Cusco & Rainbow Mountain

Cusco was one of my favorite cities that I visited in Peru! I got a chance to do so many great things, one of them being climbing Rainbow Mountain. I wanted to share my journey and tips if you are planning a trip to Cusco.

Day 7 October 7

I took the Peru Rail back from Machu Picchu to Ollantaytambo. From Ollantaytambo, my friend and I shared a taxi to Cusco with a great French couple we met on the train. The cost was 20 Sols each (about $7). TIP: It is much easier to share a taxi and the cost is much lower. On our journey from Cusco to Ollantaytambo, we spent about $28 each. That's a difference of $21!!

After a 2.5 hour drive through the Sacred Valley, we arrived at our cute hotel in Cusco called Rumi Punku. It was located just 5 minute walk from the Plaza de Armas. This hotel was gorgeous!! It had an outer court area, a huge lobby, great wifi service, large rooms, clean bathrooms, and a buffet breakfast that was included with the stay. I definitely recommend staying at this hotel!

Later that day, went outside and walked around the city. We went to the Plaza de Armas and caught the gorgeous sunset! TIP: Don't miss the sunset and the view of the valleys from Plaza De Armas at night! We had dinner at Morena Peruvian Kitchen. OMG!! One of the most delicious meals I have ever had! I had Aurepuerto ( Peruvian influenced fried rice with chicken) and Ashley had wings with plantains. The sauce on the wings were to die for! Both dishes were filled with such amazing flavors! 

Day 8 October 8

The next day, after an amazing night of sleep, we woke up feeling refreshed and were ready to discover the city. Our taxi driver, Fausto, from Ollantaytambo was so nice that we booked him the next day to take us to Pisac Market (a huge market in the Sacred Valley). The drive to Pisac from Cusco is about 1.5 hours. 

I told Fausto that I really wanted to take a picture with alpacas at some point during my time in Peru and he made it happen! TIP: If you want to see or do something, ask the taxi drivers. They are so helpful and don't mind making stops. Total opposite of NYC taxi drivers. We stopped for the views, to see llamas, alpacas, vincuñas at a local farm, and textile making process. I fell in love with the alpacas and llamas in Peru! I wish I could've brought one home with me.  

We went shopping in Pisac market and bargained our way till we dropped! I picked up a ton of cute souvenirs. They have everything from art, scarves, jewelry, pillow covers, statues, pens, and so much more! TIP: Bargain as much as you can and shop the next stall if a vendor doesn't work with you. 

On the way back from the market to Cusco, we stopped at Cristo Blanco (Jesus statue). The view of Cusco from this point was amazing! I didn't realize how big the city actually was. This half day tour cost us about $25 each. Not bad for a personal tour. TIP: I recommend going around the Sacred Valley with a taxi driver so you can make as many stops as you would like and not be on a time schedule. 

For a late lunch/ dinner, we at Papacho's right by the Plaza de Armas. They had a great selection of burgers! Portions were huge! Prices were mid range for Peru. Note that a bottle of water was 7 sols ($2.50)! Pretty steep for just water. TIP: Carry bottles of water with you because the restaurants in Cusco are on the pricier side. Or buy it from the side street where the waters only cost $1.

Day 9 October 9

Vinicunca mountain! Rainbow mountain! We booked this tour through Flash Packer Connect a month in advance. The bus picked us up right at our hotel at 2:15AM. We then drove another 3 hours to get to the starting point. They served us a cute little breakfast then started the trek. Our tour guide Miak was great! He was filled with energy and had a lot of knowledge about the people and the mountains. He was also very honest about the difficulties of the trek and prepared us in advanced.

Off we went! The start of the trek was a 45 degree climb (of course we start out tough right!?). All three of us were out of breathe 15 minutes in. It was only about 4 NYC blocks, but due to the elevation (14,266 feet), it is really hard to breathe. We all decided to get a horse to help us walk part of the journey ($40 round trip). This saved my life!!!! No way was I going to make the 6 hour trek without my main man of the day Roberto (the nice horse) and Jose the horse guide. SO thankful for them! We rode the horses and walked part of the way. The horses cannot climb the steep parts of the mountain so we had to climb those parts. A couple hours later we arrived at rainbow mountain. Wow, what a beautiful landscapes!!! We had to climb a pretty steep hill to get to the top, then another steep hill to get a better view of the mountain. Boy, was I out of breathe by that point! But I felt SO accomplished and the view was to die for!! I've never seen anything like that in my entire life! We were literally in the clouds 16,455 feet up in the mountains. That is the highest point I have ever been standing on my own two feet. It was such an incredible feeling! The high you feel when you're up there surrounded by the earths natural beauty is something I can't even explain in words. You have to experience it yourself!! This climb was much tougher than Machu Picchu. I highly recommend climbing rainbow mountain! It was one of my parts parts of my whole Peru trip. 

