ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I were fortunate enough to hike the Inca Trail years ago. Before the Peruvian Government put trail restrictions in place to control the hordes of hikers that were beginning to degrade the trail and turn the entire journey into one, big bottleneck. There is nothing easy about the traditional Inca Trail [...]
“Travel Tips & Advice on Peru”
The Challenging Inca Trail in Peru Requires Stamina
February 7th, 2010 
Sheila Simkin 
Posted in Featured, Peru 
Tags: adventure, culture, Cuzco, destination, event, events, food, hikes, hiking, Inca Trail, log, Machu Picchu, Peru, sightseeing, switzerland, transportation, travel, trekking, treks 
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Cuzco, Peru and Fabulous Corpus Christi Festivities
May 15th, 2006 Sheila Simkin How lucky could we possibly have been to witness this gigantic celebration! Corpus Christi, in Cuzco, is an annual Catholic celebration mixed with Inca cultural lore. One of those moments that would have been impossible to plan for. The main day of the celebration is always on Thursday, but the approximately 15 Virgins and Saints [...]
Posted in Featured, Peru Tags: adventure, culture, Cuzco, events, food, hotels, Inca Trail, log, Machu Picchu, Peru, sightseeing, trekking No Comments »
Touring The Ruins of Machu Picchu and Back to Cuzco, Peru
May 14th, 2006 Sheila Simkin In the early morning, there was just us amongst the ruins. Mystical, floating in the clouds and fog. Intricate, with mazes of homes that led into temples….all built up on terraces. Within the Temple of the Sun was a rock that is said to be energetically charged from centuries of worship to the Sun. (After [...]
Posted in Featured, Peru Tags: adventure, culture, Cuzco, events, food, hotels, Inca Trail, log, Machu Picchu, Peru, sightseeing, trekking 1 Comment »
The Inca Trail Ends in Machu Picchu, Peru
May 13th, 2006 Sheila Simkin Day Five/Leaving Camp Three – Final day, sunny (at last), and time for the last big push to Machu Picchu. Ex-Marine was extremely excited – over the thought of seeing the incredible Machu Picchu? No, he only had one more night in a tent! The actual hiking distance was only an hour or so, but, [...]
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Another Day On The Inca Trail, Peru Spent Getting “Pissed” on Brandy
May 12th, 2006 Sheila Simkin Day Three/ Still Camp Two – The rain refused to let up so fearless leader decided to stay put at the Runkurakay ruin. The good part was: – We had a great cook… and – This was the first trek we’d ever been on that toted liquor. Explore became “numero uno” in our book. Had [...]
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Cuzco, Peru and Then…Inca Trail Trek Time!
May 11th, 2006 Sheila Simkin Our small hotel in Cuzco (can’t remember the name) was within walking distance of the Cathedral on the main square, La Plaza de Armas. It was well situated, and the various restuarants in Cuzco were pretty darn good. Peru is known for its Cuy, roasted (or stuffed) Guinea Pig. It’s supposed to be quite a [...]
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On The Way By Train to Cuzco, Peru
May 10th, 2006 Sheila Simkin From Puno, we boarded a train to take us to Cuzco (11,204′), built on the foundations of the old Inca capital. The trains were also a surprise…uniformly good and comfortable. Our group spent train time bonding…playing cards…drinking more Coca Leaf Tea…sharing stories and experiences…still gasping for breath in that thin air. Acclimitizing to altitude like [...]
Posted in Featured, Peru Tags: adventure, culture, Cuzco, events, food, hotels, Inca Trail, log, Machu Picchu, Peru, sightseeing.train to cuzco, trekking No Comments »
Lima, Peru Then on to Puno
May 9th, 2006 Sheila Simkin Our Explore group of 20 met up in Lima, at the Esperanza Hostal in Miraflores. The Esperanza was not your typical Hostal. There were 40 fully-carpeted rooms with private baths, situated in an affluent, residential neighborhood. This is where the most popular restaurants and shops are located. I developed a real taste for Pisco Sours, [...]
Peru Planning
May 8th, 2006 Sheila Simkin The trip included: Lima, Cuzco/Cusco (small hotels in both places), and the traditional 5-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu; all meals on trek along with tents, porters, etc.; tour leader; sightseeing; a boat trip in Puno; internal Peru flights, and other tranportation. The only items not included were meals. Sherpa Expeditions is another operator that [...]
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Peru – The Heights of Machu Picchu
May 7th, 2006 Sheila Simkin Travel destinations are personal. I’ve met people who absolutely loved Ecuador and, with the exception of the Galapagos Islands, we thought our trip there was like flushing money down the toilet. That’s why when people raved about Peru and Machu Picchu, I thought…right….and resisted for years. To our absolute surprise, WE LOVED PERU! I finally [...]
Posted in Featured, Peru Tags: adventure, culture, Cuzco, events, food, hotels, Inca Trail, log, Machu Picchu, Peru, sightseeing, trekking No Comments »
