All posts by ggnb

Peru: Photos from Recent Travelers

About ten days ago, we asked for people to submit their best photos of Peru on Instagram and a few people were kind enough to submit their photos to us. Without further ado, the featured artists. Please check them out on Instagram and thank you for your submissions:

@katrabik

@just_jessicaah

@jesscbruce

@francescamaria_s

@cintchola

@carolsutterpersonal

If these photos inspire you to visit Machu Picchu, here are some handy tips for planning your trip.

The Things Which We Cannot Leave Behind

For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.- Steve Jobs

 

I’m moving out of my apartment this week, so I will have more up on the Peru items later this week. I apologize to those who submitted photos for me to feature; it’s coming, just give me a bit of time. I’ve given away a lot of things, put many more in storage. I have hundreds of books (maybe I will post a pic of my old library later), but decided on these to take with me. Not because they are my favorites. No, actually not one is an old friend I can fall back on. Each one is something new for me…some are old books–ones I never got around to reading although they sat in my library.

I can’t say that I have good, effective habits. I don’t know if I am an introvert or extrovert, it really depends. I don’t know if I resonate with people. I can read a financial report just fine, but never actually focused on how to “bean count,” and I love taking photographs, but I haven’t taken very many classes or instructions. One is a book with photographs and poetry from a couple who traveled the world for a year and a half after marrying. There is a guide book lost in the shuffle, and a series of beautiful photographs taken by Michio Hoshino in the far north.

I’ve been saying, “No,” to myself for a long time. Changes are coming.

 

"Change"
“Change”

Machu Picchu and Cusco in Just 4 Days

Machu Picchu without people- not just a dream
Machu Picchu without people- not just a dream

Summary:

-See sunrise at Machu Picchu and avoid the crowds

-Don’t worry if the train from Cusco to Machu Picchu is fully booked- take a car part way

-Book your Huayna Picchu climb for 10am

-If you have extra days, spend them in Cusco or around the Sacred Valley

-Follow us on Instagram this week @thegentlemanbackpacker and submit your best Peru photos using #gentlemanbackpacker_peru to enter our photography contest and be featured on our feed and on this website.

One of the things I learned from my 14-country Round-the-World trip in 2008 was to be efficient. This was true whether it came to packing or travel planning. I can now plan a nice 3-day weekend in Buenos Aires, for example. Sometimes, you just can’t spend as much time in a country as you would like. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go at all. The Sacred Valley of Peru, a popular destination that usually begins in Cusco and reaches its climax at Machu Picchu, now one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, can be done in a variety of ways.

The famous Inca Trail is extremely popular with backpackers and college students. On my way back from Machu Picchu, I shared a train booth with some young ladies from the University of Florida, who apologized (unnecessarily) for the fact they hadn’t showered in 5 days and, upon hearing I lived in Tokyo, knew about and longed for the use of a Japanese washlet, given their time spent “roughing it with a leaf and a shovel.” But there I was, determined to go to Machu Picchu on a trip where I was also going to the Galapagos to cruise around by boat, visit museums in Spain and attend the opera in Vienna, oh and cruise the Nile in Egypt as well; I couldn’t lug around the appropriate equipment for camping in the mountains. So, after some careful and annoying planning, I came up with an itinerary that ticked all the boxes I wanted to tick, but was doable in just 4 days. Read on to find out how.

Continue reading Machu Picchu and Cusco in Just 4 Days