When we planned our summer, we intended it to be a farewell to the US. We knew it would involve a final road trip, though we weren’t entirely certain where that journey would lead. The Southwest was the goal, with a possible detour to the Northwest as well. But as we got deeper into our planning, we realized that spending more than six weeks on the road simply wasn’t sustainable.
Since we set off two days after our school year ended, we were back in DFW by the fourth of July. This was ideal – not because of the holiday, but because of the heat. We’d hit so many heat domes on our road trip that we’d lost count – and that was for May/June. I can’t imagine how much worse July would have been.
We were headed to Anna Maria Island in Florida in two and a half weeks, but what would we do in Texas in the meantime? The answer: Leave again. We stuck around for a few days, had a couple of medical appointments and sold our beloved Mini-Cooper, but then we set off for another long-term travel goal of mine: Machu Picchu.
Typically, our travels are pretty straightforward – but this time, the cards weren’t quite in our favor.
We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare and set ourselves up in the lounge. I usually want to be one of the first on the plane, but we were traveling light and I decided to chill. We set out for the gate just after boarding started, which led us to issue #1: Not only had our gate changed, the terminal had changed too! To be honest, I didn’t even know that could happen. Luckily, the terminals at DFW are connected via light rail, but we barely made it on our flight.
We had a layover in Miami, with a connection of just under two hours. Typically, not a problem. But we were about to hit problem #2: Bad weather had us circling in the air…for over an hour. By the time we landed, there was a group of at least 10 of us in a mad dash to make it to our flight to Lima. Running in an airport is never ideal, but at least there was a group of us. We made it just as they were closing the gate. Of course we were all scolded for our tardiness.
But none of this mattered, because by the end of the day, we had made it to Lima, Peru.
With plans to explore the city at the end of our trip, we spent the night at the Holiday Inn near the airport so that we’d have an easy time catching our flight to Cusco the next day. You can drive instead – but it takes between 20-22 hours.
We were grateful that our local flight was issue-free and we arrived at our hotel, Casa Andina, with ease. While we didn’t have a bad stay our entire time in Peru, Casa Andina was definitely our favorite hotel of the trip. The location was incredible, service outstanding, rooms gorgeous, and I can even recommend the masseuse!
With that, we were ready to begin our gastronomic tour of Peru! Peruvian food is known for being fairly meat-heavy, so we’d never experienced it internationally before. But in Peru? There were so many vegan and vegetarian restaurants for us to eat at! Which makes complete sense when you think about ingredients Peru is known for: quinoa, potatoes, corn, yuca, cacao, and more.
Our first meal was at Parada Vegana. Their instagram makes the restaurant look a little fancier than it is in real life, but the open courtyard was lovely. The food was excellent, but you should know this is definitely a slow-food dining experience. This didn’t bother me or Chandler, because we were ready to slow down after six weeks on the road. There’s also a fun shop inside that can be explored while you’re waiting for your food.
Pictured below was the star of our meal: The quinoa chaufa, but we also enjoyed the wild makis, fresh juices, and more. Something I would soon notice about Cusco restaurants? They put edible flowers on everything, which was a lovely touch.
Our next meal in Cusco was at Vida Vegan – and we loved it so much we went back a second time!
The pisco sour is considered the cocktail to drink in Peru and that’s because it was created in Lima. Pisco is a clear grape brandy distilled from fermented grape juice and contains no additives. Typically, the drink is made by adding fresh lime juice, simple syrup, angostura bitters, and and egg white. I’m no fan of eggs in my cocktails, so when I saw that Vida Vegan offered an alternative version that uses aquafaba (the liquid left over after cooking chickpeas) I knew I had to try it. Pictured below, I enjoyed it with some vegan (mushroom) ceviche.
We also enjoyed their focaccia bread, homemade veggie burgers, vegan saltado, plantains, and more. It’s the first place that introduced me to canchita, which is a common snack in Peru that’s made by toasting large kernels of corn until they’re crispy. I became obsessed.
For a quick brunch spot, we found Qura. It was packed and we had to sit at the counter while we waited for a table to open up. But the avocado toast and smoothie bowls were perfect and it’s clear that this is a place that people love to hang at. The vibe was relaxed and if there hadn’t been such an abundance of incredible restaurants in Cusco, we absolutely would have returned.
The best ambience in the city goes to Green Point Vegan – they also happen to serve the best kombucha as well. Made locally, I was swooning over the golden berry kombucha. The restaurant is situated in a stunning garden and the servers are wonderfully attentive. Our mains were the vegan Afro-Peruvian tacu tacu and vegan Cusco-style grill (pictured below). But of course we also ordered more vegan ceviche and Chandler even walked home with a vegan brownie.
My greatest regret about Green Point Vegan is that we didn’t find it sooner.
From Cusco, we made our way to Aguas Calientes, the city at the base of Machu Picchu. We only spent one night there, so I can’t say we tried a variety of things, but everything we did, we can absolutely recommend!
We stayed at Hotel El Mapi, which had everything we needed to feel cozy and comfortable, including a lovely reception area we hung around in after we’d been to Machu Picchu, but before our train was ready to take us back to Cusco.
We already thought that hotel was reasonably priced, and then we discovered that the price included dinner and breakfast! When we told the staff we wouldn’t be needing dinner because we’d already scoped out a restaurant that we wanted to try, they switched our meal to lunch the following day.
