Peru - Travel with Andrea from the Wandrworking Podcast

Have you ever felt the magnetic pull of your roots calling you back to explore, learn, and grow? Andrea, our Wander Working podcast guest and digital nomad, certainly has. Tracing her story from a fresh business graduate to a savvy web designer, Andrea paints a picture of a life unbound by borders, finding home in the rhythms of travel and the embrace of her Peruvian heritage. She regales us with tales of cultural reconnection amid the vibrant Inti Raymi festival and her recent holiday sojourn back to Peru, stirring a wanderlust for the Amazon's untamed beauty.

Balancing a laptop and a suitcase might seem daunting, but Andrea makes it sound like second nature. Her anecdotes take us on a European escapade, revealing the hidden gems of continent-hopping while tethered to the digital world. From the Eiffel Tower's sparkle to the Acropolis' age-old wisdom, her journey exemplifies personal evolution—from the trepidations of solo ventures to the triumphant growth that comes with each stamped passport. Her reflections on language barriers and the homely allure of English-speaking lands strike chords with anyone who's ever felt like a global citizen.

This episode isn't just about the miles traveled; it's a feast for the senses, a deep dive into the heart of Peru. Andrea unwraps the mystery of Incan marvels and the spiritual vibrations of Cusco, guiding us through the grandeur of Rainbow Mountain's hues. As our conversation winds down, we tantalize your taste buds with stories of ceviche's zest and chifa's fusion, painting a portrait of Peru's culinary mosaic. Each word Andrea shares is a thread in the vibrant tapestry of her dual heritage, a narrative that will leave you yearning for the flavors, sights, and adventures that only a place like Peru can offer.

Find all Andrea's links here: https://linktr.ee/wandrworking
Map of Peru

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:15

Hi, welcome to our podcast. We're Next Travel with Kristin and Carol. I am Kristin and I am Carol, and we're two long-term friends with a passion for travel and adventure.

Speaker 2: 0:27

In each episode, we interview people around the globe to help us decide where to go next. Thanks, Andrea, for joining us on when Next Today, and we're going to focus on Peru.

Speaker 1: 0:39

So you have a podcast called is it Wander Working? Is that what I heard?

Speaker 3: 0:44

Yeah, I have a podcast called Wander Working. I started it about a year ago when I became a digital nomad and I wanted to share a little bit about my experience and talk to other people who also travel the world and share their stories as well. I started to be a digital nomad when I found a remote job. I am a web designer and I work fully remote for a marketing company, but it wasn't always like that. I actually graduated in business, but during the pandemic years I had a lot of time to sit inside and not travel. So I started learning web design in those years so that eventually, when COVID was over, I had a skill that would allow me to get a job that was more flexible and allowed me to travel.

Speaker 1: 1:31

So did you travel growing up? Or was it COVID that was like. I need to be out.

Speaker 3: 1:38

Well, interestingly enough, I did one very big trip which is moving to the US, because I was born in Peru, in Lima. My family actually immigrated to the US. I want to say it's been like over 20 years ago now, so it's been a long time and that was a big change. But I guess when you're small you don't really feel it, you get used to things very easily, so I didn't really feel that change. I grew up in the United States. Where I did feel it was when I was old enough to go back. Last we had to make sure we had all our paperwork in order and had our citizenship. So that was a 10-year process.

Speaker 1: 2:21

Oh, wow.

Speaker 2: 2:21

Before I was actually.

Speaker 3: 2:23

Yeah, it takes a long time to become an American citizen.

Speaker 2: 2:26

Yeah, that's kind of it was like an expedited process for us.

Speaker 3: 2:31

We got very lucky. I know some people wait even longer.

Speaker 1: 2:34

Where in the US did you grow up?

Speaker 3: 2:36

So early years I grew up in California and then later on, as a teen, my family relocated to Florida, so that's where I live now.

Speaker 1: 2:46

Oh nice. So you're in Florida now and then you go back to Peru, Austin, or I do now.

Speaker 3: 2:55

Yeah, yeah, after we got our citizenship I went back for the first time at the age of 15, and that was where it was a bit of shock, because I thought I knew my culture. But I guess I grew up in a completely different place and my Spanish had a bit of an accent and there were some things about the culture that maybe I wasn't used to. So when I first went back that was a little bit of a shock. Now that I have this remote job, I made it my mission to go back as much as possible, one to just see my grandparents, see family, but also to kind of rediscover life there in my culture.

Speaker 1: 3:34

That's so great. When's the first time you went back to Peru?

Speaker 3: 3:39

I was 15 years old.

Speaker 1: 3:41

Well, I guess after COVID, After COVID, I guess even here, since you've done Wander working, so is that where you've primarily been? Or it sounds like you're digital nomad. You can kind of go different places, or what's your year looked like so far?

Speaker 3: 3:58

Oh gosh, so I actually just got back from Peru less than a week ago. Oh wow, yeah, I was there for about a month and a half for Christmas and New Year's.

Speaker 3: 4:08

It was my first time spending the holidays over there which was interesting Were your parents and family there too, just my grandparents. They're still over there and, I guess, one year older. It's harder to relocate, so they grew up there, they like it there. So I just go back and visit as much as possible. But this year has been a crazy travel year.

