I'm not a medical expert and so will offer no comments about adjusting to altitude. Instead, I would recommend that you consult the information to which crellston directed you in post # 3. Or to other authoritative resources, such as the CDC website: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowb...titude-illness

I don't believe you ever consulted my trip report, mentioned in post # 2. If you did, I believe you would realize that Pisac has (or at least had) an unusual set of local traditions associated with Sunday mass that I found particularly impressive and worthy of a side trip. I have no idea if you will be there on a Sunday (the day of the market) or not.

One other comment, FWIW: I'm sorry you became ill while in Spain, but the fact is, you got better quite quickly. Some might say there's a lesson there: Maybe you don't need to be so afraid of getting ill. JMO.

And one other comment: It was well within the Art Institute's rights to refuse to let you store food in their facilities. It was, in fact, your decision.

I wasn't raised catholic. Now I don't even observe the religion I got taught. I still irrationally go into some churches or other religious buildings when traveling if they are suggested in guidebooks or other places but just to see the architecture or artwork not to pray or for services. I can skip churches when short on time.

Sorry you had a bad experience at Miami International Airport. I was there twice. I didn't perceive the airport to be more of a problem than any other airport I have been to.

The staff were evil and unethical to refuse holding my bag if it had food and inducing me into having to throw the dates away and acting like throwing them away was "my choice".

Observing the ceremonies in Pisac does not require even entering the church; it certainly does not require any religious belief on your part -- again, as described. Don't go if you don't want to go, but don't ask if there's anything you're missing and then object that what you're missing doesn't interest you.

If that's your definition of "evil and unethical," I think you are going to have a very difficult life. Or rather, CONTINUE to have a very difficult life.

BTW, if you actually read my TR, you'd realize that my comment about Miami's airport was a minor throw-away. Certainly not anything worthy of comment. YOUR comment simply shows how little you read. Which is fine -- no need to read the TR. But again, my advice would be that you shouldn't ask for help and then complain when you don't get what you think you want or need without taking advantage of the input you do get.

Best wishes.

Machu Picchu doesn’t have bag storage facilities. You may carry in water and food inside a bag, but don’t eat the food at the ruins. There is a picnic spot a few yards down the hiking trail that goes down the mountain. We had food in our packs, you won’t be searched, and ate after leaving the ruins.

If you have the time to walk down, bring a hiking stick for all the stairs. It’s not particularly a pretty walk, but the rest of your Peru trip is in arid areas so the jungle here may be of interest.

You have never been at the elevation of Cusco so it's harder to predict how you will react. In my own personal experience Arequipa did not fully prepare me for Colca Canyon (same elevation as Cusco). I found over multiple trips to the Peruvian Andes and Bolivian Altiplano that the best way to adapt is to sleep at a lower elevation and plan my itinerary to ascend gradually, and most importantly to take it easy on the first day, something that you seem unwilling to accept.

The elevation of Cusco and more so Puno is when many people do start to feel headaches, nausea, sleeplessness as well as more typical reactions such as being out of breath on exertion. It can take a day for the lack of O2 to really hit home.

Feel free to consult your doctor and read the expert websites referenced by others.
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Supposed itinerary unless persuaded differently, giving myself just one day for museums in Cusco, getting transportation straight from the airport in Cusco to Ollantaytambo, Manchu Picchu as a day trip from Ollantaytambo, still going out of the way for a flight over the Nazca lines even though you guys skipped it and didn't perceive that it should be special enough. As for opening times, I checked google maps. I realize this itinerary is just approximate; I figure that I will first buy a ticket to Machu Picchu just to make sure it is included in my trip, then find make a reservation for a flight over the Nazca lines including figuring out whether the reservation includes somebody driving me to the little airport the flights starts and ends at; then I will get round trip tickets to and from Lima, and then I can fill in the two major bus trips and 2 extra plane trips within Peru. Also I realize that the exact order of museum visits or whether I even go to every one I listed isn't likely to be exactly as I wrote; this is just a supposed way to see how I am likely to fill up my time.

Starting on the 4th week of June, my anniversary date at work, I get 10 paid days off work in addition to 6 paid U.S. federal holidays including July 4th. Should I use the power of U.S independence day, July 4th, as a way to give myself an extra day of travel, or plan so I travel after July 4th?

