My 10 Favorite Things about Singapore

I have been to Singapore a number of times for business. However, it is a wonderful place to visit as a tourist too, since it provides the visitor with an introduction to many Asian cultures. It’s also one of the most efficient and cleanest cities in the world. More recently, it has become a major cruise ship destination.

Looking northeast along the Singapore River from the financial district. Great restaurants line this river.

Singapore is home to about 4.5 million people on an island which is 247 square miles (plus some other very small islands), just a little smaller than New York City. Ethnic Chinese make up the majority of the population, followed by Malay, Indian and many other ethnic groups. There are about 100,000 expatriates working in the country too, since it is a commercial, shipping and financial hub in Asia, with a very strategic location. Singapore has one of the strongest economies in the world. Singapore gained its independence 1965 from Malaysia, having been a colony of Great Britain since the early 1800’s, except for a period of Japanese occupation during WWII and briefly belonging to Malaysia from 1963-1965.

One caution—Singapore is very densely populated, and the constant crowds (try going to a shopping mall on the weekend!) might be a shock for a person used to lots of open space. Also, Singapore has become quite expensive, partially due to the strong Singapore dollar compared to the US dollar. The current exchange rate is about 1.3 Sing dollars to 1 US dollar. Housing and hotels are very expensive, and is on par with the most expensive cities across the globe.

Here are my Favorite Things…

1. Changi Airport.The first impression of Singapore comes at the Changi International airport, an example of extreme efficiency and cleanliness. The airport has about every amenity one can think of, and is very easy to get in and out of quickly. Located on the eastern end of the island, it’s only about a 15-20 minute drive along the expressway to the heart of the city. If you are lucky enough to fly on Singapore Airlines, count your blessings—it’s one of the world’s most admired airlines. The planes are spotless and the flight attendants are lovely, gracious and attentive. If only our US airline counterparts could learn from them!

Spacious, efficient, and spotless – looking down at the immigration area of Changi Airport

2. Language. Since Singapore was a British colony, English is the official business language and spoken by most of the population. The accent is sometimes a little difficult to understand, but usually not a problem. The Singapore government also requires that the locals learn their ethnic mother tongue as well, a great way to keep traditions and culture alive in this diverse country.

3. Marina Bay.This is an area on the south side of Singapore, near the heart of the business district, with new restaurants, hotels, and office buildings. You can have a drink in the many restaurant open air lounges and enjoy the marvelous view. The Marina Bay Sands Hotel (part of the “Sands” hotel family) is gorgeous and yes, has a huge casino. If you plan on gambling, bring your passport, otherwise you will not be let in. Singaporeans are required to pay a fee (about $100 US) to gamble, I guess to prove they have the resources and to discourage gambling among the local population. Gambling is fairly new to Singapore. Most of the high rollers are from mainland China. There is a roof top lounge and pool area, but visitors are limited to specific days and times to not inconvenience the hotel guests, and the cost to ascend to the roof top is about $20 US.

Take a boat ride inside the shopping mall at Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

The three towers of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel (with the new Art Science Museum on the left).

The Merlion (left) at Marina Bay. The Merlion is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish–it brings together two very old names of Singapore – “Lion City” and “Sea Town.”

Marina Bay at night

4. Sentosa Island.  Sentosa is Singapore’s “weekend getaway” spot right south of the main island. I first visited Sentosa in the mid 1990’s, and at that time there was a golf resort, a few parks, some beaches and restaurants. Now, in 2011, it has totally changed. Wow. It wasn’t recognizable when I visited recently. New hotels (with more being built), shopping and attractions like Universal Studios have totally transformed this little island. Even still, it’s a great place to visit, and just a tram ride or taxi ride away from the HarbourFront shopping center.  Casinos, resorts, zip line rides, bike paths, beaches and indoor skydiving are a few of the attractions in this happening place. Also, there are nice views of the Singapore skyline from Sentosa. It costs about $20 US to take the tram both ways (from HabourFront, Harbour Tower 2).

A cruise ship docked at HarbourFront and the tram between HarbourFront and Sentosa

The Hard Rock Hotel on Sentosa

Try indoor skydiving on Sentosa Island (‘iFly Singapore’)

One of the many beaches on the south side of Sentosa Island

5. Fort Siloso (on Sentosa).  With my interest in history, I love going to places like Fort Siloso.  The Fort is at the west end of Sentosa, and feels “worlds away” from the modern Sentosa.  It was built in the 1880’s and saw action in WWII. There are lots of exhibits, living quarters, bunkers and tunnels, showing what military life was like in the heat and humidity of the tropics before air conditioning. It overlooks the Keppel Habour entrance, and has a pleasant, park-like atmosphere.  The Fort itself was built by the British and guarded Singapore during the early days of WWII until the British surrendered to the Japanese in 1942, which took place in a building at the Fort.

