Peru

Peru is a slow, relaxing country and should be enjoyed as such. There are actually bus companies that run within an hour of being on time and if you’re coming up from Bolivia you may feel almost like you’ve entered the developed world…. But make no mistake, you haven’t.

The country endures almost constant political turmoil which you’d be wise just to avoid all together. People have very impassioned ideas about the country they love and are happy to tell you about how shit their government is. Unfortunately, the problems never seem to get better for the vast majority of the population.

Don’t say anything bad about Peru itself or especially Peruvian food, which is sort of the national pride, along with futbol and cerveza. Really, the food is delicious and you definitely need to try it. Ceviche, lomo saltado, and pollo a la brasa, are a few recommendable meals. If you think you might like to eat a rat, go ahead and chow down on “cuy,” (guinea pig) which is typical food in the mountains.

It’s easy to make friends in Peru, and expect that once you have one or two you’ll have a lot more. It’s a point of pride to have a foreigner for a friend, and besides, they’d feel sad for you if you are all alone.

The traveler scene in Peru is widely varied depending on where you are in the country. Cuzco is full of drunken gap year backpackers and fat, middle class tourists with altitude sickness and a wide brimmed hat.

Huaraz is a mountaineering town and on a daily basis you will meet some hardcore adventurers from all over the world, many of whom end up dead.

If you chose to walk off the face of the earth and drop down into the abyss of the Peruvian Amazon, don’t expect to meet any “normal” backpackers. There are a few colonies of German and Japanese descendants of war criminals who fled to South America after WWII who stake out a living in the jungle. Other travelers in the jungle are probably in some stage of an Ayahuaska quest.

Be careful in the cities and even in the towns if you’re around drunks. Alcoholism is an epidemic in the rural areas, and drunken people can be irrational and violent. You should never drink with anyone in the street. If someone offers you a drink, which is common, make up an excuse and leave. It’s not going to end well 90% of the time.

You really need to learn Spanish and get out of the tourist trap to truly enjoy the country. The main backpacker route cuts along two routes in the south between Lima and Bolivia and isn’t even the most beautiful part of the country. Visit the countryside and towns in the north and check out the vast expanses of the Amazon to get a real feel for Peru. It’s an amazing country.

M.J Lloyd was born and raised on a small farm in rural Ohio. At the age of 18 he hit the road to Alaska with a meager savings and no plan. Over the next 2 years he wandered in search of real answers and a livable life. The journey has taken him through three continents, various loves, battles with the loneliness and insanity of the road, and extreme poverty. Though the lessons haven’t been easy, he has learned much from the trail, and has reached a much happier and more peaceful understanding on the nature of his life.

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