Trip Reports Home | My Trip Reports | Create Trip Report | Recent Reports | Search Trip Reports

Report 2038: Peru with Kids

By ktp from California, Fall 2012

Bubblegum/banana flavored Inca Kola

1. Peru has fantastic fresh juice. From purple corn juice called Chicha Morada to breakfast smoothies with mango, banana, lucuma, etc. Be sure to say "no hielo" (sounds like "no yellow") or "no ice."

2. Loved the local snacks like Inca Corn (similar to corn nuts but bigger and better), habas saladas (salted broad beans), cancha (toasted corn), churros (different than Mexico's), and chifle (banana or plantain chips). Their snacks are more natural and less processed.

3. Drink at least one pisco sour per day. You can make them at home but you won't find the right limes.

4. Peru food is not particularly spicy, but I really liked anything smothered in that yummy aji pepper sauce. The ceviche in Lima is really good, too.

5. Shop at one of the Wong supermarkets (we went to the one near Parque Kennedy in Miraflores). They give you tons of samples (even wine!). It's a blast for the kids to see all the different foods at an open air meat/produce mercado, too.

6. I wish that I had bought more of those 1 sole finger puppets. They are darn cute and make good Christmas tree ornaments.

7. Spend the extra bit of money to use the safer buses - like Cruz del Sur (they don't make stops along the highway).

8. Our kids loved staying at hostels where they met people from around the world. And, the twenty-somethings seemed to really like having little kids around.

9. Have your hotel call you a cab (and ask which cab to call to return, also bring the biz card of your hotel as taxi drivers don't know every street). Taxi drivers love to talk about politics.

10. Credit cards aren't used a lot there (not even to hold reservations, at least at the less pricey places that we frequented). Sometimes Western Union payments are requested in advance. This made me nervous, but we did this twice (for MP tix and our desert tour) and it was fine.

11. Practice your Spanish. Even a little Spanish goes a long way. They aren't snobs and they will like that you try.

12. Our doctor back home prescribed traveler's diarrhea and altitude medications. We didn't end up using either but it felt good to have them just in case.

13. Always bring toilet paper with you, even to the "nice" places.

14. If you want to see Lima, the Sacred Valley, the jungle (Puerto Maldonado is a quick flight from Cusco), and the desert, you need three weeks or more. Peru is a big country that takes a long time to get around.