Fun & Adventures With Strangers PERU TRIP 1
Table of Contents # Topic Slide Number 1 Who are we 3 2 Our travel philosophy 4 3 Our reviews 5 5 Memories from our Costa Rica Trip 6 6 Memories from our events 7 7 Peru facts 8 8 Travel & cost details 9 9 How do I sign up 10 10 Itinerary details 11-18 11 FAQ 19 2
Who are we? Fun and Adventures With Strangers was created in May 2011. After Mike relocated to New York City from Chicago, he noticed a void in a group that fosters on various activities. He knew there needed to be a group that creates various events but more importantly where a meetup organizer stands up and shows his leadership skills be it helping other members with introduction, taking a charge, helping other members overcome their fear, etc. Also being new to NY, he knew he needed to bring Midwest style culture in his meetups to make it much more fun Well, rest you know the vision materialized and Fun and Adventures With Strangers started. In less than 24 months after starting the group, we have had over 70 successful meetups and are over 3000 members and growing everyday. Some of our unique meetups have included: Skiing, Hiking, Ziplining, Bowling, Archery, Fencing, Salsa Dancing, Cooking, Kayaking, Rafting, Fundraising events to support charities, Volunteer work for local charities, and the list goes on and on. Through the support of our members and hard-work of organizers, we have been successful in running this meetup group. And we certainly hope to continue this in the coming years. 3
Our travel philosophy Have Fun, Fun, Fun Completely feel safe traveling with our group We create itineraries that are guided and well planned so we all can enjoy and have fun Save Money - We strive and work hard to get the best negotiated group rates We create fun ice-breakers and play games so no one gets bored during the trip We create a balance itinerary that provides sight-seeing and adventures along with night life fun Come travel and explore the world with strangers and end up making life-long friends 4
Review by our members See my previous review. Mike is awesome - I'd attend anything he throws - he has great ideas for getting people together - very imaginative. Well done! - Clayvahn Hunt Seems like a good, diverse group. And Mike is a great guy being very attentive to the group and the event. - Colin I have attended other meet-up groups and I have to give my compliments to Mike for his leadership skills. He makes it a point to introduce everyone and makes sure everyone is having a good time. I went to a different meet up group and no one (not even the organizer) came introduced himself to anyone. I deleted that group! Jennifer Mike seems really committed to organizing a wide variety of events. All we need to do is attend them and have fun along with some great people. Ashok It's awesomely awesome group! I am happy to be a part of it. Omur Thank you very much Mike and Biren! You are fun and responsible organizers! I definitely will join the activities that you guys organize in the future, because I believe they must have fun!! You ROCK :) - Min Jun, Lu Qiu A terrific group. I highly recommend them for anyone to wants to have a great time Marilyn I always have a great time with this group, everyone is always pleasant and polite - Rene 5
Memories From Our Last International Trip Costa Rica May 2013 More Pics @ http://www.meetup.com/fws-nyc/photos/all_photos/?photoalbumid=15649532 6
Memories From Our Past Selected Events 7
Peru Facts Peru i /pəˈruː/ (Spanish: Perú; Quechua: Perú; [4] Aymara: Piruw), officially the Republic of Peru (Spanish: República del Perú, pronounced: [reˈpuβlika ðel peˈɾu] ( listen)), is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the west by the Pacific Ocean. Peruvian territory was home to ancient cultures spanning from the Norte Chico civilization, one of the oldest in the world, to the Inca Empire, the largest state in Pre-Columbian America. The Spanish Empire conquered the region in the 16th century and established a Viceroyalty, which included most of its South American colonies. After achieving independence in 1821, Peru has undergone periods of political unrest and fiscal crisis as well as periods of stability and economic upswing. Peru is a representative democratic republic divided into 25 regions. Its geography varies from the arid plains of the Pacific coast to the peaks of the Andes Mountains and the tropical forests of the Amazon Basin. It is a developing country with a high Human Development Index score and a poverty level around 28.7 percent. [5] Its main economic activities include agriculture, fishing, mining, and manufacturing of products such as textiles. The Peruvian population, estimated at 29.5 million, is multiethnic, including Amerindians, Europeans, Africans, and Asians. The main spoken language is Spanish, although a significant number of Peruvians speak Quechua or other native languages. This mixture of cultural traditions has resulted in a wide diversity of expressions in fields such as art, cuisine, literature, and music. 8
