Cusco Peru among the most popular travel spots.

I recently returned from Cusco and I must say if you have never been,GO!

It is an amazingly beautiful area surrounded by high plains and snow covered mountain peaks.

The average year round temperature is around 70 degrees during the day.

But dont take my word for it see what Travel and Leisure Magazine found out.

Paris And London didnt make the list:

Lima, Jul. 15 (ANDINA).- The Andean city of Cusco in southeastern Peru was voted the world's 16th most popular tourist destination in a 2009 online poll conducted by Travel+Leisure magazine.
Popular destinations such as Barcelona, London and even Paris did not reach the list of 20 top cities. Indian city Udiapur led this year's list, pushing 2008's winner Bangkok to the third place.
"For the first time, Udaipur, India is named World’s Best City, displacing last year’s winner Bangkok, in Travel+Leisure’s fourteenth annual World’s Best Awards readers’ survey", said a press release.Cusco is surrounded by formidable Inca buildings, palaces made with stones and amazing fortresses as it was the ancient capital of the vast Inca empire.The magazine, which conducted its poll between January-March 2009, is also running a rating of the world's best hotels, top islands and top large-ship cruise lines. A festive ceremony will be held next week in New York honoring the winners.
Newcomers to the top spots in their respective categories include: Bushmans Kloof, Cedar Mountains, South Africa (Best Hotel Overall); Sixt (Best Car-Rental Agency); and Austin-Lehman Adventures (Best Tour Operator), among others.
Bali regains its title from 2007 as World’s Best Island (the Galápagos took the top spot in 2008). Inn at Manitou, Canada is the Best Inn in the U.S. and Canada; Inn at Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina is the highest-rated resort in America.

Peruvian living is very affordable

Can I afford to move to Peru: What’s the price of food, houses, cars? A – Living in Peru is extremely affordable in many ways. The prices of food, gas and rents are very low. Peruvian friends here in Lima recently rented a 5 bedroom, 4 bath house with car park, large yard and garden for $250 a month. $8-12 USD a week will buy all the fabulous fresh fruits and vegetables needed for a whole week of munching.
Move to Peru for Plentiful and Cheap Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Move to Peru for the markets! Market days are often the highlight of the week for many locals and markets are bustling on those days. Peru’s market day is SaturdayMarket day is a day for vendors to socialize as well as profit from the literal “fruits” of their labor and the markets ring with laughter, lively conversation and bartering as each buyer looks for the best produce at the best price.Your move to Peru can save you money. Here’s a sampling of approximate costs for Peru food as of September, 2008:
3 medium pineapples (pinas) - $1
4 small papayas - $1
6-8 Gala apples (manzanas) - $1
fresh blackberries (mora) - $1 per liter
huge red juicy fresh strawberries (fresas) - $1 per 1 – 2 lbs.
bunch of fresh herbs like cilantro, basil, parsley - $.15
free range eggs (huevos) - 10-12 cents each
potatoes (papas) - $2 for 10 pounds
red bell peppers – 10 cents each
zucchini, eggplant, broccoli, etc. – 25 - 50 cents per large piece
2 dozen fresh roses or other cut flowers - $1-2
A chain of grocery stores called, “Wong,” has locations in most larger cities and towns in Peru. They carry many of those things ex-pats crave but often cannot always get in other countries; things like peanut butter, olives with pimento, imported cheeses such as jalapenos, Mexican salsa, chips like Doritos and Ruffles, safely-packaged meats of all kinds, and ketchup. You move to Ecuador will not take you far away from familar foods.Upon moving to Peru you will recognize those tried-and-true American brands you know and love, plus a large variety of European items. They don’t carry very many spices, especially the ethnic ones from countries like India or Thailand.Palso sells very good quality kitchen utensils, glasses and cups, pillows and specialty ingredients for Thai and Mexican dishes. Their pots and pans are the Peruvian standard—not the greatest. A huge Wong has just opened in a new mall in Lima.

Mail in Peru

Is it hard to receive and send mail after my move to Peru? A Mail service is reasonably trustworthy in large towns. Paying for a post office box in a town like Lima could be the best and safest system for receiving mail. There's a tiny fee for this service. Mail in smaller cities and rustic areas is infrequent or non-existent. General delivery at the local post office. Use UPS, DHL or FedEx. It's safer and more trustworthy, though costly. We lately received a Visa card from the states thru FedEx Global Concern and the price for mailing was $69USD! Mail Forwarding and your move to Peru www.EarthClassMail.com makes your postal mail straight away available on the net, just like e-mail.
You can look at, open, recycle and manage your mail online, from anywhere around the world. Check out your mail and then get rid of the junk mail, fliers, ads and other pointless paper.
Simplify your move to Peru. You have your selected mail sent to a remote address. Earth Class picks up your mail every day at the post office, scans in all of the sealed envelope photographs, then electronically sends every one to you on the web. You view your envelopes in a safe online mailbox and tell them what you wish to do with your mail. Recycle all of the junk with a click of your mouse Have them soundly scan the contents so you can read it online Shred sensitive info Forward the first to you or some other person Forward the electronic document to whomever you select repository the originals at their facility This service is fast, safe and environmentally sound. Save fuel costs and cut back your carbon footprint. Expatriates save 50-75% over standard mail forwarding services. They also have check processing. Www.usglobalmail.com gives you your own U.S. Address, whether or not it's a suite, box, flat, dep. or office. You can view all incoming mail and customise each cargo by carrier, speed and cost. For world business, a U.S. Address is mandatory. They offer inventory and accomplishment services as well as mail forwarding. You can shop on Amazom.com. For people, they offer the most sophisticated mailing service. View incoming mail in real-time and customise each cargo by carrier, speed, and price. With U.S. World Mail you can shop on Amazon.com and other well-liked sites that may only ship to a U.S. Address.
Forward mail and packages to your current foreign address.