Entrance to the Fort.

Scene of the British surrender to the Japanese in 1942.

The main square at Fort Siloso and some of the huge guns used at the Fort.

Barracks life at Fort Siloso in the 1800’s

6. Chinatown.There is an area near the financial district known as Chinatown. Very good restaurants and interesting shops in this part of town. I love the artwork and intricate glass figure paintings available in the shops. I also like the colonial architecture which provides a feel for the “old” Singapore and contrasts with the super modern office towers nearby. Chinatown is within walking distance of the Amara hotel, where I usually stay. With skyrocketing land values, I wonder how long this area will remain.

The Victorian architecture of Chinatown.

The elaborate interior of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Chinatown.

The delicately hand painted glass items–incredible patience to paint in the interiors of these objects.

A Hindu temple in Chinatown. The entrance tower to the Sri Mariamman Temple — the oldest Hindu Temple in Singapore (1827).  Firewalking ceremonies are held every October or November.

7. Little India. Indians make up the 3rdlargest segment of the population. There is a “Little India” MRT (subway) stop, and if you like Indian food, this is a good place to visit. Many shops selling electronic goods, and some temples to be found in this quaint section of Singapore.

The interior of The Jungle Tandoor restaurant–reminded me of the Rainforest Cafe (although the food here was good).

Street scene in Little India

8. Lots of things to do near Singapore. Several Indonesian Islands are close by—see my post “Four Hours in Indonesia” for one example. Also, you can drive north and enter Malaysia (or take a day tour). The city of Johor Bahru is right across the Causeway from Singapore. Many years ago I took a day tour up the west coast of Malaysia through Johor Bahru and on to the city of Melaka, (aka Melacca) an interesting and historic port, formerly ruled by the Dutch.

The Tenah Merah Ferry Terminal, where trips to Indonesia begin.

9. Easy to get around. Since the island is so small, a car is really worthless in Singapore. Owning a car is extremely expensive and driving is limited by the government in the downtown area by high tolls as a way to limit congestion. Parking is also very limited and good public transportation makes a car unnecessary for the visitor. There is a very efficient, spotless, air-conditioned subway system (called MRT), with many routes and convenient stops. Most MRT rides will cost 1-3 Sing Dollars. Note that you receive a plastic card (ticket) when you purchase a fare and are charged a deposit, which is refundable upon turning in the card. There are also lots of taxis and buses available.

10. It’s safe. Finally, Singapore may be one of the safest countries in the world. Even with 4.5 million people stacked on top of each other, serious crime is almost unheard of. This is certainly due to the governments’ strict rules and policies, but also due to a strong sense of community among the diverse population. Don’t even think of doing drugs in Singapore. They have a mandatory death penalty of possession or sale of illegal drugs. For many other crimes, the penalty will be lashes by caning, a penalty so painful that it’s a strong deterrent to crime. The casual tourist has nothing to fear – just enjoy yourself and the sights in this Asian paradise.

A Day Tour of the Sacred Valley

Day Tour Route - Sacred Valley

On one of our 3 days in Cuzco we did a day tour of the Sacred Valley. We were on a mid-size bus with perhaps 35 people. The tour costs 35 NS per person (1 USD = 2.8 NS). Another option would be to rent a car, but signage on the roads is not very clear, and it was just easier for us to book a tour than to find a car to rent. The tour consisted of a stop at a small set of tourist shops (of course) not too far from Pisac, then the ruins of Pisac, a drive to Urubamba for lunch, then on to Ollantaytambo town and ruins, followed by a drive over a high plateau to the little town of Chinchero, and finally back to Cuzco via Poroy, which is the same town where the trains leave for Machu Picchu. A tourist ticket to visit the ruins below, in addition to others (see my other posts on Cuzco sites) costs 130 NS (about $46), for non-locals. The ticket can be purchased in Cuzco or at your first stop. Unfortunately it’s “all or nothing,” you cannot purchase individual site tickets.

A view of the Sacred Valley from Ollantaytambo

Pisac
The town of Pisac is quite small (about 4,000 inhabitants), and the ruins are set high in a valley behind the little town. It’s about a 2,000 foot drop in elevation from Cuzco to Pisac, and a very scenic drive. The ruins contain a variety of buildings and varying stone and adobe brick work. This Inca site was thought to contain a bit of everything—religious site, observatory, as well as residences. Due to our limited time with a tour group, we only were able to visit one portion of the site—it’s large, and still being excavated. The views of the valley from the ruins are quite spectacular, even with the heavy mist we had.