Travel Date & Cost Details Departure Oct 21- Arrival Oct 29th 8 Days, 7 nights Price $2099 includes: Non-stop roundtrip airfare from JFK and domestic flights within Peru Airport Taxes Hotel accommodation (shared with other person of the same sex. We will pair you up and rotate people at different hotels so that way you get to interact with others. You can opt to stay by your self by paying extra $375). Tours & activities English Speaking Guide Exclusive group transportation Daily breakfast 3 Lunches More details in the following pages There will be happy hours so you get to meet potential travelers and a dinner event for paid travelers 9
How do I sign up? How to pay? Call Karla @ 1 818 844.3199 and mention the trip "Singles Fun Group Peru Trip. Payment deadline Initial deposit of $300 required to secure a spot by 07/15/2013. Full payment due by 08/30/2013 Questions? Contact Mike @ mikemeetup2799@yahoo.com 10
Day 1 NY (JFK) to Lima The day begins by taking a non-stop flight from New York City to Lima Upon arrival at the airport, our bus will be waiting for us to take us to the hotel. After we check-in, the day is for us to explore Lima on our own before we start our fun and adventures 11
Day 2 Lima After breakfast, guided tour of both the colonial and the modern sections of Lima, "City of Kings. Colonial Lima includes a visit to the Main Square, located in the heart of downtown to view the Government Palace, the Town Hall, The Desamparados Train Station,the old streets with their vice royal mansions and Moorish style balconies, the Bishop Palace with its beautiful balconies and the Cathedral of Lima. (Its outstanding features are the choir stalls, the Churrigueresque Chapel of the Immaculate, the main altar and a Christ made of carved ivory). The tour continues with a visit to San Francisco with its convent (considered to be the most important religious monument of Lima, built in 1542 in Baroque style and consecrated in 1673) and the museum of colonial art, cloisters and catabumbs. Your drive through Lima will pass by several Colonial squares, churches and mansions, then you will continue to the Modern Districts of San Isidro and Miraflores, for a glimpse of life in this huge city, as well as its beautiful parks, modern buildings and great ocean views. Duration: 3 ½ hours approx. Includes: Breakfast 12
Day 3 Lima - Cusco After Breakfast, very early this morning you will board a flight to the imperial Peruvian city of Cusco. Upon arrival our representatives will meet and escort you to your hotel. Take the remainder of the morning to nap or relax as you adjust to Cusco high altitude. In the afternoon take the City of Cusco near by ruin; a visit to the Cathedral, considered the best repository of colonial art from the Cusco school continue with a visit the Inca Fortress Sacsayhuaman, made up of three gigantic terraces, superimposed in a zigzag form. Qenqo, was a religious centre formed by a singular flowering of calcareous rock. It has underground galleries and a semicircular amphitheatre with a series of stone seats. Nearby is Tambomachay, well known as Baths of the Incas, a place dedicated to the cult of the water, formed by aqueducts, channels and small cascades worked in the rock. Tour Starts at 2:30PM. Duration: 4 Hours Includes: Breakfast, Domestic Flight 13
Day 4 Cusco- Machu Pichu After breakfast, you are picked up from your hotel very early in the morning and transported to the train station. Departure to Aguas Calientes, located 120 km from the City of Cusco and after 3 hour train trip you arrive to of Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Machu Picchu complex which is an extraordinary combination of remarkable architecture and unforgettable scenery. After arrival in Aguas Calientes bus station you are transported by bus to the Citadelle, which is located on the top of a steep mountain that dominates the deep Canyon formed by the passing the Urubamba river and whose sides are so sheer that the ancient buildings of Machu Picchu City Complex cannot be seen from the bottom of the mountain. Then you will have your guided visit for 3 hrs appx. Machu Picchu is also called The Lost City of the Incas. It was planned and constructed in two distinct areas, the agricultural one formed by the cultivation terraces or platforms and located in the precipitous hillside of the mountain, and the urban area, where Machu Picchu inhabitants lived. In the high part, a line separates the agricultural and urban areas. In the urban sector, you can observe two very well defined: civil engineering works. One is the residential neighborhoods, and the other water canal systems. Both constructions did not reach the same perfection in their finishing as the buildings of the Sacred Valley (temples, mausoleums, squares, real houses). Here it is very common to see the use of the trapezoidal window and of niches where they deposited their idols as well as the prevalence of the rectangular constructions of a single floor.. After lunch in Aguas Calientes you will have time at Leissure in Aguas Calientes. Includes. Breakfast & Lunch 14
