Peruvian Adventures

I just got back from one of the most amazing weeks of my life! I spent my Spring Break in Peru.

Machu Picchu has been on my bucket list for quite a long time and when I decided to come to Argentina to study abroad, I knew I had to do it. I planned to go about two months ago with a housemate of mine, Morgan. A great traveling buddy due to her spontaneity, humor, and all around (and most importantly) I get along with her super well. However, about 5 days before we were set to leave for our adventure, the plague/mono/mystery disease took over. She was so sick and thus was forced to cancel her trip just the day before we were leaving. So, I had a decision to make; was I was going to go through with Peru by myself, or stay in Buenos Aires for Spring Break.

I knew I just had to go, regardless of all of the fear I had. So, with one day to plan all of my activities, I tried my best to organize the trip so that I would be less nervous and more prepared to face any situation alone.

Tuesday night I was off... I flew BA to Lima, then Lima to Cusco.

Wednesday morning I arrived in beautiful Cusco. I checked into my hostel and met a nice girl from England and she showed me around town. I got to see the markets, plazas, and restaurants around Cusco. Cusco is extremely different from Argentina; it seems much more like "typical" South America to me. I felt the culture in everyone there. It is super colorful, the architecture is more stones and Aztec looking than the architecture in Argentina. I realized that Buenos Aires is Europe just transplanted into South America.

Thursday I took a free city walking tour and got to see really great sites around town. We went to a chocolate museum, parques, cafes, and ended at an Incan site in town. We met some cute llamas, which ended up not being so cute. They chased us around the site for half an hour because we got a little too close to them. They spit, kicked, and bite the people I was with, but thankfully I was hiding in an Incan barrack at the other side to escape. (Sad that we were running from llamas, but I was scared and hate animals). We then went to lunch and then ran into a dance festival with groups from around South America in the main square. That night I did a Pub Crawl with people from my hostel because our guide from the city tour was also in charge of the pub crawl. He treated us well, and we had a great night in town. Fun fact: The pick up line of Peruvian men "Hola, that means hello"

Friday I hung out with my friend Vina all day and we went to the market and I got an Alpaca sweater and got ready for Machu Picchu.

Saturday morning I took the train to Machu Picchu! The train ride was incredible and I got to see incredible landscapes.

Sunday I woke up at 4:30 am and got into MP at 6! My jaw dropped the second I walked in and saw Machu Picchu in front of my eyes. I couldn't believe I was actually there! 20 minutes after I arrived, the fog rolled in so I decided to hike around the outlying mountains to explore the ruins that are on the proximity. Everything was awesome. Machu Picchu is much bigger than I thought it would be. All the ruins are constructed so incredibly well and it was unbelievable to see everything. The fog and pouring rain was off and on for the whole time, but none the less it was an incredible experience. There were more steps in there than I can say, and there were SO many old people, I don't understand how they climbed up all of them! Impresed.

Then I took the train back to Cusco that night. This time, the train wasn't as great of an experience. Funny now, it wasn't at the time. My near-death experience: the car of the train I was in disconnected from the train in front of me and rolled back just a few feet...meters.... But it's fine I am alive and kicking to tell the story. The family I was sitting with from Paraguay told me that if we died they would take me in as one of their own. We then contemplated our death... one side of the train was the selva (jungle) and the other was the rio (river)... We decided we would settle for the selva because then we could maybe survive off of killing animals (yes we actually had this conversation.. and in spanish to add). They then bought me a beer and then were off.. one more malfunction and then I got to Cusco.

Monday and Tuesday I was in Cusco exploring of the town. I am in love with Cusco. I have never been to a place more rich in culture! Vina came back from Machu Picchu so I got to hang out with her again and we got to compare our experiences in MP.

Wednesday morning I was off to Lima. Everyone I had met in Cusco told me that Lima is TERRIBBLE. They all said it is unsafe, dirty, not a lot of history, and nothing to do. With low expectations, I have to say I was VERY pleasantly surprised. I arrived on a beautiful sunny day. My hostel was right on the beach and I walked around the beach and parks for hours soaking in the beautiful day. It reminded me a lot of California.. mostly Santa Monica/Malibu. The water is a beautiful teal color and the sun is super strong. The people were all beautiful and extremely nice. I went to see Hunger Games at at mall that was ON THE WATER. It was awesome.

My trip ended there, but it was an amazing trip.

I am proud of myself for going through with the trip. Although hard at times being by myself, it was such an amazing experience. I was faced with challenging, some scary experiences, but I came out unscarred. I met some of the most interesting people I have ever met. They were inspiring and all come from different backgrounds. People have traveled all around the world... South America, Latin America, Southeast Asia to name a few. People that have traveled and seen people of different cultures are so easy to talk to and relate to. After this trip, I want to travel more and gain this same intelligence that they all attain. They are so open to experiences and genuinely interested in every relationship they make. The smallest, which seemed like insignificant, conversations I had with others seemed at the time to not mean much, but I feel like I learned a little from them all.

So, if I can say, please go to Machu Picchu! It's definitely a once in a lifetime experience and something that no one should miss.

Besos,

Ellen