A view of the ruins of Pisac

A view of the valley and terraces at Pisac

Ollantaytambo
After lunch in Urubamba, our tour took us to Ollantaytambo, at the northwest end of the Sacred Valley, and the literal end of the road (at least in the direction of Machu Picchu). This is a nice small town, and is laid out on the original Inca city plan. The fortress ruins are very impressive, looking up from the town directly below. There are large terraces ascending straight up a narrow cleft in the mountain to the ruins at the top. This site was largely defensive in nature. The Inca fled here in 1537 after being defeated in Sacsayhuaman by the Spanish. They actually made a stand and won a battle against Pizzaro here, but eventually the Spanish conquered this city. In addition to the main ruins by the town, there are additional ruins on the other side of the small valley, to the southeast of the town. Ollantaytambo and Sacsayhuaman were my favorite Inca sites in addition to Machu Picchu. The trains to Machu Picchu make a short stop here on their way to Aguas Calientes.

Looking up at the ruins of Ollantaytambo

The ruins of Ollantaytambo

Temple of the Ten Niches at Ollantaytambo

Chinchero
We drove back down the road to Urubamba, and then south up over a high plateau in the Sacred Valley to the town of Chinchero. On this road are incredible views of the surrounding Andes mountains. This town is 12,500 feet (3,800 meters) in altitude, higher than Cuzco. The Incan past is very obvious in this little town, with the buildings along the streets built upon their original Inca foundations. The Inca, in fleeing to Ollantaytambo, laid waste to this town to slow the Spaniards. Too bad. Chinchero has a very interesting church, built in 1607, with the wood beam ceiling covered in intricate paintings. I could not take pictures inside, but it was very beautiful and worth the visit. We arrived very late in the afternoon, near sunset, so our visit to this interesting town was limited.

Growing crops at 12,500 feet (near Chinchero)

The soaring peak of Lagrimas Sagradas (Sacred Tears) 5,800 meters (about 19,000 ft) high.

A narrow street in Chinchero--houses built on Inca foundations

The 17th century church in Chinchero - built on Inca foundations, and decorated with ceiling paintings

Top 5 Reasons to Visit Northern Spain

A few years ago we spent two weeks in northern Spain, which receives fewer tourists than the more well-known southern Spain. There are a number of fascinating “out-of-way” spots in this part of the country, but for sake of brevity I’m sharing my top 5 reasons to visit this part of Spain below.

Pedraza de la Sierra - a perfect medieval village - one of the "out of the way" spots in northern Spain

1. Santiago de Compostela. The Cathedral and town are the end points of the El Camino de Santiago, the medieval pilgrimage route to the relics of St. James, said to be housed in the Cathedral (spreading the word of sacred relics was a way of encouraging pilgrimages and therefore money for the churches). Santiago de Compostela was the 3rd most important place of pilgrimage in Christendom (after Jerusalem and Rome). I’ll say more about the pilgrimage in another post. The Cathedral is a sight to behold, the current building dates from the 11th – 13th centuries, with Baroque exteriors and towers added in the 18th century. The interior altars, carvings and decorations are some of the finest in Europe. Due to the wetter climate in this part of the country, the towers are tinged with moss. In the Praza do Obradoiro (square) in front of the cathedral is the sea shell marker (symbol of St. James), which marks the end of the pilgrimage route.

The cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

The end of the El Camino de Santiago in front of the cathedral

2. Segovia. Segovia is located only 50 miles north of Madrid. What a perfect city for the tourist looking for layers of history: The Roman aqueduct is one of the largest in existence (built during the Emperor Trajan’s time – about 100 AD), still functional, and made of stone blocks without any mortar. The castle (known as the Alcazar) is one of the most picturesque in Europe (admittedly rebuilt after a fire in the 1800’s). Close to the castle is the Vera Cruz church, a 13thcentury 12-sided Romanesque structure, built by the Knights Templar. Entering this church is a step back in time. This is a great spot to get a picture of the castle too.

The Alcazar of Segovia

The Roman Aqueduct of Segovia (built around 100 AD)

3. Salamanca. One of my favorite cities in Europe, let alone Spain. It has a famous university, plaza and two intertwined cathedrals. The city’s architecture is beautiful, dating from many historical periods. The Plaza de Mayor is one example—I had heard this was the most beautiful Plaza in Spain, and I now know why. Built in the early 1700’s, it is the “living room” of Salamanca. The university, founded in 1230, provided Columbus with travel information for his famous voyages. In one of the old lecture halls, there are wooden benches and tables dating from the 1200’s. The old (12th century) and “new” (16thcentury) cathedrals, built around each other, are some of the most fascinating structures in Europe, with unique paintings, frescoes and tombs. An old Roman bridge on the south side of the city is still in use.

Plaza de Mayor, Salamanca

The Roman bridge (foreground) and the cathedrals of Salamanca (in background).

