My First Two Weeks South America
Since leaving work at the beginning of December, I think that I have now been to every REI in the Portland area at least twice, including an early morning visit at 5:30AM to camp out for the Used Gear Sale. Expenses have quickly added up as I have been planning and preparing for the trip, but I justify it by telling myself that the experience will be worth it and the gear will be used again in the future. I bought some new shoes, for example, for $60.... If I wear them for 90 days, that is $0.67/day. If each day I walk an average of 5 miles (~8,800 steps), that's $0.007 per stride.... those are cheap steps!
I have not been keeping exact track of all of my expenses along the way, but as I sit on the (cramped) airplane from Miami to Lima here's what comes to mind:
$1,000 Roundtrip airfare (w/ trip insurance)
$500 Airfare within Peru for first 2 weeks (Cusco, Puerto Maldonado, Aguas Calientas...)
$640 Guided Amazon expedition in Peru (all-inclusive + optional hallucinogen trip w/ shaman!)
$750 My split of rent for a flat in Lima for 2.5 months
$300 Vaccinations, prescriptions, medical preparations
$800 Gear (Pack, GPS, clothing, water purification, bug repellant, etc.)
Since I will initially be with a group of friends from the States, we'll be doing most of the "touristy" things during these first two weeks while they are visiting, so I anticipate subsequent weeks and adventures to be much much less expensive.
So, here's what I've got planned so far....
Jan 1-3: Winston, Margaret, John, and Derrick arrive in Lima.
Jan 4: Fly from Lima > Cusco and stay at Pirwa Posada del Corregidor on our way to Machu Picchu.
Jan 5: Spend the day in Cusco. Formerly the capital city of Peru, I hear it is very European with lots of cool things to see and do like artisan markets!
Jan 6: Take the local bus from Cusco > Ollantaytambo ($3), spend ~1 hr in Ollantaytambo before taking a train from Ollantaytambo > Machu Picchu ($30). No reservations made for the bus or train, but you can read some details here. Stay for the night at Hostel Machu Picchu.
Jan 7: Wake at 4AM to hike Machu Picchu! I also want to make it to the top of Huayna Picchu as well. This is the tallest peak in the area, and takes about 4 hours to summit. Rumor has it that when the Inca inhabited the city of Machu Picchu, the high priest lived on top of Huayna Picchu along with all of the virgins. Every morning he would make the hike into the city to signal the coming of a new day. Talk about a rough commute! Stay at Hostel Machu Picchu again.
Jan 8: Take the train from Machu Picchu > Ollantaytambo, and then a bus from Ollantaytambo > Cusco. Stay at Pirwa Posada del Corregidor again.
Jan 9-10: Lake Titicaca? Puno? Lima? Arequipa? Cusco for some more days? Playing it by ear for these couple of days.
Jan 11: Fly from Cusco > Peurto Maldonado where the Amazon expedition begins!
Jan 15: Fly Peurto Maldonado > Cusco > Lima. Return to the flat in Lima for some rest and relaxation.
Derrick, Winston, and Margaret don't depart until the 17th, so for these two days I suspect we will simply live like Peruvians! Markets, salsa dancing, surfing... lots to do!
Goodbye USA and mundane work-life; hello adventure!
