17 ways to enjoy this Lost City of the Incas at the other side of the world

OUR heart was set on this journey halfway around the world, and we had synchronized vacation leaves from work while saving up enough funds for the trip. So no flood or landslide or other quirks of nature could keep us from our goal.

Nothing?s going to ruin our trip to the ruins, decided our Holy Week travel group that had called itself the ?Tropa Chica? ? or, for this trip to Peru, ?The Pretty Peruvians.?

We had first talked about going to South America three years ago, and spent most of the last few months planning for the trip and working out our schedules. The last was certainly no easy feat for fashion designer Rajo Laurel, celebrity columnist Tessa Prieto Valdes, restaurateur Malu Gamboa, interior designers Nix Alannon, Tina Bonoan and Anton Baretto, and myself.

How were we to know that the Holy Week break in Manila was not exactly the best of times to be in Peru, because the flood and landslide had cut off the railroad going into Aguas Calientes, the entrance city in Macchu Pichu?

As our flights and hotels had already been booked months in advance, it looked like we were not going to see the Incan Ruins, our trip?s highlight, after all.

But our fearless and eternally optimistic trip leader Malu Gamboa, along with our patient travel agent Maritess Palanca of Regal Travel and Marisol Mosquerra, our extremely well-connected Peruvian guide from Aracari, refused to give up. They somehow managed to cajole and finagle our way around Mother Nature, and with minor deviations (that involved an extra four flights!), somehow worked their magic to get us back on that road to Macchu Pichu.

Located almost at the other end of the world from the Philippines, Macchu Pichu, otherwise known as The Lost City of the Incas, is just one part of an amazing country blessed with an abundance of such awe-inspiring natural resources ? from the longest mountain range in the world, the Andes, the Amazon river and forest, and the Galapagos Islands. It?s truly a nature lover?s one-stop paradise.

Though the country suffers from similar political hiccups as ours, one thing Peruvians know how to handle well is tourism. Peru offers everything a traveler could possibly want. From five-star destination lodgings to sleep-with-your-rucksack youth hostels. This is a country with something for every budget, provided you can get there first!

You can choose to travel like a hairdresser on fire like our group did?taking red eye flights to save time, sleeping on trains and buses and hopping from one destination to another and maximizing each day by hitting every museum, tourist attraction, church and shop in as short a time frame as possible. Or opt to linger over breakfast and live in the city like a native for weeks on end.

But when-ever, how-ever and why-ever you go to Peru, here is our short list of 17 things you can?t miss when in Macchu Pichu, plus a few items you should avoid, to make it worth the trip to the other end of the planet from Manila:

1. Walk among the Incan ruins.
2. Make friends with a llama.
3. Dress in Peruvian colors ? rainbow brights mixed with earth tones.
4. Drink a couple of Pisco Sours (a delicious version of the Cosmopolitan).
5. Take some Coca tea.
6. Hike up to the Macchu Pichu Summit (you can choose from among the 4-day, 10-day or 3-? hour versions).
7. Check out the endless valleys and waterfalls in Iguazu.
8. Eat a chirimoya pie or sample their lovely fruits for dessert.
9. Dare to take the challenge and eat a guinea pig.
10. Hang glide over the beach at sunset.
11. Go to the Incan market ? buy silver, gold or quartz and semi precious stones (their top exports)
12. Dine in a beautiful Hacienda-Huayo Ccari (Their version of Antonio?s in Tagaytay, with the added attraction of this amazing collection of Peruvian Folk art).
13. Cross the famous Puente de los Suspiros in the Barranco neighborhood (their version of Venice?s Bridge of Sighs) and make a wish for ?true love? while holding your breath.
14. Visit beautiful cathedrals, among them the Cathedral Koricancha (Sun Temple) ? and make many more wishes for good health, great wealth, lasting love, etc.
15. Stay a few nights in Cuzco (known locally as ?the navel of the world?), a beautiful Spanish colonial city hidden in the clouds.
16. Take a tour of the past (ghosts included) at Casa Aliaga, a superbly preserved mansion built in 1527, the oldest home still owned by 17 generations of the same family.
17. If you really need to bring home a souvenir, splurge on something you will love forever or at least until you get home. Check out Kuna, a knit store selling the finest Alpaca wools, basically their version of the ?pashmina? shawls in the country. Or, if you have money to burn, drop by H. Stern for jewelry that will make your friends drool ? it is priced best here as this is where it originates.

Try to avoid:

1. Getting altitude sickness. Move slowly, stay hydrated and chew on some coca leaves -- yeah, baby!

2. Losing your mobile phone, handcarried or travel documents en route -- it?s a very long way from home and long distance calls to your embassy will cost you an arm and a leg.

3. Flying (Taca) budget airlines. They lost our tickets in their computer system and we had to buy new ones at the last minute. And now they?re dragging their feet with the refund!

4. Staying in a hostel ? unless you have no choice.

5. Over-shopping for too many souvenirs. They have them all in North America at almost the same price or cheaper! (Target, Home Goods, Pier 1 Imports). Once in North America, shop away to your hearts? content and then ship them back to Manila for a fraction of the cost of paying for overweight luggage ? trust me! ?