4. Two of the greatest gothic cathedrals in Europe (Leon and Burgos). Although Spain has had many different cultural influences over the centuries, as evidenced in the varied architecture, it was definitely influenced by the medieval gothic cathedral construction of France. The 13th century cathedral of Leon is world-renown for its stained glass, all 19,350 square feet of it, much of it original. The Burgos gothic cathedral, also 13thcentury, has extremely elaborate stone carvings, and was altered and expanded in the 1400’s and 1500’s.

The gothic cathedral of Leon

Burgos Cathedral

5. It’s cooler and greener. Even in June, the weather in northern Spain was very pleasant, and could even be considered cool, with rain always a possibility (it rained on us one afternoon in Santiago de Compostela). The countryside was green and fresh. Visiting the mountain town of O Cebreiro felt more like Ireland than Spain, both due to the architecture and the surrounding green hills.

The beautiful green countryside of northern Spain

The stone houses of O Cebreiro

Information Sources: Rick Steve’s Spain 2006 and DK Eyewitness Spain 2006.

Images of Machu Picchu

In my post “Machu Picchu–A Practical View” I explained the logistics of our visit. In this post I’ll share some of the photos of this incredible engineering marvel, hidden for centuries (thank goodness!) from the world’s view. A North American archeologist and explorer, Hiram Bingham, “discovered” Machu Picchu on July 24, 1911 (locals of course knew of its existence).

A view of the urban area of Machu Picchu – the ceremonial area is on the left and the residential area is on the right.

Construction

I was surprised by the varied construction techniques. In some places, each stone is fit perfectly with those next to it. In other cases, the construction is more rough, not unlike what one sees in medieval castles in Europe. The Inca understood that trapezoidal shapes are stronger than square shapes, and doorways, windows and carved niches are almost all trapezoidal in shape.

The main entrance to the city of Machu Picchu

Trapezoidal entryways and doors are found throughout Machu Picchu, which were much stronger and more resistant to earthquake damage.

Examples of varied construction techniques in the walls.

An interesting wall–the lower part is constructed of carefully cut and fitted stones and the upper part is much more hastily built.

Another example of the varied building techniques–note the trapezoidal niches and post extensions in the background.

Water System

There is a spring on the hill of Machu Picchu and the Incas utilized it to the fullest extent to provide water to the crops and the inhabitants.  They used the law of gravity to provide a running water supply.

Carved channels for water flow–another engineering masterpiece.

Temple of the Sun

One of the most important buildings in Machu Picchu is the Temple of the Sun. It is quite unique in its construction due to the rounded walls, in addition to the windows that align with the summer and winter solstices.

The Temple of the Sun in the foreground–the windows are aligned perfectly with the summer and winter solstices. This building was Hiram Bingham’s first discovery at Machu Picchu. In the distance are the terraced agricultural fields.

Stairway and chambers directly below the Temple of the Sun. Named the “Royal Tomb” by Hiram Bingham, although the function is unknown.

The Agricultural Area

Machu Picchu is divided into two main zones, the urban zone and the agricultural zone, which is the purpose of the extensive terraces.  A birds-eye view would show that the majority of land area of Machu Picchu was terraced (I didn’t have an airplane!).

Looking up at some of the many terraces.

The Urban Zone

The urban zone is really two main areas:  The Sacred Plaza with temples and ceremonial places, and the residential area, which has 109 stairways containing about 3,000 steps, and a sophisticated canal system.  This city clearly had great urban planners!

The Sacred Plaza

Temple of the Three Windows, in the ceremonial part of the city, called the Sacred Plaza. Note that these windows are carved from huge stones.

The near-perfect stone work on the outside of the “Main Temple” – thought to be a temple due to the extremely careful construction

Residential Area

We found the residential side of the city quieter (fewer tourists) than the ceremonial/Sacred Plaza side, probably partly due to the vast size of the residential area.

A view of the residential area, agricultural terraces, and the winding dirt road leading up to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes.

A view (in the opposite direction from the picture above) of the residential area, additional terraces, and Waynapicchu (in the background).

One of my favorite images of Machu Picchu, looking toward the residential area.

If you have the opportunity to visit this world wonder, do it!

Information Source: Machu Picchu, Sacred City of the Incas, by Mayer Joel Abanto, 2009.

Machu Picchu—A Practical View

The approximate train route from Cuzco to Machu PIcchu

Most people visit Peru for one reason, to see the Inca site of Machu Picchu. We visited in October 2011, and I can say, having visited many of the world wonders, it is one of the most stunning sites in the world, for both the ruins and the natural scenery. However, be aware that it is expensive to visit and a bit more difficult to do so without crowds. Given the timing of our trip, we had to follow the typical tourist visit approach, which is: take a morning train from Cuzco (actually Poroy), then a bus shuttle up to Machu Picchu from the last train stop, and then the bus shuttle and train again back to Cuzco. We had about 3 ½ hours at the site, which was long enough for a good visit of the main ruins.

