Today was an action packed day visiting the Sacred Valley, near Cusco. Jen and I decided to talk a one-day group tour to see all the areas. This is one option for the solo or independent traveler because you get the benefits of group travel for the day. We had an excellent tour guide, a great lunch and we saw a ton of stuff. We saved money by taking the tour, because it would have been much more expensive for me to have arranged the same activities.
We also learned an important lesson today--do a little more research. Having never traveled to Peru before, I did not maximize our money in the planning stages. With all traveling you will find some great deals and get ripped off on other deals. I should have taken my friend up on her offer to hook me up with a local in the planning stages to make the trip easier--my shyness won over and I never made that contact.
Tomorrow is the American Thanksgiving and we are planning our visit to Machu Picchu--I wanted to be someplace spectacular since I will not be seeing my family.
I am so thankful for the opportunity to see Peru and learn more of their culture, I can't wait to share the photos I've been taking.