TIP: It gets windy and pretty cold up at the top of Rainbow Mountain so make sure you have on layers. I recommend a warm coat/ fleece, gloves, hat, and scarf. I didn't have some of the items I listed but I wish I did at the top. Flash Packer sends a list of items they recommend bringing. Follow the list because they know what they are talking about. 

TIP: Please note that there are no real toilets in the mountains. So be mentally prepared and bring tissue paper. It was so worth every hard moment!!! 

TIP: I highly recommend doing this climb early in the morning (yes I mean get up at 2 AM). We were one of the only people in the mountains and were able to capture great pictures. As we were on our way back (around 10:30AM), there were a lot of people going up the mountain. 

We ended the great hike with an amazing lunch provided my Flash Packer.

After the amazing hike on Rainbow Mountain, we were SO exhausted! We chilled at hotel and caught overnight bus to Puno. Stay tuned for the next post!! 

Read more about other cities I visited in Peru like Lima, Ollantaytambo, and Machu Picchu!

Photography by Ashley Gallerani

XOXO!

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu was an incredible experience that I will NEVER forget!! I wanted to share my experience and share a ton of tips for anyone who is interested in going themselves one day!

Day 5 October 5

We arrived in the city of Machu Picchu/ Aguas Calientes after a wonderful ride on the Peru Rail. The views of the train ride were spectacular and ride was only a quick 2 hours from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu. We got roundtrip tickets from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu that cost $135. When we got off the train it we went straight to our hotel- Gringo Bills. It was walkable distance and pretty easy to find since all of the hotels are in the same area. The local Peruvian people were very helpful as well and most seemed to know the hotel. The town is very small and is made for tourists- filled with restaurants that served American food and souvenir shops. 

After settling into the hotel, we decided to walk around the town and have dinner. We had an AMAZING dinner at Treehouse Cafe. I had the alpaca burger which was so good! It tasted like beef and turkey mix. The burger was layered with cheese, bacon, fried egg, arugula, and had the most delicious herb/ olive oil mixture to add for extra flavor!! My friend had ribs with a tangy orange flavored glaze which was equally delicious! 

TIP: Buy your bus ticket to take you up to Machu Picchu a day in advance to save a lot of time and hassle!! If you don't, you will have to wait in an incredibly long line the next day for buses. Place to buy tickets is right by the water by the bus station. It is a little wooden booth. Cost about $25 roundtrip.

We went to sleep quite early as we had to get up at 3:30am to get ready for Machu Picchu and the climb next day. 

Day 6 October 6 

Wake up call 3:30 AM. We got ready and packed our bags for Machu Picchu and Waynapicchu hike! I recommend packing the following items:

1. Granola Bar/ snacks

2. Water- at least 32-48 oz. I also recommend putting Cocoa leaves in the water to help with altitude sickness.

3. Cocoa leaves/ cocoa candy

4. Sunscreen- the sun can get very hot and powerful midday

5. Bug spray!

6. Sunglasses

7. Camera

8. Sweatshirt- I wore mine in the morning and by midday I was only wearing a tank top. The temperatures change so wear layers

9. TICKETS & Passport! This is your entry in so don't forget it!! Also, when you leave Machu Picchu, you can get your passport stamped!  

We arrived at the bus station (bus that takes us up to the entrance of Machu Picchu) around 4:30 AM. There was already a LONG line! About 150-200 people long. The ticket was actually for the 5:30AM bus (which is the first bus up). Close to departing time about 10 buses pulled up- we were able easily get in the first group up the mountain. It was a windy rocky road up but the view were amazing! 

We arrived at the entrance of Machu Picchu in about 30 minutes and went straight to use the bathroom. TIP: use the bathroom before entering because there is no bathroom inside! It costs 1 sol. 

We got tickets to climb mountain Waynapicchu (also spelled Huaynapicchu on the website) 7-8am entrance. TIP: Get tickets a couple months in advance as they only allow 400 people up Waynapicchu a day and tickets sell out fast! Also, have someone who speaks/ reads Spanish fluently with you when purchasing tickets online because the site runs much better in Spanish from my experience. Waynapicchu overlooks Machu Picchu (it is the very large mountain in the back in the picture below). It is a 1 hour climb up old Incan stone steps almost 1000 feet up. It sounds really tough but surprisingly is quite manageable. There were people of all ages doing this climb so don't feel defeated by reading the description. We were blown away by the natural beauty of Machu Picchu the minute we entered in. Everything is so green and fresh!! It felt so peaceful there in the morning when the mist was just lifting up and the sun was rising!