Poroy Train Station

I hope my comments on visiting will be helpful:

Cost: Visiting Machu Picchu from Cuzco is not cheap. Total costs will be about $200/person, including a taxi to Poroy train station from Cuzco, using the least expensive train, and the entrance fee. See below for more details. ($1 USD = 2.8 Nuevo Soles.)

Boarding our train to Machu Picchu

Trains. The only way to get to Aguas Calientes (the small town just below Machu Picchu) is via train. The road ends in Ollantaytambo. There are 3 train options: a)“Expedition” formerly called the “Backpacker;” b) Vistadome; and c) the extremely expensive Hiram Bingham (about 4x the cost of the other trains). All trains leave from Poroy station, about a 15 minute taxi ride up a steep hill north of Cuzco (taxi cost was 15-40 NS each way depending on your bargaining skills). We took the Expedition train to Aguas Calentes and the Vistadome on the return trip, to have the experience on each of these trains. The Expedition train cost about $55 US per person (one way), and is very decent. The seats are reasonably comfortable, but since you are facing another pair of seats across a table, the legroom is so-so. The Vistadome costs about $75 US (one way) per person and the seats and legroom are much more comfortable. They also provide little snack on this train and a small fashion show (of course encouraging you to buy the items showcased). The Hiram Bingham train comes with lavish meals and luxury seating. The train trip takes about 3 hours. Purchase your tickets well ahead of time. In October, we bought ours just two days prior to our visit (at the Peru Rail kiosk in the Lima airport) and our train options were more limited, due to many seats being already full. Visit Peru Rail for more information.

View of the Sacred Valley on our train ride to Machu Picchu

The Expedition Train

The Vistadome Train

While there are different times for train departures (although the schedules are pretty similar), ours left Poroy at about 7:30 am, and arrived at Aguas Calientes at about 10:45 am, with one short stop in Ollyantaytambo. Our return train left about 4:45pm.

Machu Picchu site tickets. Tickets must be purchased ahead of time, they are not available at the site entrance, although I understand they can be purchased in Aguas Calientes. We bought ours in Cuzco the day before our visit. The tickets are about $60 per person; they are valid for one day only.

View of the ancient city of Machu Picchu

Shuttle bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu. After getting off the train in Aguas Calientes, you wind through a series of tourist/trinket stalls, and make your way over to the shuttle bus departure point. The shuttle buses leave more or less continually with the arrival of the trains, and cost 40 NS (about $14 per person) for the round trip. The shuttle bus takes another 20 minutes to climb the narrow switch backs up to the entrance to Machu Picchu. One can also walk up (and down) the winding, steep dirt road to the site entrance. We wanted to save our energy for hiking at the site itself. Even in October, Machu Picchu was filled with tourists.

The town of Aguas Calientes, the end of the train tracks, at the base of Machu Picchu

I was a bit surprised how busy it was, even well after the northern hemisphere summertime. From what I have heard, the only relatively quiet times at Machu Picchu are January/February, which is the height of the rainy season. We had good weather the day of our visit.

Waynapicchu (aka Huayna Picchu)

The ideal visit to Machu Picchu would include hiking up to Waynapicchu (the steep mountain behind the main site), for the ruins on this peak and the views. But to do so requires getting to Aguas Calientes the night before. The only times allowed to hike up to Waynapicchu are at 7 and 10 am, and the number of visitors is limited to 200 for each time slot. As of now, the only tourist trains leave Cuzco in the morning, so a day would be spent lounging in Aguas Calientes in order to get into Machu Picchu first thing the following morning for the hike to Waynapicchu.

Waynapicchu is on the peak directly behind the city of Machu Picchu

Rather than traveling all the way by train from Cuzco to Aguas Calientes, it is possible to get on the train at Urubamba (new stop) or Ollantaytambo, which would be a shorter trip, by driving to these towns in the Sacred Valley. Both towns have hotels. Ollantaytambo has some interested Inca ruins also, and is the starting point for the Inca Trail, a whole other way to see several others sites and to see Machu Picchu.

Other Tips:

  • Buy a good guidebook on Machu Picchu, and explore on your own, you will see more and will learn as much. There is only so much information known about the Inca, and a guidebook will cover the key points and main historical spots. In addition, there are small guidebooks available for purchase at the entrance which we found useful.
  • Right after the main entrance, turn left and follow the path up the hill for a great, classic overlook to the main city (designated as the “long route”, one of several main routes through the site). This path also goes by where the Inca trail joins the main site.
  • The main site is most crowded in the public building areas, which are on the left-hand side as you enter and overlook the main city. The right side, which is mostly a housing area, seemed to have far fewer visitors and provides some beautiful overlooks to the valleys below and the mountains surrounding the site.

