this year.

So, I’m going to Peru. 10º00´ S, 76º00´ W.

I’m flying into Lima (76º50´W) virtually due south of Kingston (76º30´W) and 8h from Toronto as the Boeing 767-300 flies. Don’t even get me started on the fact that if falls within the same time zone as Ontario. Hardly seems worth flying anywhere unless you get to change your watch and mess with space time if you ask me. But the ticket is bought, and the trip is set, so I’ll have to live with this minor injustice. It appears that while I’m in the country I’ll be enjoying 5:40ish am sunrises and 6:30ish sunsets. Their relative position to the equator compared to Ontario stabilizes their hours of daylight. 12h daylight, 12h moonlight. Much different from the 16h or so of daylight we get here in the summer. Mental note, talk to someone about changing the effects of the tilt of the earth.

So, Peru. Why Peru? There are a few answers to that I suppose, ranging from superficial to the opposite of superficial. When ever I talk to people about traveling they are always going to the big 3: Europe, Asia (Thailand), and Australia. I know that people do go to South America, but I feel that it’s not as popular as other destinations. South America is also relatively close to Canada, so it makes good use of traveling time. As well Peru is relatively warm this time of year, and a relatively cheap country to travel in. Other reasons for going to Peru are: the ruins and history. I always enjoyed the Inca Empire in high school history. How a people could build so much, and build it so well so long ago is fascinating. The somewhat philosophical reason I like to add to this list is: Peru has different stars. All of my travels to this point have been in the east/west direction, thus I’ve always been under the same stars. I’m interested in seeing some different stars.

I’m still working on a concrete path to follow, but have a basic idea of my direction. Start in Lima, head south down to Pisco, then Nazca to check out the Nazca lines. Continue down to Arequipa, then maybe up a bit to see the Colca Canyon. At this point I’ll probably head inland to Puno, the town on Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. From their head north to Cuzco, and the crown jewel of Peru’s Inca Empire, Machu Picchu — The Hidden City. It is at this point that my travels get fuzzy. I’m perfectly fine with playing it by ear, as it leaves me open to any and all opportunities.

In one week I depart. Hardly seems like I’m going.