We followed the signs for Waynapicchu and also listened to other tourists going the same way.

Major Tips: I recommend doing the climb up Waynapicchu first before discovering the rest of Machu Picchu for several reasons: 

1: Save the energy you have to climb up Waynapicchu because you are climbing hundreds of rocky stairs 1000ft up!

2. The weather is much cooler in the morning so it will feel better. Trust me! We were making our down around 10am and we could already feel the change of heat, especially during the parts of the trek that weren't shaded by trees. 

3. It's not as busy in the morning and you won't have people climbing down the mountain while you are on your way up! 

4. Put on tons of bug spray before you start the climb

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We started at 7969.13 feet and climbed the mountain Waynapicchu up to the highest peak at 8788.16 feet! We made in up to the top in under an hour (54 minutes to be exact after a lot of heavy breathing and multiple stops along the way LOL). The feeling of accomplishment was unbelievable! I am not a big hiker but after this experience, I can totally understand why people love hiking!! We stayed up at the top for amount an hour just admiring the view, soaking it all up! I've never seen anything like this ever before and the pictures don't do this landmark justice. 

We went back down Waynapicchu (which only took us about 35 minutes) and went to the popular spot to look at the Machu Picchu ruins. Note that you need to fully exit the site and re-enter because of the way they have it set up. Don't forget to get your passport stamped!!

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After a day of climbing, we had great 3 course dinner at El Indio Feliz. I got  onion soup, fettuccine with mushrooms, tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and other sauce Peruvian sauces. Last but not least, apple pie and ice cream for dessert. 

We were beat from the climb so we went back to the hotel and lights were out by 4pm.

Day 7 October 7

I woke up tired and sore but ready to take the day on!

We went to Aguas Calientes (hot springs) in the morning. TIP: go in the morning when there is fresh water. We arrived there around 5AM. Cost is about $5-6. Once we got over the greenish tinted mineral water, we really enjoyed soaking in the hot water. It's a great way to relax the sore muscles. 

We then went to the train station to exchange our tickets for an earlier train back to Ollantaytambo. We left Machu Picchu/ Aguas Calientes at 11AM. The city itself does not have much to do and the mosquitos ate me alive so I was ready to move on to the next city. I think 2 days in Machu Picchu is a good amount.

Off to explore Cusco! Stay tuned for the next post!

Read more about other cities I visited in Peru: Lima and Ollantaytambo

Photography by Ashley Gallerani

XOXO!

All Things Lima, Peru

I recently came back from an amazing 2 week vacation from Peru and I wanted to personally share my journey with you! In the next couple of weeks, I'm going to share with you what cities I visited in Peru and everything you need to know about the city. First stop: LIMA!

I started my vacation in the capital of Peru: Lima. I landed in Lima International airport around 4pm. Flying into Lima is a very popular choice among people who travel to Peru. It is the main airport and the easiest way to begin the journey. At the airport, my friend Ashley and I were greeted by a nice gentleman holding up a sign with our name. We emailed our hotel in advance to schedule a taxi. I highly recommend doing this because getting a taxi at the airport is much more expensive and not always reliable. 

We stayed in Miraflores, which is a very cute district in Lima that has great food, shopping, and sights to see. It is the best area to stay in while visiting Lima because it is very safe and lively. The area was also really great because the best spots to visit are all in walking distance.

Day 1, we had an amazing breakfast at our hotel, Pucllana Lodge, and headed out to start our first day of vacation! We walked down to Parque Kennedy which is a hot central spot. There was a great pop up street market filled with local art, food, and rollerblading classes going on. It was great to see the local Peruvian life and feel the laid back hustle of the city. 

Casually walking, we ran into the CUTEST little alley named Calle Manuel Bonilla filled with great restaurants and bars. The street was filled with colorful buildings and street art (which you know I love)! 

Exploring the city more, we decide to sit and have a mid-day coffee. Yup we actually sat down to have coffee! That's something that is very rare in my everyday NYC life. We had a delicious cappuccino and latte at the News Cafe Coffee Shop located on the main street Avenue Larco. It was the perfect sunny day to people watch and the view from the patio was perfect for just that.