With that sorted, we made our way to Green House – conveniently located a few doors down! This is one of the few restaurants we ate at in Peru that wasn’t vegan, but they did have an excellent selection for us and everything on the menu is organic. Once again we ordered the Peruvian saltado and tacu tacu (pictured below).
Also, I don’t think I’ve raved about this yet, but Peruvian potatoes are incredible. Did you know potatoes originated from Peru? I’m pretty sure we ate them with just about every meal.
After our trip to Machu Picchu (which, I promise, will get its own post), we returned Cusco for the night. Our first hotel, Casa Andina, was booked, so we got a room at Palacio del Inka. This was definitely the most upscale of all the hotels we stayed at in Peru. And just like Casa Andina, the courtyards were lovely.
The rooms were a little old-fashioned and not really our style, but the service was impeccable. We had a plate of deserts waiting for us in our room, a balcony overlooking the city, and, if I’m being honest, the best breakfast we had in Peru.
We only had time for one more meal in Cusco. We were leaning heavily toward a return to Green Point Vegan, when fate pointed us in a different direction.
When visiting a country, I’m all about eating the local cuisine as much as possible, but every now and again you need a break. While wandering through the city we had passed by an Italian restaurant. Typically, I avoid Italian food unless I’m in Italy or at a restaurant I know I can trust. But this restaurant had two things in its favor: They hand make their own pasta and they had a sign praising their authenticity from the Italian government. That felt pretty legit to me.
Which is how we found ourselves dining at Carpe Diem. It wasn’t too vegan-friendly for Chandler, but he powered through it because it was just that good. Burrata in my gnocchi? Yes, please! And the homemade noodles? Divine.
After that, it was time to catch our flight back to Lima. But this time we were going to get to spend a few days in the city. We opted to stay in the Miraflores neighborhood at the Iberostar Hotel. The room was lovely, every floor had a water refill station, and the views from the rooftop pool were incredible.
Plus, we wanted a leisurely time in Lima, so we were within walking distance of everything we’d decided to do.
We stopped for a quick lunch at Tarboush and it did not disappoint. We got falafel wraps, hummus, and tabbouleh salad. After living in Jordan for three years, we can’t go too long without Middle Eastern food. The ambience is a bit lacking, but the owner is super nice and we ate out on the street.
Afterward, we continued our walk throughout the neighborhood, taking our time at Parque Kennedy, also known as the cat park of Lima. The city has built cat shelters throughout the park and people regularly put out food and water to keep the cats healthy and happy.
That night we upgraded our ambience and got another quick bite to eat, this time at Beso Francés Creperia. We were getting father and farther away from authentic Peruvian food, but I was still enjoying myself!
Who doesn’t want to watch the sun set with a crepe in their hand?
There were a number of these creperies throughout the parks overlooking the coast. We spent the evening walking through Parque El Faro, Parque Antonio Raimondi, and Parque del Amor, which are all along the Malecón de Miraflores – Lima’s scenic clifftop walkway – which stretches nearly six miles.
We enjoyed watching paragliders take off from Parapuerto Miraflores, checking out the Marine Lighthouse, and, of course, people watching.
With that, we had one day (and one meal) left in Lima. We decided to go to La Verde Bio Factoria, a lovely cafe filled with all things vegan/vegetarian. We got more avocado toast, a sandwich, homemade kombucha, and a collection of cookies to eat on the plane that evening.
The food was fresh and healthy and a perfect way to end our gastronomic tour of Peru! When we went to pay, we discovered they don’t accept credit cards. We had cash on hand, but our sols didn’t quite cover the bill. We ended up paying the rest in dollars, with a reasonable “exchange rate.” Everyone at the restaurant was super accommodating.
Our time in Peru had come to a close, but our adventure had not. We left our hotel with plenty of time to get to the airport, knowing that traffic in Lima can be unpredictable. Unfortunately for us, it was quite a bit worse than that! Our taxi was stuck at a standstill, not once, but twice! Our driver was amazed – at one point he even got out of the car and took a photo of the traffic. If not for his driving skills and questionable choices, we never would have made our flight. As it was, we got to our gate just as it was closing (for the third time on this trip!).
Our final flight was from Miami to DFW. But because the US trusts no one, we had to pick up our bags and recheck them in Miami. As our bad luck would have it, it took forever for our bags to reach us and then we raced to security – only to get in one of the longest lines I’ve ever seen in an airport. Apparently they had closed one of the other security gates, figuring this one would do…it didn’t.
While waiting in line, a couple pushed past us and the hundreds of people in front of us. When I stepped in their way, they simply announced that their flight was boarding – they didn’t stop to ask if anyone they were passing was in the same situation (we were). We made it through the line and for the fourth time on this trip, made a dash for the gate. We were the last two to board, but wouldn’t you know – the couple who had pushed passed us were in line right in front of us. When they turned around and saw us, they at least had the intelligence to look shame faced. They asked us if we had pushed past people as well. I quickly told them no.
But, despite our many, many flight shenanigans, we had an incredible time in Peru! It was our first visit to South America and it certainly won’t be our last. The food was amazing, the landscapes were stunning, and the people so kind. Plus, we haven’t found tourism efficiency like that in a long time! Peru rivals Vietnam and Thailand in that category.
I wholeheartedly recommend Peru to anyone who loves to travel (or eat!). My next few posts will dig into the sites and experiences that Peru has to offer.
Abroad With Ashley 