I like Peru. I was pleasantly surprised. The cities are quite clean. You see very little litter. You do not see people smoking. We were told that sometimes people smoke in their homes or when sitting with friends but is not in their culture to walk around with a cigarette. On the other hand, if you walk into a bar there will be a small basket of coca leaves which is the raw product from which cocaine is derived. It is chewed like chewing tobacco. In Cusco it is common to be served coca tea which helps mitigate high altitude sickness.
I was amazed at how prevalent and fluent the people are in speaking English. While in Argentina it was hit and miss to be able to communicate in English, in Peru it seemed that everyone knew some English, even the children.
Our experience with the people was that they are friendly, competent, prompt and hard working. While people on the street will try to sell you goods or souvenirs, we saw no beggars. Oftentimes, when you travel to second world or developing countries you get the feeling that things are being done half-assed. I didn’t get that feeling at all in Peru. While no place is perfect and Peru has it’s challenges, I get the feeling that things are under control. I hope so.
Virtually all the Peruvians are mixed, mainly Spanish and Incan. It’s probably a good combination. They have the beauty of the Spanish and the industriousness of the Incas.
In my travels I have tried to eat pizza in every country I visit. I didn’t get a chance to have pizza in Peru. I guess I’ll have to go back.
Machu Picchu – What a place!