Speaker 3: 4:31

I started off with a solo trip to New Orleans to just kind of warm up the year. Then I did three months in Peru around June, july and I did a really cool festival over there. I went to Cusco for the Inti Rime, which is a festival that was actually. It goes back to the Incas, which is like the ancient Peruvian civilization. They would worship the sun. So on the I believe, the winter solstice, which it's winter over there at that time they celebrate around June a big, big festival and they have a bunch of traditions and a lot of typical dances and things like that. So I went back for that and also to see the family and just go around, do like a big round around the country. What was it called? Again, go, oh, cusco, cusco. Yeah, that's the city. The city. It's famous because they have one of the seven wonders of the world over there, machu Picchu. Oh yeah, oh sure, okay. So in Cusco they have this big celebration for the sun, the sun god.

Speaker 2: 5:37

Okay, got it.

Speaker 1: 5:39

So it's like a one day celebration, or how do they celebrate it?

Speaker 3: 5:43

I feel like it's never truly a one-day celebration with Latinos. It's always like you go for there is one main day, but that whole weekend is people celebrating.

Speaker 2: 5:55

Oh, so it looks like it's up in the mountains a little bit. Is someone looking at the right place?

Speaker 3: 5:59

Yeah, yeah, it's up in the mountains. The altitude can be a little hard for some people, even for me, oh wow.

Speaker 2: 6:06

There's a huge lake that looks like spans two countries, like Kitaka. Like Kitaka, okay, that's like an American Great Lake. It's pretty huge.

Speaker 3: 6:19

Oh yeah, I think it goes all the way into other countries I think like two other countries and that starts going into the Amazon jungle as well. So that's one place I haven't gone to explore yet. In Peru we're really lucky because we have three different landscapes. We have the coast, we have the mountains the Andes Mountains and then we have the Amazon. So you get very different climates and landscapes depending on what part of Peru you're in.

Speaker 2: 6:47

Wow. And then I was just looking at. What did I just see? Oh, I was looking at some pictures of Lima. Is that what you say? Yeah, lima, that's the capital. It's so weird because there's like old buildings that look like Mexico or Europe, but then there's palm trees. I guess Mexico you'd have that too, but I'm not used to it. I think it's very European, but then with palm trees, usually you get one or the other.

Speaker 3: 7:11

Yeah, that's the Spanish influence. Yeah, I can see.

Speaker 2: 7:15

Yeah, in America I think of palm trees, I think of California, new, modern St Florida just new, fresh, not historic. So that was kind of fun, wow, okay.

Speaker 1: 7:29

And actually just with the, you said the Amazon rainforest and mountains and the ocean and I was just looking because the Amazon rainforest and of course, in some Brazil, I knew that, but I didn't see where the Amazon is. Also in Peru, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 7:48

I got a good chunk of it, that north or everywhere all east.

Speaker 3: 7:52

It's kind of more like in the middle of the country, on the inside, oh, okay, I would say I don't know, I haven't explored enough. Yeah, that is one part of Peru I still haven't gotten to is the jungle. Okay, I've heard a lot of great things and there's places there that are even undiscovered to modern civilization. I've heard that there are still tribes that don't have contact with modern civilization or the government or society. They are completely removed.

Speaker 1: 8:25

They don't have a grocery store.

Speaker 3: 8:28

Well, I'm sure in some main cities in the jungle there are places that are still like, too isolated for that to even be a thing, like they don't even speak Spanish over there.

Speaker 1: 8:39

Wow, they speak their own language, they have their own dialect. Yeah.

Speaker 3: 8:44

I know the two main dialects in Peru are Quechua and Ayamara. I don't know if all the Amazonian tribes speak either of those. I guess it depends.

Speaker 1: 8:56

So it's not Spanish? Well, it's a dialect of Spanish, or?

Speaker 3: 9:01

not, Not even a dialect. It's actually its own language. I should probably I shouldn't say dialect. It was what the ancient Incas would speak before they got colonized by Spain. We only speak Spanish because of, you know, the Spanish coming over, but we had our own languages before then.

Speaker 1: 9:17

And so do you know those two languages or the other, or is there one that you know in addition?

Speaker 3: 9:24

Oh, I, wish, I really wish I knew, but unfortunately I grew up in the capital. I don't understand the languages yeah.

Speaker 1: 9:33

No, I'm Swedish and my dad came here in first generation and I know no Swedish because I was born in California.

Speaker 3: 9:40

And then to relearn it as an adult is so much harder. I know Exactly Did you especially like?

Speaker 2: 9:46

oh sorry, you can go and then in indigenous languages there's not a lot of people that you get to interact, to practice. So whatever you learn, you're going to lose.

Speaker 3: 9:54

There's not a lot of Quechua schools, although they are trying to revive it a little bit to keep the language and the culture alive, but it's not a language. You'll go around the world and you'll find someone to speak Quechua with you.

Speaker 1: 10:07

That's really neat. So did you learn any of it while you were over there? Do your grandparents speak it, or is it just Spanish?

