John Flinn, the executive editor of the travel section of the San Francisco Chronicle, recently made a trek to Machu Picchu. In his May 25 article about the adventure, he listed “Five cool things about the Peruvian Andes.”

1. Hiram Bingham, the Yale archaeology professor who uncovered Machu Picchu, is widely believed to be the model for Indiana Jones.
2. Peru and Chile are among the very few countries in the world to designate a national cocktail, and they chose the same one: the Pisco sour. There's some history - and bad blood - behind this, so in Peru always make sure to tell them you like their Pisco sours best.
3. I'm aware of only one word of Quechua - the language spoken by the Incas and their descendants today - that has made it into the English lexicon: ch'arki, their name for dried meat. We pronounce it "jerky." (There must be others; I expect Quechua-speaking readers will fill me in.)
4. The larger ones are llamas; the smaller ones with the really nice coats are alpacas.
5. You'll probably be offered cuy, a delicacy of the Peruvian highlands. It's guinea pig, and it's not bad; tastes like dark-meat chicken.

To read his entire article, click here.

To read about the Spiritual Directors International pilgrimage to Machu Picchu, click here.