Travel guidebooks—which ones are best?

You’re starting to plan your upcoming vacation to Europe and find yourself looking at several different guidebooks. You notice that Rick Steves, Fodors and Frommers all provide guidebooks of your chosen destination, but which one should you buy? Which book would provide the most helpful information as you are travelling?

Throughout my travels I’ve used a lot of different guidebooks. I’ve found that purchasing two different travel guidebooks for a given location is valuable, because no one author or travel service provides everything. I describe my non-existent “perfect guidebook” below, and my likes and dislikes of each travel book (using as my reference hard copies rather than ebook versions).

My perfect travel guidebook would contain the following:

  • Lots of practical information. By “practical” I mean: How do I get around? For example, in a country like Croatia, understanding the ferry system is critical and complicated—the ferry websites are a nightmare. What should I know to avoid mistakes and how do I make my time efficient? Can I drive myself? Road conditions? What is the location like? Assume I’m a first-time visitor—what should I be prepared for? What do I need to know before I board the plane—what do you wish you knew before you went? Tell me the best tips for “bypassing the crowds.”
  • Get me out of the city. If it’s a guidebook on the UK, don’t spend half the book telling me about London.
  • Sites. Why should I go there? What does it look like? How do I get there? What are opening hours? Key historical or other interesting facts? Tell me about interesting “less discovered” spots that most tours bypass.
  • Hotels. A few pros and cons about listed hotels are helpful, especially related to cleanliness, location and availability of car parking.
  • Food. Don’t spend too much time on food. I can figure that out, and most of the time I will worry more about location convenience to where I am staying or going than special cuisine.
  • Language. I’ve never understood why most guidebooks insist on trying to teach me complicated phrases, the answers to which I wouldn’t understand anyway. Give me a few basic words, numbers 1-10, and a few common food items so I can figure out a menu, politely greet and thank people and purchase entry tickets in their own language.

Here are some of the more common travel guides and my thoughts about each:

Pros: DK Eyewitness Travel provides a very comprehensive review of a country or region. Great color pictures of locations. Excellent graphical depictions and explanations of key sites. I love the regional maps and references to locations. Whenever possible, I like to combine an Eyewitness book with another book that provides more detailed practical info.

Cons: Due to high quality printing, books are heavy to carry. Practical information (see my thoughts above) is limited.

Pros: Fodor’s is a pretty good compromise between DK Eyewitness’ comprehensiveness and the practical information of Rick Steves’. Good hotel information and recommendations. Decent restaurant recommendations.

Cons: Limited historical information for historical sites.

Pros: Rick Steves offers lightweight “newsprint” type of paper, so books are light and easy to carry. Good recommended walking tours and hand-drawn maps of sites, pointing out interesting features. Good practical information for sites listed. Always notes the local “Tourist Information” offices for further information upon arrival.

Cons: Not comprehensive. Information only covers locations Rick feels are important. If a town or site is not on Rick’s itinerary, then forget about it. For example, we found his book on Spain quite limited. Spain is a large country, with many interesting small towns and sites that are completely bypassed in Rick’s book.

Pros: Lonely Planet is also lightweight. I like the recommended travel itineraries for 1, 2 or 3 weeks, which help identify and prioritize key sites. Good hotel/hostel information. Good transportation information. Pretty good site historical and practical information about locations.

Cons: Few, if any pictures. Maps are small and less user-friendly.

Frommers has improved over the years. In the past, I was disappointed by the lack of pictures and specifics about many locations.

Pros: “Star system” for rating sites, helping to prioritize must-see locations.

Cons: Not comprehensive, some locations left out of the books.

Inca Sites near Cuzco

In the hills above and north of the city of Cuzco are several great Inca ruins. Saqsayhuamán, Tambomachay, Puka Pukara and Q’enqo are all quite near each other, and just off the road on the way to Pisac. Allow a half-day to visit these sites. A tourist ticket to visit these ruins and a museum in Cuzco, plus a number of sites in the Sacred Valley costs 130 NS (about $46, for non-locals). The ticket can be purchased in Cuzco or at your first stop. Unfortunately it’s “all or nothing,” you cannot purchase individual site tickets.

Inca sites near Cuzco

The tour agencies around the main plaza (Plaza de Armas) in Cuzco charge 25 NS for a “city” tour which includes the four sites above, and one site in Cuzco [the Temple of the Sun (called Qorikancha) in the Santo Domingo Church]. Please note that Qorikancha costs an extra 10 NS. For some reason, all the tours seem to be in the afternoon, and by the time we got to the last site it was getting dark (and raining). If I had it to do over again, I would recommend just hiring a taxi for the day to go to the local sites near Cuzco, which would allow you to proceed at your own pace, and visit during the less crowded time of day.

