Chapter heads to Peru and Bolivia

PLEASE NOTE: TRIP IS FULL!

You have read about them or seen photos: Machu Picchu, the Nazca Lines, Lake Titicaca. Now's your chance to experience these marvels in person.

Machu Picchu

The Angeles Chapter invites you and your friends to a fully escorted, once-in-a-lifetime journey through Peru and Bolivia, April 21 through May 10, 2006. On this 20-day trip, you will visit the premier natural wonders of both countries, cultural heritage sites of the Spanish colonial period, and the ruins and monuments of the Incas in the Andes. Your trip leaders, John Lajeuness, John Corcoran, Steve Feld, and Andrea Lim, are foreign trip leaders who have experience in most of these countries.

Our trip starts in Lima, Peru, with its popular museums, then moves by coach down the south coast of Peru with its Mediterranean climate. Here the group takes a boat trip to the Ballestra Islands wildlife refuge, flies over the Nazca Lines, and visits the popular cemetery of Chauchilla and the underground Cantallo aqueducts. Back in Lima, we fly to Cuzco, the capital of the Incas (loaded with historical sites, structures, and museums) for a few nights to adjust to the altitude before setting off for Sacred Valley with its lofty Inca citadels of Pisac and Ollantaytambo, as well as the Andean/Incan village of Chinchero. The group takes a train to Aguas Calientes, the village below Machu Picchu, for a two-night stay. After a day of wandering about Machu Picchu, you can take a soak in the hot springs up the cobblestone street before dinner. We return to Cuzco for a few more nights, then head off to Lake Titicaca to visit the floating islands (Islas Flotantes). The following day, we cross the border into Bolivia for two nights in Copacabana, with time to explore Isla del Sol, birthplace of the Incas. On the way to La Paz, we visit the impressive hilltop ruins of Tiwanaku. The journey is finished with a couple nights in historic La Paz before flying home.

During this trip we'll meet the sturdy Aymara and Quechua people whose ancestors built much of what we'll see. We will visit their market places to shop for jewelry, woven goods, and handicrafts.

Trip leader Lajeuness said that although it is more inclusive with nearly all optional tours and excursions included compared to the popular Costa Rica trips, he still thought that this trip was a good balance between group and independent travel. Much of the back tracking of a trip like this has been eliminated by an open jaw flight plan (flying in to Lima and flying out by way of La Paz). Additionally, the accommodations ratings are divided between top-end and mid-range by Lonely Planet standards; no budget lodgings. Among the accommodations are a converted colonial mansion and a large hacienda, all thoroughly updated, plus numerous other modern lodgings. He added that there would be only one single-night stay.

PLEASE NOTE: TRIP IS FULL!

Peru with a bit of Bolivia
April 21-May 10, 2006
O: An adventure into the world of the Incas, their colonial masters, far older civilizations, and present-day wonders. Join Angeles Chapter and friends on a fully escorted journey from Lima down the south coast to Nazca, flight to Cuzco, Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley, over to Puno on Lake Titicaca, across the border to Copacabana and then on to La Paz, Bolivia. See story on page 7. $1895 includes all mid-range and top end accommodations (double occupancy), all in-country transportation, all tours/excursions, admission fees to nearly all natural preserves, archaeological sites, and museums, including the Cuzco tourist ticket and 25 plus meals including a few happy hours. Discounted group airfare is available. For complete information, itinerary, and application, send two SASE to leader John Lajeuness, 3640 Virginia St., La Crescenta, 91214; 818-248-5763. Assts: John Corcoran, Steve Feld, and Andrea Lim.

PLEASE NOTE: TRIP IS FULL!