A few months ago I posted a blog about a credit card from American Airlines that would give you 75,000 miles. After receiving those miles, I wanted to take a trip unlike any other. That is when I came up with the idea to let everyone vote to send me anywhere in the world. Initially, I was very nervous because some of my idiot friends thought they’d be funny and vote for Utah. Fortunately after all the votes were counted Peru won. The only real planning I did before my trip was buying Machu Picchu tickets because they limit the number of people that can enter Machu Picchu.
The night before I left, I went to hostelworld.com to find a place to stay for my first night in Lima. After reading the reviews and looking at the prices, I decided to stay at the Pariwana Hostel. They had me at $8 with breakfast included. At that price, I was expecting a nice buffet with eggs, cereal, fresh fruit, oj, and maybe some live classical music. To my dismay there was only bread, tea, and granolas (the people, not the food). Although breakfast didn’t meet my expectations, the rooms and bathrooms were clean, and it wasn’t too loud at night. Can’t ask for much more in a hostel.
If you are going to stay in Lima, I recommend staying in Miraflores or Barranco. Both places are a little far from the airport, but they are a lot safer and there are some good things to do close by.
To all those adrenaline junkies, you have to go to Peru and ride in a combi. It was one of the scariest things I have ever done in my life! Riding in a combi is similar to bumper cars. The only differences are these bumper cars travel at 40 mph and don’t have bumpers or seat belts. Combi drivers seemed to go out of their way to try and hit one another. Several times we literally came within inches of hitting another van. Arriving at bus stops was the worse. They would drive really fast to the bus stop and swerve at the last minute to get in front of another driver. When they couldn’t get in front they would pull in closely to the side of another van and try to squeeze their way to the front. During my ride, I thought I was going to die in a fiery ball of carnage. 
Riding combis was an awesome way to begin my trip to Peru!
Travel Through Life 