Saturday: flights to Lima. Arrive about 9 to 11pm. Sleep in Lima. 1st night
Sunday: Museo Larco? (9-7pm?), and/or various monuments; grocery store and/or a market? Bus to Nazca leaving about 5 to 6pm, arriving about 12:30am. Sleep in Nazca. 2nd night
Monday: flight over the Nazca lines. If extra time, guided tour to other sites. Bus to Arequipa leaving at 8:59pm, about 10 hours 15 minutes. 3rd night on the busTuesday: drop stuff off at hotel. Guided or unguided tour, or: Museo de Arqueologia de la UCSM (8:30-4), Museo Arqueológico UNSA (8:30-1pm or 2-3:30)?, Museo Santuarios Andinos (Inca mummy, 9-6pm), Casa Tristán del Poso? (9-6), Plaza de Armas, Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa? (until 6pm, ticket sales stop at 5pm). Mirador de Yanahuara. Sleep in Arequipa. 4th night.
Wednesday: Monasterio y Museo de la Recoleta (includes Amazonian artifacts 9-1:30pm or 3-5pm), Monasterio de Santa Catalina (9-5), Sleep in Arequipa. 9th night. Sleep in Arequipa. 5th night
Thursday: Plane to Cusco leaving about 8am. Bus, taxi, or colectivo to Ollantaytambo. Sitio Arqueológico De Ollantaytambo. (7-5pm). Sleep in Ollantaytambo. 6th night
Friday: Train and bus to Machu Picchu. Bus and train back to Ollantaytambo. Sleep in Ollantaytambo. 7th night, 2nd night in Ollantaytambo
Saturday: Taxi tour of El Valle Sagrado? (Moray {terraced depressions}, Salinas de Maras? {Maras salt pans, 6am-6pm}, Centro Arqueológico de Chinchero {7-6pm}. Sleep in Cusco. 8th night
Sunday: Taxi tour of Pisac ruins, Pisac market and the 4 Cusco ruins (Sacsayhuamán area, others, see taxidatum.com). Sleep in Cusco. 9th night. 2nd night in Cusco
Monday: Qorikancha (Inca temple ruins 8:30-5:30), Museo Inka? (9:15-4pm), Museo Histórico Regional de Cusco? (8-5), Museo de Arte Precolombino (8am-10pm), Sleep in Cusco. 10th night. 3rd night in Cusco
Tuesday: Plane to Lima. If time, Museo Central – MUCEN (art museum, 9-5). Sleep in Lima. 11th night, 2nd night in Lima (1st night of trip was in Lima)
Wednesday: Museo de Arte de Lima (10:30-6pm), Museo Nacional de Antropología, Arqueología e Historía del Perú (9-7:30). Sleep in Lima. 12th night, 3rd night in Lima
Thursday: Huaca Pucllana Inca site (9-5, ticket includes required 1-hour guided tour), AMANO - Museo Textil Precolombino? (10-5), Museo Pedro de Osma? (10-6). 13th night
Friday: Santuario Arqueologico de Pachacamac (9-5pm, 44 minute drive south of Huaca Pucllana), Museo Oro del Perú y Armas del Mundo? (10-5pm), or other museum 14th night
Saturday: Flights back to Detroit

If you don’t want to follow rules, then please don’t go to these places and certainly don’t complain about being found out and resort to insulting people that are merely doing their ( lowly paid and thankless ) jobs.

Rules are there for a reason. Imagine if everyone brought food into Machu Picchu, a World Heritage Site and ecology sensitive area. The litter problem alone would be horrendous. Hiding food in backpacks is simply unacceptable, whether on a plane or at Machu Picchu.

Try doing it in Australia or New Zealand and see what happens.

To paraphrase Zebec, I am done. I really cannot be bothered responding to an individual who, most of the time, doesn’t have the good grace to even acknowledge or accept advice they he has asked for.

I never wrote that I would actually eat within the site of Machu Picchu. All visitors to the site will eat on the day of their visit. Unless somebody skips eating that day, which is unlikely. Most will eat restaurant food, before and/or after their visit. I only was speculating on whether I could eat something I bought at a store on the same day as my visit, for example after exiting the site before getting back on the bus and or train, instead of resorting to eating restaurant food. Taking food into a site is not the same thing as actually eating it in the site. Taking food into a place is so I would eat it after the place, not in the place. I ate food I had bought at stores on every plane flight I took in my life that was more than about 4 hours. I brought pear and water into Teotihuacan in Mexico (I had cut the core out that morning and put the pieces in a reusable plastic container). Yeah I know people are taking offense at something I put above, probably my implying that restaurant is junk food, like something I put has to be construed as an insult to you for eating restaurant food. Yeah I know I am nuts compared to other travelers for trying to avoid or minimize eating restaurant food.

But thanks for all the other replies above. Now if we can quit talking about food, is my re-edited itinerary I lasted posted logistically doable? Did I gave myself enough time in Cusco?, and so on.

Your reaction to the Art Institute was the straw that broke this camel's back.

I think you have a good plan.

If just staying the first night (1) in Lima and leaving via Cruz del Sur, San Isidro might be a good location vs the usual tourist places. The Holiday Inn Express is recommended, breakfast included, very professional front desk. A person could walk to Cruz del Sur from there but it would be big busy streets. The Museo Larco is slightly closer to here than the usual tourist places.

Machu Picchu bans hard soled shoes and clapping and singing. They also ban hiking poles but lots of able-bodied people use them anyway. Reading the food ban it’s focused on banning picnicking (eg plates and cutlery are specifically mentioned). Guides are required but lots of people ignore that rule.

Some blogs mention a place to check bags but I didn’t see it.

I traveled solo to Peru, starting in Cuzco to adjust to the altitude. I found that it helped to get acclimatized before heading to other spots. In Lima, I explored the museums and monuments, but I didn’t feel the need to spend more than a few days there, so I trimmed it down for extra time outdoors.