Speaker 3: 10:15

My grandparents also just speak Spanish, but they do know a couple of words here and there and sometimes they teach me I know how to say things like mom and dad, and sometimes they'll teach me curse words. That's about the extent of my knowledge in that indigenous language. I've actually been finding out that Spanish is probably closer to Arabic than it is to like the Quechua languages. Yeah, I've been making more friends who speak Arabic and I have noticed we have a lot of similarities in our languages.

Speaker 1: 10:51

Oh, you know, Eddie. Yeah, so you've spent. How much of your time in the last year did you spend in Peru?

Speaker 3: 10:58

I know three months and a month and a half, so that's four and a half months yeah, about four months was in Peru last year and I also did three months just hopping around different parts of Europe as well. Oh nice, when in Europe did you go this time around? I went. I started off in France, then Greece, Italy, Portugal. That was my first time in Portugal. I sped through Belgium, I think I stayed like one day and then the Netherlands and I know it's not part of the EU anymore, but the UK. It was also my first time going there.

Speaker 2: 11:36

Oh fun, a lot of countries as well. Yes, and then what did?

Speaker 1: 11:41

you typically look like Because you're working as well, right, and how did you structure your days, your weeks, when you were traveling to be able to work and explore?

Speaker 3: 11:52

Yeah well, the Europe trip was the exception. I usually don't want to travel that fast, or at least I shouldn't, especially as a digital nomad, because you have to balance work. On top of that, and for the most part that three months trip, I spent a good portion like about a month in Portugal, and the other countries that I hit super fast were just countries I was hitting because I had an engagement there. For example, I had a wedding in France that I had to go to, or maybe a friend was expecting me, or I just had to pass through one country to get to another. But usually and this is what I've heard from other nomads is that one month is probably the slowest. You should go between place and place because of balancing the work life and throwing a little time difference on top of that. That also makes things a little more complicated.

Speaker 1: 12:48

Absolutely. Do you have a family? Your parents are in the US, in Florida, and you're in Florida too. You said Currently yes, yeah, currently no, I can imagine. Do you have siblings as well?

Speaker 3: 13:04

I do. I have one younger sister and we're not. We're not very far apart in age. She's only about a year younger than me, so we grew up pretty close, but we cannot be more opposite. I mean her night and day. She doesn't even like to travel.

Speaker 1: 13:20

You send her a postcard, I know.

Speaker 2: 13:24

Yeah, it's interesting to like. I mean, we tend to surround ourselves with like-minded people. But yeah, there's this gentleman I work with some time and I'm like do you want to travel? He's like no, I'm good.

Speaker 3: 13:33

Really.

Speaker 2: 13:35

I don't want to end up, but I mean to each their own right yeah yeah, well, also, some people like books, do that read a lot, like you can, you know, travel through books and having all these new experiences, and for some people that's plenty.

Speaker 1: 13:49

Yeah, my mom yeah.

Speaker 3: 13:52

What I was trying to get her to understand is why she didn't like traveling, and I was trying to find the root of it. And she told me I don't like to go into situations where I'm not going to be uncomfortable. And she had a point there, because when you travel, you're constantly going to go through uncomfortable situations, whether it's adjusting to a language or not knowing how to get somewhere, and there are some people who are more comfortable with the discomfort and some people who aren't. So I think I am one of those people. I wasn't always, ironically, but I think once I got over like the first hurdles of doing trips by myself, then I was like oh, this is easy. I feel confident in myself that no matter what uncomfortable situation I'm in, I can figure it out, I'll be able to handle it.

Speaker 1: 14:38

That's such a great point and thanks for pointing that too. It's funny because I remember, you know I am very driven to want to travel and to you know, my kids are, you know, college, high school still. You know they're pretty much on their way out. But once they move out in a couple of years I do want to, you know, do this, and I was just telling Carol, my plan is to just pick my routes and then go back to our podcast and listen to the different countries and figure it out from there.

Speaker 1: 15:08

But I do remember a big trip I did this is maybe 20 years ago going through Barcelona, italy, and then ending up in the UK and being like I can understand the signs, I can understand the language, I can communicate, and just having really hard time initially and it was fine, but it was hard. You just have to kind of give yourself grace and understand. You know, do a little, although I went to South Korea with my kids last summer and that was very different. But now, with the phone, you know 20 years ago we didn't have this but Google translate my gosh, it's amazing it is.

Speaker 3: 15:45

I absolutely get where you're coming from. When you said you finally got to the UK and you could understand things and you felt relieved because that was my last stop, yeah, after my three month Europe trip, and I felt like my brain just did like a sigh of relief because I didn't have to constantly try to think in another language or try to understand, I mean, I would say Spanish is a pretty big advantage, because if you know Spanish you can sort of understand Italian. I did study a little bit of French as well, so I can sort of get by with that. So I was okay. But it's just there's something nice about not having to think and just it takes a mental load off.

Speaker 1: 16:29

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 16:30

But I was in Japan for a semester actually, and I did go back again because I loved it so much. But I did spend an entire semester there. I studied Japanese before going and even a little bit after.

Speaker 2: 16:42

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 16:43

You don't practice the language, you tend to lose it, and that's kind of what sort of happened in my case.

Speaker 1: 16:48

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 16:48

Sometimes it comes back If I hear I have some friends who are Japanese and like, when I hear them, they're awesome words, and it starts to come back to me.

