Things that make me happy... of 2012 & Machu Picchu Trip

Things that make me happy... of 2012 & Machu Picchu

2012 was a fun year fill with lots of things that made me happy. There were lots of new shows, music, movies and random events that are join my long list of favorites things in pop culture last year.

Sherlock - TV
House of Lies - TV
Homeland - TV
Men who built America - TV

Lady Antebellum - Music
Esperanza Spaulding - Music

Silver Lining Playbook - Movie
The Sessions - Movie

Michael Jackson - Immortal Tour - Show
Electric Zoo Festival - Show
NY Food & Wine Festival - Show

Machu Picchu

Sure it is good to experience culture in all its various media forms, but sometimes you just have to go out and explore culture up close and personal. This year Peru made the list.  Peru is getting lots of visitors lately due to the increase popularity of the lost city of the Incas -- Machu Picchu and the surrounding Sacred Valley areas. A wonderful site to see in person while you still can... rumor has it they may start further restricting tourist in the near future.

First of all Peru is great destination to visit in South America if you looking for an active vacation trip. From beaches, to mountains, to jungle Peru has a lots to offer.  There are various hikes available from day hikes to week long walks. Many parts of Peru are over 10,000 ft above sea water so read up on how to adjust to avoid altitude sickness. But don't be afraid with a few precautions there will be minimal effects.

Air - Lima, the capital has the main international airport (LIM) can be reach by many international airlines. Cusco (CUZ) is a domestic airport that is the closest Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu.

Lodging - There are many affordable and high end boutique hotels in and around the Scared Valley region and the city of Cusco.  The Aranwa chain is a great hotel with locations in Cusco and Sacred Valley. A great 5 star property with a great spa (Sacred Valley Location) that serves a great starting point for any excursion in the area. I stayed in two of the hotels over five days and enjoyed my stay immensely. For more info... http://www.aranwahotels.com

Plan on spending a minimum of 3 days but you really need 4-5 to take in a couple of the sites.  Of course Machu Picchu is the most popular destination and should definitely be a top priority. But you do have to plan ahead and get tickets for both the train and entrance into Machu Picchu in advance for best options and time.  While in the park be prepared to spend the day exploring on foot so bring good hiking boots or sneakers.  Get there early if possible. The crowds begin to grow after midday.

Machu Picchu Peru -

National Geographic - Machu Picchu

There are other places to explore in Peru in the area. Sacred Valley has many other towns worth visiting including the Sunday market in Pisac filled with local vendors selling art, clothing, and gift items. There are also various ruins in Sacred Valley-- most notably Ollantaytambo temple is an very worthwhile exploration. It should be mentioned that having a good tour guide makes a big difference when visiting the site. The best tour guides give the history of the sites and can help you find some of the sites for picture taking.

You should not forget there are lots of sites to see in Cusco as well. Restaurants and nightlife are just a few of the pleasures of the Peruvian city that blend old world spanish influences with ancient Inca architecture.  You can walk most of the city if you stay in the center of town and find lots of shopping and tourist sites to visit. Don't forget to get you baby Alpaca wool sweater and scarf (just not in middle of town at tourist prices.)

Cusco / Machu Picchu

Pros
1. One of the Ancient Wonders of the World that lives up to its billing
2. The people are extremely friendly and its easy to get around.
3. Relatively inexpensive country to explore.

Cons
1. Lots of walking and hiking to visit the sites, be prepared with good sneakers.
2. The altitude takes getting used to so plan on spending a day or two to acclimatize.
3. Sacred Valley is off the grid so there is limited night life, so bring cards and friends and enjoy a Pisco Sour!



S.F. Guru

Things that make me happy... Bike Vermont

Things that make me happy... Bike Vermont

Since the summer starts with a bike ride (5 Boro NYC Bike Tour) it makes sense to end it with one.  Vermont is not just a great destination for skiing in the winter, it is also a great destination in the fall for biking, checking out New England, and checking out some fall foliage.

Bike Vermont http://bikevt.com/index.aspx is a great bike tour company that focuses on delivering a safe and enjoyable riding experience. If you use them ask for Frank and Toni as guides (they are awesome!!) For anyone that haven't ridden in a while no fear, Vermont is fairly flat with some small hills spread around a beautiful landscape. The ride is all about you and you can take the van anytime you want (no shame). A typical day one ride is about 35 miles (with an optional 11 mile addition for those wanting more). Day two is about 25 miles. They also have multi-day tours available locally or in other cities around the world.

 Vermont is picturesque in the Fall. In late September the daytime weather is about 70 which is perfect for riding. Its not too crowded and the roads are biker friendly. There are plenty of small towns to visit while riding. Woodstock, Plymouth, and Quechee (to name a few) are great for stopping for food and shopping.

 Dam it!! That's darn pretty.

 Glass Blowing Artist...

No hot air jokes here... he's working.

If you need a place to stay -- October Country Inn

Great times, great people.

 Scenic views for days...

 Nice foliage... Fall is coming.

 Going to check out Coolidge's crib...

Yes... this is New England...

