As we leave Peru I have noted a few observations.

Take all of these with a bucket of salt! Do not take them seriously at all.

Volkswagon beetles are everywhere!

It’s amazing and must be the climate, but they seem to be everywhere. I love it

Peruvian dogs

of those that I have seen they seem really happy, confident, tails up. Even the strays seem to be happy looking,, well fed! One highlight, unfortunately I did not get a picture we saw a mother dog with two puppies in the countryside walking along , while the pups played and tackled each other. Then a 4th larger dog joined them , I’m probably romanticising the image, but I reckon it was the dad.

Houses always look unfinished.

The houses always look unfinished and unkempt. Our guide suggested that this is because finished homes are then subject to tax. Consequently they are never really finished!

There is no vaping!

Nada, nothing , not seen one person vaping and the only people smoking seem to be foreigners. It’s great! Good thing we gave up before we came.

A Rainbow but not as you know it

Rainbow flags are everywhere, but it doesn’t mean they are a super gay city. It’s the flag for Cusco!!

Where are the fences?

The countryside is bizarrely bereft of fencing, certainly in the areas we have driven through, have not seen “herds” of livestock but animals tethered to ropes. The visual effect is one that creates a sense of vastness on a grand scale.

Australian invaders

There are eucalyptus trees absolutely everywhere! It’s a full on invasion. And yes they are Australian origin eucalyptus trees , when and how did this happen I need to know.

Apparently they thrive in the relatively dry environment, grow fast and are a source of construction material, but those things have definitely gone rogue.

Peruvian Food

The food is very carb heavy and protein low, potatoes, potatoes, sometimes with rice.

It’s really not fair for me to comment too much, I get that on these types of tours you have to try and direct groups to reasonably priced, variety typed foods that you know are safely prepared ! You don’t want gastro on a bus. But it does mean you end up with pretty bland middle of the road fare at tourist prices. Add in the odd alpaca steak and Guinea pig everywhere.

I was reading a WHO study that was done between 2019-2022 and malnutrition affected 19.5% of the population. For children that can mean permanent growth stunting which may explain the anecdotal observation that as a whole they appear to be shorter in stature.

Covid

Horrible stat, Peru suffered more deaths per head of population than any other nation in the world. 6600 deaths per million , compared to the 490 in New Zealand.

Politics

The common refrain is that corruption is an ongoing issue . You see political party slogans on walls everywhere ! Our guide mentioned to us that there are 20 parties standing in the 2026 elections.

It’s a poor nation the average salary is about 2500 soles or $1250 Nz a month.

From the little I have seen , the Peruvian people are industrious, hard working , smart people. They have a nation of incredible resources and diversity. The foundations for greatness are there , I hope they find them.