Speaker 1: 16:57

But that's great.

Speaker 2: 16:59

Well, you are truly a global citizen. Wow, everywhere.

Speaker 3: 17:04

Absolutely, I want to go everywhere.

Speaker 1: 17:06

I thought it was well. It sounds like you're on your way and curious why the podcast? What made you want to start the podcast as you were traveling?

Speaker 3: 17:15

Oh, that was an interesting story actually, because I had always listened to a lot of travel podcasts before this and it kind of took me mentally across the world, especially during COVID, when we couldn't travel.

Speaker 3: 17:28

But for the longest time I always traveled with people, like with either friends, a boyfriend, sometimes with family, and never traveled by myself. I think I was a little bit too scared to. But it got to a point where, like, I was no longer in a relationship and I finally had a flexible job that allowed me to travel and I could go for long periods of time and not a lot of people could come with me. So I was either going to stop myself from continuing to travel because I had no one to come, or I had to force myself out of my comfort zone and do it on my own. So I did a pretty big, life changing solo trip to Europe and I remember right before going I was like already doing a bunch of daring things. I figured I might as well start the podcast that I always wanted to start about travel, because if I was scared to go off by myself, I'm sure somebody else out there is as well, especially being a woman traveling by yourself.

Speaker 1: 18:29

Thank, you for sharing that. That's huge. It's about doing what you really want to do and not letting fear stop you having it. They say, put it in the passenger seat and you keep driving, yeah.

Speaker 3: 18:41

There's going to be uncomfortable moments, but I feel like people only focus on the possibility of that and let the fear of that hold them back. But maybe I passed through a couple uncomfortable moments, but I'm sure the good majority of it was awesome, amazing memories. And are we going to stop ourselves because of a couple uncomfortable things we're going to have to face for the adventure of a lifetime or something that is a unforgettable experience?

Speaker 1: 19:10

And it's how you look at it, right, and I always think about experiences. I want to have experiences in my life, and that's you move forward. Right, you got to see the glass half full, exactly. You have to Just make yourself see that. Oh yeah, make sure you're safe, but keep going right, that's fantastic.

Speaker 3: 19:30

Of course, yeah.

Speaker 1: 19:31

What's your favorite? So you've got the mountains, you've got the Amazon and you haven't done that part, but the mountains and the beachfront. How's the beaches there and what's your favorite?

Speaker 3: 19:44

Oh, so you're going to love this, kristen, because I see all the surfboards in your background. Oh yes, in Lima there's a big surf culture over there. I live in Florida. I'm spoiled. I have nice beaches around me. I would say that beaches in Lima don't compare as well with the sandy beaches. It's more of a rocky beach, more than anything, at least right by the city, but the waves are absolutely perfect for surfers.

Speaker 1: 20:14

Oh, wow, yes. I'm bringing that right now to see. It looks like there's also like an island off and it kind of jets, Looks like it's got a little bit of a bay. It kind of actually reminds I grew up in Redonda Beach and it looks like it's got kind of that shape similar.

Speaker 2: 20:32

Oh, yeah, totally.

Speaker 1: 20:33

Yeah, that's. It Is that the in Peru is Lima where people go to surf.

Speaker 3: 20:42

Yeah, they have really, really big waves. I'm actually I would love to start surfing, but I'm a little bit scared to start in places with waves as strong as what they have over there. Yeah, I was psyching myself up to do it in Portugal, but then I saw the waves and I said oh, no way.

Speaker 2: 20:58

Oh yeah, Maybe down there, Maybe Ecuador, it's not so bad. I heard they have like surfed camps and surf trips.

Speaker 3: 21:05

Yeah, and there are a lot of surf camps all around the coast. One day I'll be brave enough to try it because I've always admired surfers and I think it's a really cool sport. But aside from surfing, I would say one of the things that called me a lot to Peru was the mountain area, cusco, as I mentioned before. Yeah, it's a very spiritual place If you are a spiritual person. They say that Cusco is like the belly button of the world. It's where a lot of energy is combined in, like this one place. So apparently people go there and they feel rejuvenated or they feel like a really pure energy there. And it must have been something of significance to the Incas, I imagine, because they built a lot of temples and things around it and they're all very in line with the stars and certain constellations and their understanding of astrology is absolutely fascinating for its civilization at that time.

Speaker 2: 22:10

The Cusco looks like it's the closest main town to Machu Picchu. Yeah.

Speaker 3: 22:16

Okay, people who usually go to Machu Picchu. They'll go to Cusco first and they'll either do the Inca trail, where they'll hike all the way up to the base of the mountain. And at the base of the mountain there's this tiny little town. They call it Machu Picchu town, but it's really called Aguas Calientes. They'll probably stop there and then they'll finish going up from there, and there's buses that take you right up.

Speaker 2: 22:39

Is that like a day trip or is like a multi-day trip like hiking?

Speaker 3: 22:43

It's a multi-day trip, but if you're someone who is not good with the altitudes, like me, I take the train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes. Okay, it's really fun because they have, like these panoramic windows so you can see all around you the landscapes as you're going through, and some of these trains they even do like shows on the train to give you coca-tea to help you with the altitude sickness and things like that.

Speaker 1: 23:12

Oh my gosh, what's the altitude? How high is it?