As for the Nazca Lines, I debated taking the flight but ultimately skipped it due to time constraints and cost. If you’re pressed for time, it might not be worth it.

and yes July is fine for Peru—just keep in mind that the days are shorter, but the weather's great for trekking, especially around Machu Picchu.

I’d forgotten a money saving tip. For domestic flights the LATAM USA website charges substantially more than any other national site. I used the New Zealand site to get lower prices

https://www.latamairlines.com/nz/en

it saved up to 30%. You can get SkyMiles for these flights, although only premium economy nets over 450, regular economy yields very little.

It looks like since July 2017, the government of Peru wishes visitors to Machu Picchu be accompanied by a guide; as of this year there were not enough guides to go around and the supposed rule on needing a guide wasn't being enforced.

Should I reserve a guide in advance if such a thing exists?
Should I arrive with no guide and get a guide if I happen to see a free guide?
Or would I be fine unguided with just background reading and a map?
Did I make a mistake going into Teotihuacan in Mexico without a guide? There were available guides at the entrance, for about 55-60 U.S. Dollars.
I am mainly an English speaker but I tried teaching myself Spanish for about 3-4 weeks before I went to Spain, using books from the library. I did the same thing again before I went to Mexico. It made me feel smart and I know its overkill compared to most tourists. I am good at pronunciation and phonology, and I might understand some words and phrases, but I am not really a competent speaker as of now.

My guidebook from July 2024 also claims that you get one re-entry and that there are no baños inside the site, only outside the entrance. I find it too good to be true that you would get a re-entry.

If I brought a miniature backpack and foam cushion onto the train leaving from Ollantaytambo, what are the chances that the staff (on the train, the bus, or at the site) would induce me into having to throw one or both away? If you bring the wrong items to the entrance, do they automatically refuse to let you in or do they give you the option of throwing your items away?

Some of this is speculation for specific incidents, but there should be an onsite guide for hire in the unlikely instance of a guide requirement. I just threw myself into the views and experiences and realized most (nearly all) of what guides say or what is in a guidebook is speculation. There is no onsite explanation or ID of anything. Guidebook map paths may not coincide with current layout. Guidebook highlights may not be open.

I would not bother with carrying a seat cushion. Don’t count on re-entry, seems unlikely. Don’t worry about too many details.

What is the purpose of the seat cushion? You can't bring anything inside other than the small backpack and your camera. Bring insect repellent or wear long sleeves and pants. There are tiny biting midges during some seasons, possibly not in July since it is dry season then. Especially likely to get you if you think sitting is a good idea.

Do not bring any metal tipped poles. They may allow a soft tipped hiking stick if you look infirm. Or you may have to leave it outside the entrance.

These rules are to protect the site from damage and trash. No disposable plastic bottles for example (a huge problem). You are allowed to bring a refillable one but not sure if plastic is allowed.
If guards see you eating inside, you will hear a whistle.

I didn't use a guide either time I went. You will be confined to a prescribed path and direction. If you want to re enter I think you need a second ticket but no experience under the new rules. You are going in high season. There may be a limited number of tickets to go to the Sun Gate (Intipunku) but the route is completely different. The official website has videos and maps of each circuit.

Website can be a little touchy for buying tickets on line. May work better in Spanish.

"What is the purpose of the seat cushion? You can't bring anything inside other than the small backpack and your camera."
My rear end hurts if I sit too long on a hard surface. Yeah I could leave the cushion in my hotel room.

"Bring insect repellent or wear long sleeves and pants."
I am going to dress like I have on other trips, with close toed shoes, long hiking pants, long-sleeved shirt with a collar, and a sun hat. Hopefully I won't have a problem with mosquitos, ticks, bees, and so on. I haven't worried about bugs so far.

"Do not bring any metal tipped poles."
I have never used hiking poles. As of now I am in probably in average to good health.

"If guards see you eating inside, you will hear a whistle."
You aren't supposed to spend more than 4 hours inside the site. Guided tours take about 2-1/2 hours. You can't spend long enough in the site if pissing in the site is not allowed. For sure I will be back to the exit after 4 hours, probably after 3 hours.

I searched for tickets on the official Machu Picchu website. It looks like tickets for 2025 are not for sale yet, or at least I wasn't able to select any dates after December 25th.
Is there a big risk of missing my time slot for the Machu Pichu site because the line to get on the bus in Machu Picchu Pueblo was long too long and by the time I arrived at the site I had missed my time slot?

"Be sure to look at LATAM flights JFK or ATL or MIA to Lima, you don’t have to fly to Lima on Delta from Atlanta. There are many SkyTeam possibilities."

Yes you are right. LATAM has a trip leaving Detroit at 10:15am, arriving at JFK, leaving JFK, arriving at Lima at 9pm.
LATAM has another flight leaving Detroit at 8:25am, arriving at Miami, leaving Miami, arriving at Lima at 9:40pm.

It seems strange that LATAM is selling trips cheaper than Delta even though LATAM's trips will be partly on planes operated by Delta.