If you want take a local trip for some cool site seeing, Vermont is a great destination.

Pros
1. Bike friendly roads
2. Great New England town with lots of Vermont cheese and maple syrup sample and buy.
3. Bike Vermont is a great tour company. No drama... easy going with great support and nice guides
4. World class Bed and Breakfast type inn. Meet new people from all over.

Con
1. About 5 hours from NYC... Not a bad drive tho...
2. Vermont is not a party scene... things close down early


S.F. Guru

Things that make me happy... Puerto Rico

Its been a while since I visited PR, I figure I would mentions some things to do for anyone taking a trip to Puerto Rico in the near future.

PR has some much to see. The people are friendly and love to dance and party. Great food especially monfongo.  Lots of clubs and bars and of course beautiful beaches. Probably best part. Its easy to get to. No passport needed, hotels close to airports, don't need to know spanish... english is fine, and best of all they run deals all the time from major cities.
I stayed at the Ritz Carlton very close to the airport. Pros - Great service, good location, walking distance to lots of restaurants and bars in La Isla Verde area. But there are other good hotel options... Cons - pretty expensive, not much of a party scene.

The El San Juan which is a ton of fun and only a 10 minute ride from the airport. There was so much to do there: the pool was always lively and the wait staff at the pool keeps drinks constantly refilled; they flew in a DJ from NY and had a pool party on Saturday (not sure that's a regular thing but that was fun); the beach was nice and there are jet skis on the beach which is fun; loved Koco restaurant that is based on a coconut theme (try the coconut martini and the coconut mojito); and of course Club Brava.

Alternative Hotel - while we were there we checked out La Concha. It was recently opened after a 10+ year renovation and is absolutely grown and sexy. It's in the art deco part of town where all the expensive shops are and was a better area to just walk around or go for a run. There is a very nice restaurant there called La Perla (I think) and Budatai, a spanish Thai restaurant that I just loved loved loved is just steps away from there. Check out La Concha if you want something that is in San Juan but a little more quiet and sleek / sexy. Other hotels that are quiet, like the El Conquistador and Las Casitas, are nice but too far away from everything. I think your beat bet it El San Juan or La Concha.

Restaurants:
1) Budatai
2) Koko (in El San Juan Hotel)
3) Pikayo (set within a museum; art featured in the restaurant)
4) La Perla (in La Concha Hotel)
5) Acquaviva (in Old San Juan)
6) Toro Salao (in Old San Juan)
7) Dragonfly (in Old San Juan)
8) Parrot Club (in Old San Juan)
9) There is a small Puerto Rican restaurant with excellent Monfongo in shopping plaza down the road across from Old San Juan Hotel in Isla Verde.

Lounge / Club:
1) Club Brava is the hot spot in San Juan (in El San Juan Hotel)
2) Wet Bar is a rooftop bar in the Water Club, a small boutique hotel that is about a 10 minute walk from the El San Juan Hotel. Check them out on Friday or Saturday when there's a DJ.
3) Nuyorican Poets Cafe in Old San Juan.  Live music and salsa especially on weekends. Pretty casual place but good music.

Activities:
1) Caving - they only do it on Sundays. It involves ziplining across a cliff, rapelling 250 feet down the side of the cliff into caves that have bats and cockroaches. You have to run through mud and climb up rocks, jump into 15 ft deep water all while in the caves. We did it with Tierra Aventro (www.adventurespr.com) and we LOVED it. You can also do Canyoning on Saturdays (everything without the caves).
2) Golf - I recommend twilight golf at the Dorado del Mar (787) 796-3070 designed by Robert Trent Jones I think is his name - a famous golf course designer. Twilight is from 3-6pm and cost $55. Any other time and anywhere else in $100-$200. It's a 30 - 40 minute drive from the El San Juan Hotel. Everywhere else is too expensive.
3) Water Sports - we did that at the hotel. The beach at the El San Juan had everything.
4) The Bio Bay - this involves kayaking at night into a lake that has some very small organisms that causes your hand to glow in the dark if you dip your hand in the water. The water is like 2 feet deep so it's very safe. It was fun.
5) ATV tour through the rain forest. This was fun but caving was much more of a highlight for us.
6) Tour the two forts in Old San Juan. This was actually more fun than I thought. There was a good amount to see and the views from the forts were amazing. There is a free trolley that takes you from one fort to the other and you can stay on the trolley and do a full tour of Old San Juan.
7) Tour of the Bacardi Distillery - everybody does this when they go to PR. We wanted to but didn't have time.
8) Spa - the spa at the El San Juan was just OK. I did enjoy the message though because I was so worn out from all the activities.
9) El Yunque - Rain Forest (about 2-4 hours to drive up and hike around. Not a difficult hike but in summer its is hot... so bring water. There is a waterfall that people hike to.) Its about an 60 minutes from San Juan center.

So the must do activities Bio Bay - You can get deals for about $75 -$100 per person.
Walking around old san juan and grabbing food at little cafes.

Hope you plan a trip and visit this PR. There lots to do and see. Enjoy!!