Speaker 3: 23:16

For I believe Cusco is actually a little bit higher than Machu Picchu.

Speaker 1: 23:19

When I click on Cusco, it looks like it's 11,152. So it says 3399 meters and then 11,152, and then Machu Picchu. Let's see, oh, it just automatically. That's the 79, 72. That's a lot lower.

Speaker 3: 23:41

It is lower. I personally felt fine as long as I wasn't over-exerting myself. I know some people they have to go up with oxygen masks, but the hard one for me, which was the highest altitude I've ever been in before, was Rainbow Mountain, which is also close to Cusco. They call it the seven color mountain or rainbow mountain. It's just a mountain range with like a bunch of different colors and that is an actual hike that you have to go to there. It's not a hard hike but it's the altitude that makes it a little challenging.

Speaker 1: 24:15

Rainbow Mountain. Okay, so I have to just stop for a second because it looks just like. So there is a place in China. I guess it was on my screensaver this week. I was totally blown away Like I took pictures of it and I was like Rainbow Mountain. It has to look like the one I just saw, and it does, and I don't know if it's just the pictures, but it looks like candy. I don't understand. Like it looks so fake. Like Carol, you have to look it up. Yeah, I'm looking at it.

Speaker 1: 24:42

Yeah, it's like Now, what makes it do that? I just haven't looked at it, but I just literally saw someplace in China and it was on my screensaver. It's a well and I'm seeing one picture and it looks more browns. But then there's other pictures and it looks like bright, red and purple, oh yeah, yellow, and I don't know if maybe that's just the camera that's doing that.

Speaker 3: 25:06

Yeah, I'm sure people go there and probably add a little bit of filter to their travel pictures.

Speaker 2: 25:11

Yes, that's, I'm sure, when it is. But there's definitely, I mean there's definitely red rock yeah.

Speaker 1: 25:17

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 25:18

There's something kind of like purpleish pink. So how long of a trail does that from Cusco to this Rocky Mountain area?

Speaker 3: 25:24

Well, they take you on a bus to like the closest point to where you can start hiking, because it's pretty out there. I believe I had a good up at four in the morning to take that bus. Oh leave as early as three in the morning because it's about a three to four hour bus ride.

Speaker 1: 25:44

Oh yeah.

Speaker 3: 25:46

And you're in the middle of nowhere and there's, I believe, they built like one little like shack there that they made into like these really nice bathrooms for the tourists, and that is the only other like building around, it was just for the bathrooms, and then from there it's. They give you about an hour or so to hike up the mountain, which it's. It's not very steep, but I remember getting there, pulling up to the bus, like waking up because I was, it was, I had a good up at four in the morning.

Speaker 3: 26:16

And I see people at the base of the mountain already throwing up and I said, oh no, myself into.

Speaker 1: 26:25

I could have mapped it Wow. Yeah, and you did it, though, and you didn't throw up.

Speaker 3: 26:31

I did not throw up. I'm so proud. So I was really cold, oh really. Because, it started hailing on our way up there. Oh, no, oh no, oh yeah.

Speaker 2: 26:43

So what's the best time of the year to go in? The summer, I assume the summer in down there there summer.

Speaker 3: 26:48

Yeah Well, weird enough, it is summertime in Peru right now. I didn't do this that long ago. I did this last month and it was summertime in Peru. In Cusco, for some reason, it was still really cold and it was rainy season start of rainy season. So this is what I would consider low season for tourism in Peru, because a lot of people go to see Machu Picchu or to the the Rainbow Mountain, and because it is rainy season, it gets really foggy, so maybe you won't see Machu Picchu as well, or the train system. They don't do like a full train ride from Cusco to Machu Picchu. They do like a bimodal system where they'll take you part of the way on bus and then the rest on train because of the flooding.

Speaker 3: 27:35

I didn't know all this, even though it's my second time going. The first time I went during high season. This was my first time going through rainy season and I was very lucky that when I did go to Machu Picchu, for example, it was like the one sunny day and it was beautiful and it wasn't foggy and I was able to see. But the day that I did go to Rainbow Mountain, the cold was pretty, pretty harsh. And because it's still cold and it started to rain. That's when that became hail and made it a little bit harder. But I would say I was already getting my body warmed up hiking, so it was fine.

Speaker 2: 28:13

Okay, so definitely do some research on tight mean. And you know because you hear about Machu Picchu all the time is like do you definitely say, yeah, everyone has to go to Machu Picchu, or is there like no, there's like 30 other Machu Picchu, like you know, runes or something to go to? Is there something like you would recommend that's more off the beaten path and not so touristy?

Speaker 3: 28:37

Well, definitely, I have to say. I've gone there twice already and I still am shocked, just even the second time that I've gone. Okay, and I think it is a wonder of the world for a reason it actually is very, very beautiful and I'm still amazed at the structure and how perfect they made it. However, there are other archaeological sites that are equally as amazing. I did a tour through the Sacred Valley, which was really cool, and I saw other archaeological sites and saw what more, I would say, the day-to-day Inca would pass through, because Machu Picchu, as the tour guide explained to me, was a town built for the wealthy. What we consider Machu Picchu. That's not where most Inca is.