This church (Santo Domingo) is built on the Inca Temple of the Sun, and parts of the original structure remain inside

Sacsayhuamán

The most impressive site is Sacsayhuamán, which must have been incredible before much of it was destroyed by the Spaniards. Even still, huge, perfectly cut stone walls remain. There are also excellent views of Cuzco from Sacsayhuamán. The construction on this site began in the 1440’s, and it’s believed 20,000 workers were required to cut and assemble the massive stone work.

A view of the walls of Sacsayhuaman (Cuzco in the distance)

The massive cut stones of Sacsayhuaman

Tambomachay

We also visited Tambomachay, which is further along on the same road north of Cuzco. According to our guide, there are 320 Inca sites around Cuzco, 90 of which are water-related, and Tambomachay is the most important. It contains precise stone work over a natural spring, and may have been used for rituals involving water.

The Inca site of Tambomachay

A view of the fountains at Tambomachay

There are two other sites along this same road, Puka Pukara and Q’enqo, which are part of the tourist ticket. Right before it started raining hard, I got a picture of Puka Pukara in the last few seconds of sun.  Very little is known about this ruin, it is likely that it was a fort protecting the entrance to the Sacred Valley sites. We drove past Q’enqo since it was getting dark and pouring rain (after a beautiful day), but this is a site with zig-zag channels, which were believed to be for llama blood and depending on the flow of the blood, a prediction on the quality of the harvest would be made.

The fort of Puka Pukara

On the way back to the main plaza in Cuzco, our tour bus took us to some tourist shops, with a large variety of goods (near Q’enqo).  We found lots of alpaca sweaters, hats, gloves, and many other clothing items, as well as various trinkets. These shops were some of the better ones we saw on our trip. If you want high quality items, visit the store Arte Peru Joyerias, just to the west of the Plaza de Armas. This is where we bought our authentic baby alpaca sweaters.

Cuzco – A Great Base for Exploring the Inca World

The Cathedral of Cuzco at night (built in 1550; interesting 16th century artwork and artifacts in this cathedral)

Cuzco, Peru is known as the jump-off spot for visiting Machu Picchu. However, it is an interesting town in and of itself and there are several impressive Inca ruins very close to the city. In fact, parts of the city are built on Inca foundations, including the huge cathedral. Although there are tourists milling around the town, it still feels like a “real” Peruvian city, with locals going about their daily business, and buying and selling food and other items in some interesting markets.

One of the many markets in Cuzco--this one is selling cuy (guinea pig)!

A local woman and her child in Cuzco

There are many flights daily between Lima and Cuzco—flight lasts about one hour. I watched the landscape change from the barren desert mountains of Lima to the green, cultivated and forested mountains surrounding Cuzco. Even though Cuzco is a fairly large city, I found the air very clear and refreshing compared to Lima.

Cuzco is about a one-hour flight from Lima

Travel information about Cuzco and surrounding area:

  • One USD = 2.8 Peruvian nuevo soles (NS) as of October 2011.
  • A tourist ticket to visit the close-by Inca ruins and a museum in Cuzco, plus a number of sites in the Sacred Valley costs 130 NS (for non-locals). The ticket can be purchased in Cuzco or at your first site. Unfortunately it’s “all or nothing,” you cannot purchase individual site tickets.
  • Plan to stay at least three days in Cuzco: Day 1-visit Inca sites close to Cuzco and in the town–called the “city tour” which doesn’t really cover much of the city itself; Day 2-a train trip to Machu Picchu; Day 3-sites around the Sacred Valley. These three day trips will be covered in separate posts.

    View of Cuzco from the Inca site of Saqsayhuaman

  • There are tour agencies everywhere around the main plaza (Plaza de Armas) in Cuzco. We did a “city” tour for 25 NS per person and a Sacred Valley tour for 35 NS per person (the tour fee covered transportation only, and fees will be similar at all tour agencies). If I had it to do over again, I would recommend just hiring a taxi for the day to go to the local sites near Cuzco, which would allow you to proceed at your own pace. For the Sacred Valley visit, a tour agency is probably best—hiring a taxi for the distances covered would be very expensive, and since directions/signs are not very clear, renting a car on your own might be somewhat challenging; in addition, trying to park a rental car in Cuzco would be a nightmare—the old city streets are very narrow, and I did not see any parking garages.

    Architecture in Cuzco (note the decorative wooden balconies)

    Evening at the Plaza de Armas (main square) in Cuzco

  • Restaurants. There is a huge variety and we found ourselves drawn to two restaurants with very good quality dishes: Tratoria Adriano and Chef Maggie, which are just off the Plaza de Armas. Both restaurants serve Italian fare and other dishes.
  • Hotels. Many options in all price ranges. We found Llipimpac hotel on Booking.com for $61/night for a triple. It was decent, with hot water (not always a given if you travel on a budget) and breakfast. They even had a large selection of DVDs you can borrow for free if you feel like spending an evening in your room (we found many in English).

