Lovely Lima
My family is from Callao. I am fortunate enough to safely experience Lima. Despite all the bad news that comes from Lima, there are so many places to visit and so much food to eat ! Lima is actually lovely.
Cusco: How to avoid altitude sickness
Cuzco’s elevation is 11,152 feet above sea level. Before getting into Cuzco and the Sacred Valley, I want to explain how to avoid altitude sickness prior to getting there:
Stay hydrated. I cannot stress this enough. You do not want to be dehydrated because you will feel even worse.
BREATHE... lot of us do not breathe properly. You want to breathe from your diaphragm because this allows more oxygen in.
Do not consume alcohol the night before. Being hung over just makes everything worse, altitude sickness makes you feel like you’re hungover so you do not want to add fuel to the fire.
Do eat fruits and veggies. Helps to increase your red blood cells, which helps increase the flow of oxygen.
Do chew on coca leaves or drink coca Tea...Muña tea also helps with altitude sickness if you do not want to drink Coca because you are afraid. Cocaine is soaked in ethanol and is filled with chemicals...COCA IS A NATURAL PLANT. You do not get high on the coca leaves, but you can have heart palpitations if you drink more than 4-5 cups a day. Drink a matte de Coca the same way you would consume Tylenol. Every 4-6 hours. You’ll be fine.
Take it easy your first day. Your body is trying to acclimate to the lack of oxygen and Cusco has a lot of hills and stairs. Walk slowly, breathe and take the scenery in.
Visit the San Pedro market for natural fruits, veggies, teas and even candies to help with the altitude sickness. The plants are your medicine.
Hopefully this helped to prepare you for Cuzco.
It’s way more than just Machu Picchu….
Fruta Exotica
Try every fruit you can in Peru.
Peru is filled with exotic fruits.
And in 2014 Peru banned the world’s biggest GMO company, Monsato.
The indigenous people of Peru have always lived off the land. Thousands of people travel from around the world just to visit famous historical sites in Peru and the one common theme is : respect thy earth. Respect Pacha Mama.
We need to take care of our planet in order to take care of ourselves.
The natives of Urubamba discovered the pesticides Monsato sprayed on the crops were not only ruining the nutritional value of the fruits of vegetables, but Monsato was contaminating our land with poison.
Being the organic health freak that America has conditioned me to become, I couldn’t wait to go to Peru to try REAL ORGANIC FRUITS.
That being said, here are some fruits you must try in peru:
Chirimoya- this heavenly, magical fruit is my favorite. Mark Twain once described this fruit as the “most delicious fruit on the planet.” Oh but it is!
I love to put it in the freezer so it can be like an icecream. Surprisingly, this fruit has a creamy consistency and it’s filled with not only magic in each bite, but it has so many vitamins and antioxidants. It’s in the same family as Guanaba, which is known to be a natural anti-inflammatory fruit.
Granadilla: my other favorite fruit. It looks weird but it’s sooo good.
I must’ve had at least 2-3 a day.
I found out the hard way that Granadilla is filled with LOTS OF FIBER. After eating about 5, my stomach was cleared. This fruit is not only great for people with stomach issues , like gastritis , but it’s great for detoxing and for the linings of your intestines. I suffered from gastritis and I always try to eat and drink whatever I can to heal myself holistically. This fruit definitely helps any stomach issues you might come across while traveling Peru.
Lucuma- It’s one of those fruits that taste weird but for some reason you want to keep trying it. I personallyonly like this fruit as a “cremolada” or “Marciano de fruta”...but it’s apparently very heathy and pretty popular in Peru.
Limon- these tiny limes are so good and so sweet. They actually have seeds, and it’s used in most Peruvian drinks and foods like ceviche and pisco sours.
Also, ladies did you know if you have a heavy period flow, cut 2 limes and put it in an 8oz glass of water and chug it. This will help le flow. I thought it was a Spanish myth but I have tried this a few times and it’s helped.
Maracuya (aka Passion fruit or chinola)
I discovered this fruit naturally lowers your blood pressure and relaxes you. It’s so sweet and it’s one of my favorite fruits to add in a smoothie. It’s sweet and tangy. Passion fruit juice is the always a good choice if you want a sweet drink! It’s filled with vitamin C.
I hope you try as many fruits as possible whenever you travel! Peru is a great place to try exotic fruits that are organically grown, and for a great price ! Enjoy 💕
February 2016
My first experience in Peru prepared me for my 2019 trip. Here’s what I did when I actually went to Machu Picchu.