Day 5 Machu Pichu- Cusco The morning is for you to explore Machu Pichu at your leisure. In the afternoon, we take a train back to Cusco. Includes: Breakfast 15
Day 6 Cusco - Puno by Scenic Bus Transfer After breakfast, you are picked up from your hotel and transfer to the bus station, departure by Tourist Bus to Puno (389km) from Cusco. On route visit of Andahuaylillas situated 40 kilometers from Cusco, it is one of the prettiest colonial villages in the region. Large leafed trees and huge old mansions dominate its beautiful Plaza de Armas. However, its principal attraction is its church, San Pedro de Andahuaylillas, proudly called by its inhabitants, the Sistine Chapel of America for its meticulously interior decorated, its baroque wood sculptures, and numerous rich paintings, and murals done in the Cusco School style. We will visit Raqchi: Temple dedicated to Wiracocha, supreme god of the Incas Empire. The temple is built out of sun-dried mud-brick walls and stones. The sides show remains of terraces, bridges, warehouses and cottages and also Pucara: Archaeological complex formed by a pyramidal structure. Here we can observe the first sign of civilized culture in the Peruvian Altiplano. The ruins date from 4,000 B.C. Visit to the Site Museum. We will take lunch in the town of Sicuani. Route: Cusco, Andahuaylillas, Raqchi, Sicuani, La Raya, Pukará, Puno Departs at 8AM and arrives in Puno at 3PM. Duration: 7hours approx. Includes: Breakfast & Lunch. 16
Day 7 Puno - Lake Titicaca After breakfast, visit to the Uros Indian and Taquile Island at Lake Titikaka - This full day excursion will take you to the highest navigable lake in the world, to visit the floating islands of the Uros Indians, located in the surroundings of the National Reservation of the Lake Titicaca and 10 km from the front of the port of Puno. Formed by 40 big floating islands made from water reeds, where the residents continue maintaining the customs and their ancestor idiosyncrasy. Uros Indians main activities are the fishing and hunting. They possess a great ability to knit the reeds and they considered themselves Lords of the Lake, and they were convinced they had black blood because they did not feel the cold of the lake and the winter. Continuing to Taquile Island (a firm earth island offers a scenic and cultural extravaganza) where a native community of about 400 families still lives with the traditions of the XIV century that respect the principals of an Incan way life. Taquile is a very important site on Lake Titikaka for its a archeological remains, the sacred and ceremonial sites, the festive activities, their rituals and for the daily life of the inhabitants which is dedicated to farming, textile production and fishing. Taquile is also famous for the coloring and originality of its fabrics and garments world famous, as well as for its music. Duration: 9 Hours. Return to the hotel in Puno. Includes: Breakfast + Lunch 17
Day 8 Puno - Lima - USA After having our breakfast, talking about all the fun we have had, it is now time to depart for our home We will transfer to Juliaca airport at the indicated time of our flight to Lima and connection with our flight back home NY. I know you don t want to come back but hey let s come back, earn some money for our next exciting trip 18
FAQ How does the hotel accommodation work? You will be paired up randomly with same sex. Every time we change hotel, you will have a new roomie. This will ensure you have fun while getting to know lot of other people. Prior to our trip, we will have a dinner event as a meet and greet so everyone gets to know everyone. I am coming with my boyfriend/girlfriend. Can we both share the room? Yes. However, please make sure you inform Karla while making your reservation so we know ahead of time. Can I get a room by myself? Yes, however there is an additional $375 cost to it. If you do want this option, please inform Karla while making a reservation. I am not too keen on doing some of the activities. Can the cost be lower for me? Unfortunately, no. We have received this as an entire package deal. Do I need a visa? Please visit to see if you need a visa http://www.limaeasy.com/peru-info/peruvian-visa#tourist-visa A friend of mine also wants to join, can he/she? Sure. The more the merrier JFK is far from me. Can I fly from a different airport? Yes, however there will be additional charge due to change in the airfare. If you do plan to take a flight from a different airport, please inform Karla. If you have other questions, please feel free to contact Mike @ mikemeetup2799@yahoo.com 19