Dear Uncle Gustav,

Ernie and I would love to take you up on your offer! We decided to go to Peru. We’d like to visit the cities of Nazca and Cuzco. Before we go, we have to convert our money to Nuevo Soles, which currently exchanges at $1.00 USD = 2.89 PEN (Peruvian Nuevo Soles). The time we’d like to spend there is next spring between March 26 and April 3 rd 2010. The weather in Cuzco at that time should range from 41 F for a low and 68 F for a high. More than likely, we’ll need to bring rain gear because Cuzco averages 7 days of rain per month. Also, being that it is Fall at that time of year down there, we’ll need to pack sweaters, rain ponchos, sweatshirt pullovers, wool socks, and of course some good hiking boots for when we head to Macchu Picchu. After our trekking in the mountains, we will really be looking forward to heading over to Nazca, because the temperature will range between 77F to 95F. Very little rain to none is expected there at this time. Plus, we’re looking forward to going to the beach. Other than our swim suits, we’ll just need some sunscreen! We found some nice accomidations in both cities. First off in Cuzco we found the Cuzco Hotel Sanctuary Lodge. It’s right near Macchu Pichu. It’s a little expensive at $1200 for a weekend and has a mountain view with a terrace looking right at the mountains including full breakfast with free lunch & dinner. It also has 2 restaurants plus a multi-lingual staff, laundry, safe deposit box, along with regular American standard amenities. If you think this place is too expensive we did find another called Hostal Corihusai-for $35-$55 a night. It nice views of Andes mountains, good sized rooms fitted with alpaca-wool blankets, hand-woven rugs and solid wooden furnishings. As far as Nazca goes we found some quite affordable place. The Hotel-Don Agucho, $25-$40 a night. It has nice rooms and a terrace for lounging and breakfast. Another nice place we found is Casa Andina Hotel Nasca, for 4 nights at $84.00 a night. It has a complimentary breakfast, internet access, outdoor pool , and dry cleaning services. We found flights out of bothe Dulles and Reagan Washington National Airports. The flight from DC Wash/National on American Airlines departs on 3/26 at 8:25 pm and arrives in Cusco on 3/27 at 9:35 am for $1082. From Dulles on Delta Airlines 3/26 at 2:30pm arrives 3/27 at 6:45 am on 3/27 for $1090. The Airport in Cuzco we’ll be flying into is called Cuzco Aeropuerto International Alejandro Velasco. To get from Nazca to Cuzco and back again when we return we can take the luxury bus “Cruz del Sur” for $15 to $30. It takes 14 hours. Taxis abound in the city. They can be found at the west end of the city near the ‘ovalo’- main roundabout. Depending on destination anywhere from $1 to $5. There are also two Train stations in Cuzco: Estacion Huanchac & Estancion San Pedro. There are 3 tourist trains to Machu Picchu a day we could catch. One train known as the “backpacker train” cost only $6, 1st class $113. Taxis (Alo Taxi) from downtown Cuzco to airport cost $2.70-$3.60, just to get around town a $1. The Tranvia is a free –rolling tourist tram that conducts a 2-hour hop-on/off city tour of Cuzco, $2.

Here’s where we plan to eat while in Nazca – Restaurant Los Angeles, $2-5. Specialities include Peruvian soups and salads. La Taberna $1.50 -4.50. Spicy fish specialty-‘Pescado a lo Macho’, various other vegetarian dishes, live music. Don Hono $2-6. Farm-fresh produce, and famed adult beverage ‘pisco sour.’ And while in Cuzco – Sumaq Misky – serving alpaca hamburgers, roasted ‘cuy’ guinea pig, $4.50-12. Cafe’ Cultural Ritual: $2-7.50, 3-course menu, Andean specialities, quinoa pancakes, fried yucca, and fresh trout. Pachapapa: $4.50-13.50, ‘cuzqueno’ lamb soup to roast trout with fennel, plus oven-fired pizzas and fruit flavored pisco cocktails. Has live Andean harp music.

Now here are the places we’d like to visit in Nazca and Cuzco. Nazca has sightseeing flights over the “Nazca Lines” which cost around $40 and can be bought at the ‘aerodrome’ - airport. Three companies offer this service Aero Codor Peru, Aerolca, and Alas Peruanas. The Nazca Lines are a series of geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert, a high arid plateau that stretches more than 80 kilometres (50 mi) between the towns of Nazca and Palpa on the Pampas de Jumana in Peru. Although some local geoglyphs resemble Paracas motifs, these are largely believed to have been created by the Nazca culture between 200 BCE and 700 CE. There are hundreds of individual figures, ranging in complexity from simple lines to stylized hummingbirds, spiders, monkeys, fish, sharks or orcas, llamas, and lizards. Then we’d like to see Cahuachi, which has pyramids, a graveyard and ‘Estaqueria’ a place for mummification. Tours from Nazca take 3 hours and cost $8-35. Finally while in Nazca we really need to visit Reserva nacional Pampas Galeras, which is a ‘Vicuna’ / alpaca sanctuary and is 90km from Nazca. Overnight tours run for $30-90 p.p.

This is what we really have to see while in Cuzco. Machu Picchu. A taxi will be able to take us to the following places, costing roughly between $20 – $25 to all sites giving us time to explore.

Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian Inca site located 2,430 metres (8,000 ft) above sea level about 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Cuzco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas", Machu Picchu is one of the most familiar symbols of the Inca Empire. The Incas started building it around AD 1430 but was abandoned as an official site for the Inca rulers a hundred years later at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Although known locally, it was largely unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911. Next, Sacsayhuamán (also known as Ball Sack Waman) is an Inca walled complex near the old city of Cusco, at an altitude of just a few feet over 3,701 m. The site is part of the City of Cuzco. Some believe the walls were a form of fortification, while others believe it was only used to form the head of the Puma that Sacsayhuamán along with Cuzco form when seen from above. Like much Inca stonework, there is still mystery surrounding how they were constructed. Then Q'enqo which is an Incan archaeological site near the city of Cusco, Peru. As with most Incan ruins, no one is quite sure of the site's purpose. Speculation is that the underground chamber at Q'enqo was used for ritual sacrifices or for embalming of nobles. Lastly we thought it would be fun to take a river rafting trip down the Rio Uruamba. A half-day tour from $25 offers spectacular scenery and some of the best Inca ruins near Cuzco. Outfitters – ‘Amazonas Explorer’ and ‘Apumayo’.

All in all this shouldn’t cost much more than about $2500 per person. So Uncle Gustav, what do you think? Let us know as soon as possible so we can call and start making reservations. We promise to take lots of pictures.

Your loving niece & nephew, Emily and Ernie