In the hot tub, this week, Architect Rob and I are working our way through an educational certification on Peru, in South America. The segment that we did this morning touched on two places that we have already visited! The Temples of the Sun and Moon – and Chan Chan, a pre-Colombian City both near Trujillo Peru. We are always amazed by how much you can see with access from one cruise port of call. We really covered a lot of turf on our South American Cruise Journey! It reminded me to share with you the GREAT value that we experienced by taking a South America Cruise! It was so good we took our teenage daughter out of school!
So as not to spoil it by showing you the fabulous architecture I will share a detail that you have to look closely to spot, when you get there!
Look for it in Peru’s capital – Lima
There are a couple of ways to see South America and Peru. One of them is our favorite, Cruising! Back in 2009 we sailed the west coast of the Americas from Santiago Chile all the way up to Los Angeles California, stopping about every other day, twice in Peru… This type of cruise is called a repositioning cruise because the cruise line is moving the ship from the Caribbean to Alaska to satisfy seasonal demand. In order to get the ship to the Alaska they have to drive it all the way around cape horn at the tip of South America. A cruise like this is usually a GREAT value for several reasons.
1. The cruise only happens once a year (in the northern bound direction) so almost no one knows about them.
2. They are long, so many people can’t get the time off work.
3. Families don’t go because school is in session in the Spring…. well at least normal families don’t – of course we took Suzee.
The teachers and administration were sure worried about the classroom work that she would miss during our 16 day trip… But they failed to give a thought to what she would not miss!
If you can believe it – I think we paid less than $75 a day per person. And that was the going rate! We were not yet involved in the travel business. This IS one of the reasons we got into the Travel Blogging, so we can share this with you.
A rainbow of fishing boats was our view in the harbor that day….. almost 10 years ago.
These little known cruises are still available. Here is a Princess sailing, which departs March 14, 2018. Click the itinerary image to see the current pricing. At the time I wrote this it was about $78.00 per person, per day. Prices listed are per person, cruise only, based on double occupancy.
If you are looking for one of these very unique re-positioning cruises please text, email, or call Belles World Travel! They know how to find them! They are so affordable you will want to bring your kids!
815-516-0300
An Engineer’s monitoring tool is checking for movement, inside the Temple of the Moon. Check out the zoom below of the painted relief designs.
We felt a little sorry for the hairless Peruvian Dogs hanging out in the hot sun! Their skin is like leather! They are the ancient breed of dog pictured above.
Here is a Full Transit Panama Canal Cruise combined with the best South America destinations on the Norwegian Sun! Click the Image to learn more. The Engineering of the Panama Canal is a really cool thing to learn about – do you have an aspiring Engineer?
Belles World Travel has a long-standing relationship with NCL which ensures that they always have the BEST offers! CLICK HERE for pricing and details of this South American Cruise.
As if the Temples of the Sun and the Moon had not been enough – we topped off our day at Chan Chan, the largest city of the pre-Columbian era in South America, is now an archaeological site in La Libertad Region 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) west of Trujillo, Peru. I sure hope our daughter isn’t missing anything life changing at Auburn High School….
The coolest thing I have ever seen were these carved walls of sand! We could hardly keep up with her…. she wasn’t going to miss ANYTHING! You gotta love the handmade bag she bought!
Chan Chan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site! UNESCO sites are always fun to visit because they are visually fabulous! No studying or long lectures needed – just see and feel the space… There is a reason why “Get Away” is synonomous with “Vacation” – you will know you have gotten away when everything looks different!
Chan Chan is believed to have been constructed around 850 AD by the Chimú as their empire capital city with an estimated population of 40,000-60,000 people. I think it never rains at Chan Chan! 850 AD is a long time ago! Mud carvings like this wouldn’t last a single year in Illinois. Isn’t it Amazing?
She wasn’t bored for a moment, as a sophomore in high school! Want to do something amazing with your sophomore? Don’t wait because time goes away too FAST! This young lady is now a Montessori 3-6 teacher in the city of Chicago! We are trying to convince her to organize a group. It might now be the only way she can get out of school to go….
Need help getting your sophomore out of school? Give us a call we can walk you through it with much care and creativity!
Really it will be okay! Look at her! Do you think she is sorry she went?
There are many ways to visit Peru. By the time you are reading this we will long since have passed our certification by the “Peru Export and Tourism Promotion Board”, and we will be your go to experts for Peru Tourism. You might even say that we are experts at taking kids out of school for travel too! You really can’t learn this stuff from a book in a classroom.
Travel teaches more by accident than is taught with purpose.
(YES – even in schools)
Highlights of a visit to Peru in any method will include:
A cornucopia of nature – Mountains, Jungles, Beaches and Desert
A fusion of Mouth Watering Flavors derived from Spanish, Arab, Chinese, Japanese and even African origin
New construction of 33 and counting Boutique Lifestyle Hotels
Rich Culture, Heritage and Folklore
Local Crafts and Markets
You won’t find a better reason to take your son or daughter out of school – it’s only 16 days of their short life with YOU!
Machu Picchu – Lake Titicaca – Amazon River Region – The Colca Canyon – The Nazka Lines
Archeological Treasures of the Indiginous People – Inca Civilization – Choquequirao and Kuelap