Speaker 3: 29:24

Back in the day, that was where the elites, and that's why there's not a lot of farming terraces around. There are some, but they were almost more for gardens. They were that wealthy they would just have gardens because they just wanted to have nice flowers. They didn't need it for food. These were the wealthy elites leaving here For some reason. From one day to the next they got abandoned and everything was kind of forgotten and left structurally intact, and that's why the Spanish never got to it. They never touched it. So it's one of the I guess the least messed with archaeological sites you can find in Peru. But there's so many places I could name. There's one I'm trying to get to. They call it the door to nowhere. They say it's like a People say it might be an portal to another dimension, because they just built this huge door and it led to nowhere and they were trying to understand why. So that's where all the conspiracy theories come in about the aliens and stuff like that.

Speaker 2: 30:27

So it would be Egyptians oh funny. In Peru, Mm-hmm. So where do you fly in? If some people are going to go to Machu Picchu, where do you like to fly in Peru and then take a train to Cusco? Or do you drive to or fly into Cusco? How's that all worth?

Speaker 3: 30:42

Well, you're most likely have to fly into Lima. From Lima, you then take a probably a domestic flight into Cusco, although they are now building a really big international airport in Cusco that eventually will start receiving international flights, but as of right now, I believe they still have a couple more years before it's completed.

Speaker 2: 31:05

Okay, so that looks kind of like thinking of California. It's just a hopper like 45-minute flight from Lima to Cusco or something.

Speaker 3: 31:12

Yep, it's a pretty quick flight. The cost is actually pretty decent. So I would rather just go by plane, because you could take a bus, a night bus, but it would just take probably over 12 hours.

Speaker 2: 31:28

Okay, and it's not that less expensive. It sounds like.

Speaker 3: 31:32

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 31:33

Cool.

Speaker 1: 31:34

So I had to look up this door to nowhere thing, because there's a movie called Stargate that I've watched that it happens to be saying it's Peruvian Stargate, but it says September 96, a huge, mysterious door-like structure was discovered in the Hague Marca mountain region of southern Peru. Is that what it is? Yeah, I think that that's it, revealed by local Indians as the city of the gods, never been fully explored because of the rugged mountain terrain. Although no actual city has ever been discovered, many of the rock formations of the regions resemble buildings and artificial structures, which actually they do based on these pictures, which is really interesting. Yeah, I know where it. Definitely it's like in rocks and it looks like in his door structure.

Speaker 3: 32:21

The interesting part about the way that they built these structures is that the Incas never had any sort of like glue or nails or anything. They didn't have access to iron like that. So all of these are just perfectly fitting together and lasting all these years, and I think that's what's driven a lot of archaeologists like crazy with the theories on how. But they didn't have sharp enough tools to cut rocks that were this dense. I think they would maybe. Maybe when they were able to use some rocks to cut other rocks, but to get it to fit that perfectly is kind of a mystery.

Speaker 1: 33:06

Yeah, it also seems like there's such a mystery of how and why, and is there any notes that share why or what they did or how they lived, and is there points of reference of history to share how they did it?

Speaker 3: 33:25

I mean, I'm not the most well-versed in Peruvian history, but I have gotten quite into it with these last couple of trips I've done. The Incas were a pretty advanced civilization. I don't know if they had anything written down, but they definitely had a very, a very wide understanding of the way the universe works, in terms of like the stars, astrology, but also how to cultivate it, how to make water run where, when to harvest, when to plant, things like that. They were very in tune with nature. So I can't say exactly from where they got all this knowledge, because not a lot of the recorded history has been kept. If it has, maybe the Spanish destroyed it because, since they worshiped the sun or the earth, they would consider that to be pagan. So things like that would get destroyed.

Speaker 2: 34:29

Okay, well, we are getting close to the end of our hour so I can go to the rapid fire questions which we cover. A lot of food.

Speaker 1: 34:37

I was going to ask food. Yeah, we've got food and cultures, if there's any. You did say one celebration do they celebrate Christmas? And no, they don't have Thanksgiving, but just some of the other, some sort of. Easter, or do they, and what? Oh, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3: 34:54

So modern day is pretty Catholic, so they celebrate Christmas, easter, all things like that. I would say the majority of the country is Catholic and maybe people who are in the mountains who still believe in the old ways. They are Catholic, but they maybe leave some traditions of revering the Pachamama in respecting the earth and things like that into their Catholicism.

Speaker 2: 35:18

Thank you, yeah, so the first one with a popular holiday tradition. You had mentioned the Cusco Sun event. Is there any other ones that really stand out?

Speaker 3: 35:31

I know, aside from that one, they probably also celebrate New Year's pretty crazy over there.

Speaker 2: 35:39

I heard.

Speaker 3: 35:39

If you're going to be in Cusco one of two dates, go for the Inti Rimi or go for New Year's. It's just a lot of celebration, a lot of activity.

Speaker 2: 35:47

Oh, nice, very good. So we didn't really get into foods this episode. So what are some of your favorite dishes?

Speaker 3: 35:54

or, if you want, to tell us more about them. Oh my God, we could do a whole episode. I'm just not good. We should have started with that.

Speaker 2: 36:01

Okay, yeah we should have yeah.

