I already knew we'd enjoy Peru, but a few things surprised us once we were actually there. THE FOOD WAS EVEN BETTER THAN WE EXPECTED We'd heard over and over that the food in Peru was amazing, so expectations were already pretty high. It still exceeded them. We ate really well basically everywhere. Everything seemed fresh, presentation was consistently great, and the portions were much larger than we expected. My wife and I eventually started splitting some orders because we simply couldn't finish everything. The running joke by the end of the trip was that the "worst" meal we had in Peru was still better than probably 90% of the meals we have dining out in the US. And we didn't build the trip around famous restaurants or hard-to-get reservations. A lot of the time we just walked around, looked at menus and picked somewhere that looked good. THE DRIVING WAS CRAZIER THAN I EXPECTED I've driven in Mexico across the Yucatan Peninsula and didn't find that particularly difficult. Peru was a different animal. The traffic, merging, passing, motorcycles, buses, pedestrians and general flow of everything felt much more chaotic. It reminded me more of Thailand than Mexico. At one point during planning I had considered renting a car. I'm VERY glad I didn't. We booked Taxidatum for our longer transfers and used Uber or taxis around Lima and Cusco. Looking back, I'd make exactly the same decision. I got to look out the window and enjoy the scenery instead of wondering whether I was about to launch over a speedbump. 😂 THE PEOPLE Everyone we met and talked with was incredibly nice and genuinely fun to talk to. We speak some Spanish, so whenever possible we'd start conversations with drivers, hotel staff, restaurant employees and people we met along the way. We talked about everything from sports and the economy to everyday life and yes, even politics occasionally. Probably not the safest vacation conversation topic, but those ended up being some of the most interesting conversations we had. We're non-native Spanish speakers and found Peruvian Spanish surprisingly easy to understand. Compared with Spanish we've encountered in some other countries, we generally had very little trouble following conversations. WHAT WE'D DO EXACTLY THE SAME WAY Stay in Ollantaytambo before Machu Picchu. We spent two nights there rather than treating it simply as a place to catch the train. Great decision. It's lower than Cusco, the archaeological site is right in town, and you're already positioned for the train to Aguas Calientes. Visit Machu Picchu twice. We did Circuit 2A one day and Circuit 3B the next. Very little overlap and two completely different perspectives of the site. If you have the time and budget, I'd absolutely recommend considering two circuits. Hire the same private guide for both Machu Picchu visits. We used Ronald Grajeda for both 2A and 3B, which meant the second day built on the first instead of starting over with another guide. He also helped us with the logistics in Aguas Calientes (met us at the train station, waited in our hotel lobby before each tour, etc.) during the Fiestas Patrias crowds, which turned out to be incredibly useful. Use drivers instead of renting a car. After seeing the traffic firsthand, this became one of the easiest decisions to defend. Keep the first day at altitude easy. When we first arrived in Cusco, we deliberately scheduled basically nothing. We rested, hydrated, ate lightly and used the hotel spa. I wouldn't change that. Spend some real time in Lima. We stayed in Miraflores and really enjoyed it. Museo Larco was one of our favorite stops. A lot of Peru itineraries treat Lima mostly as an airport connection, but I'm glad we didn't. Don't over-plan the food. We had excellent meals without structuring our days around dining reservations. ONE THING WE'D CHANGE We never made it to Barranco. It was on the itinerary and somehow kept getting pushed aside. That's my biggest next-time item from Lima. Otherwise the trip worked extremely well. Happy to answer questions about Lima, Cusco, Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu, the circuits, trains, transfers, hotels or anything else.