Mancora Peru

The small, laid back fishing town of Mancora is located on Peru's north coast approximately 1165km north of Lima and 120km south of the frontier with Ecuador. It has attractive sandy beaches which provide safe swimming as well as excellent surfing. The best surfing months are from November to February.Although Mancora is sunny all year round, the high season is from mid-December to mid-March when the beaches and hotels can become full of holidaymakers from Lima and Ecuador.The town itself has one bank (Banco de la Nacion) and several ATMs (automatic cash machines) as well as a small mini-market, a couple of pharmacies, internet cafes and plenty of shops selling souvenirs and beachwear. There are many small hostals and hotels, a good choice of restaurants and a few lively bars.Mancora has a very relaxed, safe, friendly feel and the beaches are clean, making it an excellent stopping off point when visiting the north of Peru or travelling to Ecuador.Weather:The weather is semi-tropical, dry with sunshine all year round. The chance of rain is very small. In the Winter (June - August) the daily temperatures are in the high 20's (centigrade). During the Summer months (January - March) the avergae daily temperatures are in the high 30's (centigrade). However temperatures can feel a little cooler due to the coastal breezes which can often be quite strong in the afternoons.

Andes Mountains

The climate of the Andes Mountains really varies depending on where you are. The southern portion of the mountains is rainy and cool. The central part of the mountain range is dry, and the northern Andes are warm and rainy. The mountains are capped with snow, but then there is a rainforest close by! The climate is really different depending on where you are and the altitude of the mountains in the surrounding areas. The rainforest used to be bigger, but it’s slowly going away.The Inca Empire began here in the Andes way back in the 1400s. It’s really interesting to think that people were here so many years ago. Eventually, the Spanish conquered the Incas. Three main crops come from the Andes Mountains today. These are tobacco, cotton, and coffee. They also grow Coca here, which they use in small amounts in some herbal teas. It’s also kind of a big deal, because apparently Coca is used to make drugs, too. Mining is also a big business in the mountains. The main minerals are iron, gold, silver, tin, and copper. The Andes are known for being the most important sources of these minerals in the world! Being here is so much fun. It gets pretty cold at night, but it’s very pretty during the day. The mountains are so big! It’s so different from being at home. It’s very peaceful and quiet. I’ve really enjoyed being here and learning about these mountains.

Where to go in Peru.part 2

Reachable only by a five day boat ride or by plane, Iquitos is far apart from other cities. Since it’s in the jungle, expect high temperatures and lots of humidity. In addition, seasons are reverse what they are in the coast and mountains. In the jungle, summer is in July and August and known as the dry season. Lots of rain, humidity and bugs can be expected in the wet season.LIMAThe most populated city in Lima has changed by leaps and bounds in the past 50 years when it was a sleepy capital. Now many businesses, both local and international have jobs in Lima. In addition, the majority of paperwork, such as immigration issues and passports, or visits to embassies, have to be taken care of in Lima. Because of this, there are many foreigners who call Lima home. You’ll have no problem finding people from your country, try going to the embassy and they should help you get in touch with others.Located smack dab in the middle of the western coast, Lima’s easy to get to, weather it be by bus, car, or plane. If you have an international flight, you’ll be flying into Jorje Chavez Airport in Lima.There are about 8 million inhabitants in Lima and because of this, you can find just about everything you need. High end as items as well as bargains can be found in Lima depending on where you look. So there’s things that will fit everyone’s budget. Read more about budgeting in Lima in this Lima on 500 dollars a month.

Where to go in Peru,Part 1

Where to go Part 1: Some people are certain what city they want to live in while others aren’t. Many people want to go to Cusco. Keep in mind that there are lots of tourists and is similar to Europe, so if you want the real Peru experience, I would advise against Cusco. Smaller towns are an option. Piura and Chiclayo are close to the famous beaches. Trujillo is a uni town. Lima is the centre of everything. Arequipa is famous for its volcano. Puno has snow. Iquitos is in the jungle. Do some research; what appeals to some many not appeal to others.
CUSCOPerhaps the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Peru is Cusco and Manchu Picchu. Voted as one of the Modern Wonders of the World, it’s no wonder that people flock to Cusco. You should have no problem finding people who speak English and you’re sure to find people who speak other languages as well. In addition to a high foreign population, Cusco also has many native people living there as well. Cusco’s a big of a hodge-podge with foreigners, Peruvians, and native people living together.It’s located in the eastern part of the country, near Bolivia. Cusco’s located high up in the mountains, so be sure to allow yourself a couple of days to adjust to the altitude. Bring some medicine as people often suffer from altitude. sickness while they are there.Due to the large foreign population, prices tend to be a bitter higher than in other cities. However if you ask around and learn a bit of Spanish, you’ll find places to go where you can get lower prices.Many handicrafts, such as jewellery, clothes and artwork can be found in Cusco. You’ll have no shortage of courses or teachers to choose from if you decide to take up a hobby. All of this gives Cusco a bit of a bohemian, laid-back atmosphere.
AREQUIPAKnown as the white city because of all the granite, Arequipa’s a relaxing place to live in or visit. It’s also high up in the mountains, so you’ll be sure to get plenty of fresh air. Arequipa is also pretty touristy because of Misti, the volcano, and the fact that it’s relatively close to Chile.As the second biggest city in the country, Arequipa has a decent sized foreign population, though not as many foreigners live here as in Cusco or Lima.Prices are lower than Lima, but if you want to go shopping for touristy stuff, expect to pay. If you want to g out on the town, stay close to the centre if you want to meet foreigners and if you want to make locals, head away from the tourist traps.