Speaker 3: 36:04

Peruvian food is good, oh, so what is?

Speaker 2: 36:06

Peruvian food Like we're not too familiar.

Speaker 3: 36:09

So the awesome thing about Peruvian food is we have influences from all over the world, because we got colonized by the Europeans, who also brought in slaves from Africa and then, after slavery was abolished, they brought in a lot of Chinese immigrants. So we have such a mix of food and the food you'll get on the coast will be different from the mountains and then that will be very different from the Amazon. I would say a lot of the food. In Lima, where I'm from, they have a lot of great seafood. If you've ever had Peruvian ceviche, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

Speaker 3: 36:43

Okay, no, I've not we also have dishes that mix a lot of the other influences we have. For example, we have a whole type of food called chifa, which is basically Chinese, peruvian food. It's a lot of Chinese dishes that was brought over when the big immigration of Chinese came over. We even have our own Chinatown, which, if you see pictures and videos of it, you would think you're in China.

Speaker 2: 37:08

Wow, oh, okay. I mean you always think of the USA, where that's to get all the immigrants and all this melting pots, but migrations happen to other countries apparently.

Speaker 1: 37:20

I was going back to the ceviche. What makes it unique compared to other ceviches?

Speaker 3: 37:25

Well, I think Peru has really really good fish, because we have really good ocean and the fish that we just are able to get from there is really fresh and really good. We also have this amazing thing in Peru actually two amazing things called ají and rocoto, and we throw it in basically all of our foods. They will all have at least a little bit. It's a kind of spice that you can make into a paste. It's not spicy to the point where it burns your tongue, but it does add a lot of flavor.

Speaker 1: 37:55

What is it?

Speaker 3: 37:55

called Ají Ají. We have different types of ajís that you can put into your food. Then we also have one called rocoto, which is a little bit spicier, if you like that that also adds tons of flavor to our food.

Speaker 2: 38:11

Okay, what's it based from? I guess it's just a plant. How do you spell ají Ají?

Speaker 3: 38:19

It's based out of a type of pepper.

Speaker 2: 38:22

Oh, okay, got it. Generally, is food spicy. Like Mexico you think of food is spicy? Is Peru pretty spicy? Generally speaking, no.

Speaker 3: 38:30

No, I've tried Mexican food and not even for me that's a little too much. I love spice, but my palate is not that high for spicy foods. I would say it's pretty medium, but you can always add more of the sauces if you like it. On the spicier side.

Speaker 2: 38:47

Oh, got it. Okay. I'll see you guys for breakfast when you're there.

Speaker 3: 38:51

I know this is going to sound very basic, but this is honestly the breakfast I had growing up is always avocado and toast. We call it palta and we eat it on bread and that was like. I remember that was such a thing for me, even before it got popularized here in the US. That's amazing.

Speaker 2: 39:12

I love avocado and toast. I thought, if you're gonna say oatmeal, if everyone's eating oatmeal or yogurt and granola.

Speaker 1: 39:18

I actually thought toast. I was thinking toast, but I didn't think avocado toast.

Speaker 3: 39:24

That's great we have lots of avocados and lots of varieties of fruits and vegetables, because of the jungle as well. We have fruits that I haven't even heard of before until I was able to go back and try them, and they're really, really good.

Speaker 2: 39:39

Okay, so it's not farming like California, but it's from the jungle, huh, oh, wow, that's cool.

Speaker 3: 39:45

Well, they bring a lot of fruits from the jungle. I don't know if they bring all the other types of agriculture, but I know in the mountains they also have different types of things, like a lot of potatoes will come out of the mountains, onions as well.

Speaker 1: 39:59

What are some of the fruits you have there that maybe are your favorites that we don't have here?

Speaker 3: 40:05

So we have and this is kind of everywhere in Peru. You'll see that they have this flavor luchuma and like ice creams and things like that, because luchuma is a fruit that we have that is not easily found everywhere else. And then there's also chidi molla, which is extremely sweet, but it's so good. It's so good. It has like a green outer shell and it's kind of hard, but then the inside is like this it's completely white, like really bright white, and it's very juicy. Oh, I'm going to have to look at it. It's like a kiwi. C-h-i-r-o-m-o-y-a.

Speaker 2: 40:42

Yeah, I'm coming up with some singers.

Speaker 1: 40:44

It does have kind of a kiwi. Look Well, just again green with white on the inside, but then it almost looks like artichoke. It looks to me like an artichoke on the outside. Yeah, I guess it kind of does it's?

Speaker 3: 41:00

pretty messy to eat, but it's amazing. I loved going to brew just to go eat anything. But if there's one thing I'm always craving is the fruits, the variety of fruits there.

Speaker 1: 41:11

Ah, another fruit that comes to mind also, that's sando.

Speaker 3: 41:17

Luchuma was the other one I mentioned, and that one is very bright orange on the inside. I don't know if it is on the outside. I've actually never seen it as a whole fruit in person. I've only ever tasted it in flavors of stuff. Oh okay, it looks like a mango.

Speaker 1: 41:33

Oh, does it? Okay, well, at least the one that I'm looking at. There's another picture that looks like a pear. That's interesting. Yeah, oh gosh. Yeah, the one, it's a luchuma howler. And then this one looks kind of like a pear, or even an avocado. Yeah, I kind of say an avocado, that's orange, oh, with a big seed in the center.

