Sands through the Hourglass

Warning: This blog entry is a shameless advertisement for Peru´s mind-boggling diversity.

It´s November (almost mid-November), which means that my return ticket for Christmas has been booked and my days as a copywriter in Lima are numbered.  I´ve got one last crack at a full-week vacation.  The problem? I don´t know where to spend it.

Perhaps I haven´t adequately equipped you with the ¨big picture¨ of Peru in my writings thus far.  I spend the majority of my days in the dry coastal city of Lima, the country´s hub of government and commerce, where one season smoothly transitions into the next without major changes in temperature or precipitation. It´s smoggy, bustling, and grey, but all of those things start to grow on you after awhile.

While nearly one-third of all Peruvians call Lima home, geographically-speaking, it only comprises a small area of Peru´s land mass.  That leaves plenty of terrain to be traversed outside of Lima.  About a month ago, I sent a message to my friend discussing our various vacation options before deciding on Huaraz, a city north of Lima surrounded by two mountain ranges—The Cordillera Negra and the Cordillera Blanca.  Having already traveled to Cusco and Machu Picchu three years ago, here´s what is still on the list:

Lake Titicaca (Puno)

Lonely Planet makes Lake Titicaca look breathtaking; but is it worth it?

Serving as a border between the highland countries of Peru and Bolivia, Lake Titicaca´s claim to fame is two-fold: 1) According to Incan myth, the lake was the birthplace of the first Incas and 2) It´s the highest commercially navigable lake in the world.  The lake´s piercing blue color correlates to the region´s icy night temperatures, which dip below freezing in Peruvian winter.  Because of its legendary significance in Incan history, the lake is a popular destination for cultural tourists.  Unfortunately, friends who have gone there have described the interaction between tour guides and native peoples as ¨uncomfortable¨ and ¨exploitative¨, as locals living on the lake´s islands tend to earn only a small fraction from the tours that travel there.

Chiclayo
Located in the northern part of the country, Chiclayo is off-the-beaten path for most short-term visitors to Peru.  I´ve seen guide books call it the ¨second most archaeologically important destination¨ in the country, placing only behind the archeological wonders surrounding Cusco (reasonably so).  Chiclayo´s most important attraction is the tomb of Señor de Sipán, whose ancient grave rivals that of King Tut´s in terms of gold, silver, and jewels.  It´s also home to the Peruvian Pyramids and the hub of all things mystical—brujas, potions, herbs, and hallucinogens.  

Iquitos

The Butterfly Farm is one of Iquitos´most visited attractions.

The largest city that´s only accessible by plane or boat, the colonial city of Iquitos is located in the northern part of the Amazon jungle, which accounts for roughly half of Peru´s land mass.  Here, rare butterfly species and jungle animals like spider monkeys, pumas, jaguars, snakes and ocelots roam free, and it´s possible to book a piranha fishing adventure.  Most of my other coworkers have gone there in the past few weeks, and they´ve called the jungle one of the ¨best travel experiences of their lives.¨ The only setback? My crippling fear of one ubiquitous legless jungle reptile: the snake.

Máncora
This one is perhaps the least interesting (and most narcissistic) option:  the northern coastal town of Máncora is known for two things and two things only—its beaches and nightlife—rendering it a sort of Cancun south of the Equator.  I forfeited two months of summer to come here, so this trip would be taken for the sole purpose of sun worship.
 
I´ve said my piece; which would you choose?