LOCAL Houston | The City Guide September 2016 | Page 70

DESTINATION | Peru

BROADENING MY HORIZONS
By Jay Landa

Travel enthusiast Jay Landa is a local jewelry designer and owner of the J.Landa boutique in Rice Village.
It was my love of South America that led me to PERU
this year. I was accompanied by 11 members of my
family, and together we explored the indigenous history of
Peru, its culture, cuisine and hand-crafted artwork and jewelry. It is one thing to
travel alone, but sharing moments and places with loved ones made it even
more special.
We flew from Houston to Lima, Peru, in just six and half hours. It was an easy
flight, and with the fortune to stay in the same time zone, there was no jet lag to
get over during the trip. Upon arrival in Lima, our group was greeted by a tour
guide who would be our conduit to the culture of Peru. He himself was Inca and
greatly passionate about his people and culture. It was important for him to tell
his story, and to share how these century-old customs are preserved today.
Lima is a bustling city, full with people on the go and streets teeming with cars,
trucks and motorcycles. It is also a very international city with people from all over
South America coming together to form a Peruvian melting pot of cultures. Our
hotel was the gorgeous Milaflores, which overlooked the Pacific Ocean. Every
morning, we were blessed with beautiful ocean views before setting off on a day
of adventure. Each night, we were treated to sunsets out over the Pacific as the
sun made its daily circulation of the Earth. How beautiful it all was.
Peru’s landscape and its indigenous cultures are unique. Rugged mountains,
coastal deserts and tropical rainforests all make up Peru’s geography. There is no

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Cusco Cathedral

question that throughout our journey, we were all anticipating MACHU PICCHU. The
15th-century Inca citadel sits on top of the mountain of the same name. Though
the hike up the mountain was difficult and took a couple of hours, it was worth
it when we saw the magnificence of the ruins. It was spiritual, and I couldn’t help
but think of the events that took place on the sites all those centuries ago. It was
like the ghosts of the ancient tribes were still there, and I could feel their presence.
The train from CUSCO to MACHU was extraordinary in its own right and was
the highlight of our trip. The beauty of the people and the landscape going by
were incredible.
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