Speaker 2: 41:58

Okay, and then what's the money there? How does that work, and do you recommend always using a credit card or changing it on the street or at the bank? I feel like in South America we've gotten different answers in different locations.

Speaker 3: 42:12

So I would say, in the capital you could comfortably use your credit card in most places. But I would say Peru is still a cash-based society. In most parts, especially if you're going to touristic places, they use a currency called Sol, or Soles for plural, which literally translates to sun in Spanish. So we're exchanging suns when we pay for things.

Speaker 2: 42:35

Nice. Oh, I see a theme with the Cusco and the yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3: 42:39

The sun was a big part, a big god to us, like I would say, because it brought everything to life.

Speaker 2: 42:46

Oh, I like that Nice, one big sand, okay. And then closest place to surf, I mean Lima. You said it's great. Is there like throughout the whole coast, or is there just certain towns that are better for surf? I've heard in Lima.

Speaker 3: 43:01

Barranco is a neighborhood to go to if you want to surf, and there's a big surf culture there. It's very artsy, very beautiful. So if you're into surf, I would hit up that neighborhood first and then see where's the best place to access the beach from there. Okay, very good.

Speaker 1: 43:19

And Barranco, how do you spell it? It's B-A-R-R-A-N-C-O. Yep, that's exactly it. Just googled it and I see it here and it looks very bohemian. I like it. Oh yeah, this guy that he looks like he's got like a rasta hat on. Actually it's their hoarded wetsuit. It's interesting looking at the cliffs. I grew up in Southern California, Passafordies, and it looks very similar kind of landscape to that area.

Speaker 3: 43:52

I kind of I think I know which picture you're looking at, because that's one of the most iconic spots whenever I type in Lima and Google is a neighborhood in Miraflores and the place is called Larco Mar and it's like that big cliff that just kind of cuts off into nowhere and a lot of people go parasailing there. It's really amazing.

Speaker 1: 44:14

What I see is there's buildings on the top, but what's different in Southern California than when it goes down? Actually, when it goes down, there's nothing. There's not even like places to lay out, but this one in particular, there's at the bottom of it. On the water side there's more buildings and lots of people. So it must be deeper than what ours is in Southern California, but it's looks pretty amazing.

Speaker 3: 44:39

Yeah, I love walking around there. It's a nice place, it's a nice neighborhood and, with Lima especially, just the way the situation is in most places in Latin America. You do have to be a little bit more wary of what neighborhoods you're walking into, and that is one of the neighborhoods that I would say is relatively safer for tourists is Miraflores or Barranco. They're also very beautiful places to visit, but in terms of safety, it's usually where, if someone asks me for a recommendation as a tourist, I would tell them to go visit those two places.

Speaker 2: 45:13

Oh, okay.

Speaker 1: 45:13

Perfect. And one last thing I see everyone wearing wetsuits, so it sounds like, and I was curious, the temperature in Peru and also when people are surfing and I don't know, is it the water cold or I don't know, the beaches and Well, it's ocean water, so it's definitely going to be a bit cold.

Speaker 3: 45:32

but for anyone who doesn't know this, our seasons are reversed in below the equator, so if you're going around the months that are summer in the US and you go fly to Peru, it's going to be winter. So try to go whenever it's winter here and then that way you have summer over there.

Speaker 2: 45:53

Yeah, endless summer, exactly.

Speaker 1: 45:56

Chasing the sun Exactly. That's great.

Speaker 2: 46:01

Well, thank you so much, Andrea, nice, to see you again and really appreciate this, and I think we'll probably have to have you on again for some of your other adventures. You spend a lot of time in a lot of cool places.

Speaker 3: 46:15

Yeah, oh yeah. I have so many stories. Oh my gosh.

Speaker 2: 46:19

Oh yeah, so where do people find you? How do we find your podcast and social channels?

Speaker 3: 46:24

Well, my podcast is listed on all wherever you get podcast Apple, spotify and it's Wander working without the E. And then on social media it's the same. I'm on Instagram quite a lot and I post a lot of reels with tips for travel and destinations I go to, and even digital nomads stuff if you're looking to become one. So definitely check those out. I know not everyone's doing long term travel but at least if you are interested in travel at all, I post a lot of tips on Instagram for that stuff. Excellent.

Speaker 1: 46:59

Okay, that's fantastic. Thank you so much.

Speaker 3: 47:02

No thank you. Thank you for having me. I love being here. I love your podcast. I do listen to it a lot whenever I'm trying to decide where next.

Speaker 2: 47:12

Thank you.

Speaker 3: 47:13

That's fantastic, well, you guys are welcome anytime. Just let me know when you're going and I will hook you guys up over there.

Speaker 1: 47:20

Awesome Yay.

Speaker 2: 47:22

Thank you, carol. Thank you Kristen. Thank you, take care, Bye, bye. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed the podcast, can you please take a second and do a quick follow of the show and rate us in your podcast app, and, if you have a minute, we would really appreciate a review. Following and rating is the best way to support us. If you're on Instagram, let's connect. We're at when Next Podcast. Thanks again.