to get as close to the people as possible (modest, not cheap) as they tend to be in working class neighborhoods. Airfare continues to be on the high side, usually out of Florida, Dallas or Los Angeles.
6) We wore shorts and cotton shirts almost exclusively; long pants at night in Lima, Miraflores and Cuzco; hiking boots most of the time. You can buy just about anything you might need, so you don't have to worry about forgetting something. Skip the hair dryer and the iron. Rumpled is in.
7)The few small wineries in the Urubamba are very primitive and in no way compare to US, Chilean or Argentinian Wineries. There are very good wineries near Ica (on the south coast) which date back to the 1500s. They have tours, tastings and the best of them are good, but not on a par with the US, Chile or Argentina (at least those that I visited). These wineries do, however, have great historical significance.
Peru offers a wonderful, interesting experience. Be careful of the mafia style cab drivers, especially at the airport at Lima. There was a tourist assistance office (room, stall?) staffed by Peruvian volunteers and it pays to stop by, get the most current information and have them steer you to a cab if you are going to need one. They can also recommend hotels and restaurants. If you go and I would highly recommend that you do, have a great trip.

joegri:

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so glad to get all of that valuable information.

My Best,
Oaktown Traveler