My favorite thing about vacations are the unexpected plans I make as I'm exploring a new place, this coffee stop was just that. It was great to sit and literally do nothing, something we all don't do enough of. 

After a relaxing drink, which perked us right up, we walked down to Larcomar which is a big outdoor shopping center right by the water. The view of the water is stunning from here! The shopping center is filled with great stores and restaurants. Then we walked down to the beach to feel the Pacific Ocean on our toes and listened to the soft ocean waves. I highly recommend talking a stroll down to the water and Larcomar because the scenery is beautiful. We even walked/climbed on the rocks by the water (very hard but the locals made it look like a piece of cake). Thanks to these amazing CAT booties with the best grip, I didn't slip! 

After climbing back up a million stairs, we went to the Park of Love right by the water. The walls were made of tile artwork that had romantic phrases. The view of the sunset was amazing from this park!

After walking all day long, we were starving! We went back to Larcomar and had amazing dinner at Tanta. I had the Lomo Saltado which a a famous Peruvian dish- marinated steak, vegetables and fried potatoes served over rice. YUMMY!!

The very end of our trip, we spent another day in Lima before heading back to the states. This day we explored another district in Lima called Barranco. It is known to be the "Soho" of Lima. After visiting, I don't know if I fully agree with that statement, but it was a cute colorful area. Barranco was more residential but again the views were gorgeous. I loved all the colorful houses which had such character!

To end a long day of walking, we headed back to our favorite area in Miraflores (Parque Kennedy) and went to a bar called Nuevo Mundo Draft Bar. This bar is known for their locally crafted Peruvian brews. We tried 6 different beers and learned how they were made. The bartenders were extremely nice and answered all our our 100 questions. It was an amazing way to spend the last night of my vacation.

Sweater: H&M

Jeans: Calvin Klein. Similar here

Leather Jacket: H&M

Scarf: H&M. Similar here

Boots: CAT Footwear

Photography by Ashley Gallerani

XOXO!

Hong Kong

Last November I traveled to the beautiful city of Hong Kong. This was my first time visiting Hong Kong and it was absolutely amazing!! Planning a trip to a foreign country can be very hard (especially if you don't speak the language) so heres a list of tips, places to visit and food to eat in Hong Kong:

Morning: 

Victoria Peak: take the tram or the bus to the highest point of Hong Kong and see the full view. It's best to go in the morning before the lines get really long and it gets too crowded. 

Hong Kong Times Square- Causeway Bay-Bright lights and lots of stores! the streets are really cool to walk through. There are many high end stores and the largest mall in Hong Kong.

The Star Ferry- Hong Kong consists of a few islands so taking the Ferry is a must to getting from one island to another. It's a short but enjoyable ride. 

Evening to Night:

Tsim Sha Tsui- The promenade at night is gorgeous! I've never seen a more colorful skyline. The view is amazing and the architecture is really unique. No two buildings look alike. There is also a light show every night. The light show was okay, didn't really live up to the hype, but the skyline is definitely worth checking out

There is a main street off of the Tsim Sha Tsui station, Nathan Road, where there are tons of high-end stores. Everything from diamonds to souvenirs! There are also lots of great places to eat.

Soho District: It's the more trendy and young area. Lots of nice bars and full of life in this area.

Ladies Market- on Tung Choi Street this market has tons of little stores where everything from bags, sunglasses, socks, are sold. Lots of people, hectic, but a fun experience

Eat:

Dim sum- Hong Kong is known for amazing dim sum. I went to Serenade Chinese Restaurant and they had a huge selection to choose from. This is located right on the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade so there's a gorgeous view to look at while enjoying good food. Pork buns were my favorite!

Chinese Barbecue- perfect for meat lovers! Definitely have to have this while in Hong Kong. Barbecue pork is a popular favorite.

Ramen- another must eat is a big bowl of delicious ramen. There are many variations that you can choose from. 

Here are a few tips I learned:

1. Have the hotel you are staying in write the address of the hotel in Chinese so you can give the taxi driver this. I didn't do this and was dropped off at another hotel...oops 

2. The public transportation system is amazing! It's unbelievably efficient and clean! There is an all day unlimited pass that is great if you will be doing a lot of traveling. However, this is only valid for the trains. Also, if buying a single way or roundtrip ticket, you buy the ticket by what stop you are traveling to.

3. Carry a handkerchief because it can get really hot and you will be sweaty!

4. Tea is water there. It naturally comes with your meal. But if you want water, make sure to get bottled water.