    Llipimpac Hotel, Cuzco

  • Be prepared for all kinds of weather at this altitude (10,500 feet). When the sun is out, Cuzco is warm. When the sun goes down, or in cloudy weather, you’ll want a jacket. Rain showers are common, so bring an umbrella or rain jacket. We did not notice any ill effects from the altitude, but if you do, vendors sell coca tea, candy and cookies everywhere.

    Getting a shoe shine

Exploring North Central Peru – Gocta Falls (aka “Gojta”)

A house in Cocachimba

On our 2nd day in Chachapoyas we decided to go to Gocta Falls. These falls (a series of two) are the 3rdhighest in the world. The lower falls is about 500 meters in height, and the upper falls is about 200 meters high. In the travel blogs I had read prior to our trip, it was difficult to know how accessible the falls were. As it turned out, they were pretty easy to get to. As we had done the day before, we went to the main square in Chachapoyas and arranged with a different tour company (simply to spread our business) for transportation to the falls. We paid 30 NS per person for the car and driver and also paid a 5 NS entry fee ($1 USD = 2.8 nuevos soles).

The village of Cocachimba, start of the Gocta Falls trail

On the trail...

Getting closer to the falls...

The lower falls as we arrive...

We were the only ones going to the falls that day, and had a private car and driver. The drive took us north of Chachapoyas about 1 hour (of which only 11km is gravel) to the small village of Cocachimba, where the hike began. The well-maintained trail is 5.3km in length, and it took us about 2 hours to get to the falls. Along the way, there are various signs promoting ecotourism and pointing out some of the natural surroundings (local birds for example). The falls are visible from near the trailhead, and if one did not feel like hiking, just viewing them from the distance would be possible. The trail goes up and down a lot through many ravines, but is not difficult.

The huge falls dwarf our son, Sean...

Standing at the base of the falls, looking straight up 1500 feet is quite spectacular. We had the falls to ourselves. There was a small group of German tourists hiking down as we were going up, and we saw just a few other people along trail. This was a very quiet and an enjoyable experience in the natural beauty of Peru.

A sign for Facebook in the remote village of Cocachimba!

Gocta Falls is 1 hour north (by car) of Chachapoyas

Exploring North Central Peru – Kuelap (“qway-lap”)

On the 2.5km hike to Kuelap

Housing area in Kuelap-the only restored structure on the site

If you’re looking for a less-discovered, uncrowded ancient historical site in Peru, consider Kuelap. It is located 45 miles (which takes about 2.5 hours due to a gravel road most of the way) south of Chachapoyas. The road is much improved from several years ago, when rains would make it nearly impassable. Our tour group included 13 people in a minivan. The tour cost 60 NS (1 USD = 2.8 nuevos soles) per person, and included lunch and the entry fee (10 NS). Most of the tourists were from Peru and other South American countries. When we arrived at the site, we were pleased to see just a few other minivans. After arriving at the parking lot, we hiked about 2.5 km up to the site itself.

The scenery from the mountaintop fortress of Kuelap. The dirt road seen near the bottom of the picture is the road to the site

The massive walls surrounding Kuelap

One of the main entrances to the site

Hiking up into the fortress

I knew little about Kuelap, but enough to know it is one of the great sights in Peru and I wanted to see it. Kuelap dates to the 6th(?) century AD, constructed by the Chachapoyan people, who apparently were warriors, given the defensive nature of Kuelap. We don’t know much about these people, but they were described as a “tall and fair” people by the Inca—supposedly blonde and blue-eyed, and even today I understand that there are some people in the area that fit this description, but they are not European descendants. They were eventually conquered by the Inca around 1472, and Kuelap was inhabited until 1670 when it was abandoned during the Spanish Conquest. It is one of the largest pre-Inca ruins in existence, set on a 10,000 foot mountain top ridge. Massive walls (reaching up to 60 feet high) surround the site, which is 600 meters in length. It is believed that about 2,500 – 3,000 people inhabited about 400 or more homes (most of which are circular) in the site. The site’s construction reminded me of castles in Europe—well built, but not to the exacting standards of the Inca. Based on the skeleton remains and large numbers of skull surgeries at Kuelap, archeologists believe a “medical” school was located here.

Templo Mayor (observatory? prison?)

Another view of the ruins in Kuelap

Decorative stonework in Kuelap buildings

The surrounding mountain scenery is beautiful, and from Kuelap, one is at equal height with most of the surrounding mountains.

Our tour van and restaurant for lunch

A great lunch - Lomo Saltado

Kuelap is 2.5 hours south (by car) of Chachapoyas

Visit now before this incredible site welcomes crowds like those at Machu Picchu!