Alex | EIA | Peru LBAT

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.”' I am a rising senior at Georgia Tech studying Economics and International Affairs. This summer I am spending 6 weeks living with a host family in Cusco and traveling to all the sights in Peru. I am taking three classes in Spanish to finish off my minor. In July I will be back at Tech working on campus and having fun in Atlanta. Feel free to post with any questions or comments :)

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Post-LBAT

First of all...I definitely miss Peru!! Some time has passed since I have come home, and I have been pretty busy, but I do wish I could have spent the whole summer in Peru. It is a really weird feeling because it is almost like it didn't happen, or it happened to someone else, or I was a different person when I was there. I can't really explain it.

What I miss...

Adventures every day, even in the normal, day-to-day activities that I never pay attention to at home

My wonderful host mother, father, and sisters!

Being able to hang out with three of my now closest friends everyday

$1 taxi rides anywhere!!

Lomo saltado, ceviche, pan cusqeno, totta cakes, cusquena malta, fried eggs on top of rice, super fresh fruit, basilica desserts, ridiculously good juice 

Having an excuse to eat dessert and have drinks at almost every meal...its experiencing culture!

Speaking Spanish everyday!

Cori! the dog at Centro Tinku

Bright artesania everywhere..such good shopping!

Being able to wear llama print and not be judged (except by those rude taxistas would always try to overcharge me)

Cute neighborhood of Magisterio, where all my friends were in walking distance

Judgemental cusquenan babies

Being surrounded by the beautiful bright blue Peruvian sky and the unreal Andes mountains 

What I don't miss so much...

Sharing a room (love you Patricia, but I've had my own room way too long!) 

Tiny cars, short doorways, and feeling way too tall for the city

Only socializing with the same 28 people (they were so fun, but it is hard when you can't see anyone else for so long) 

Super low water pressure

Overnight bus rides!

Always having to use cash

Never ever having enough moneda for the taxi!

Super slow internet (I am so, so glad our host family actually had it though!)

Construction on Calle Nueva Baja 

Freezing temperatures in the classroom and those uncomfortable chairs

Also, this was a pretty rigorous program. I learned so much, both through Dr. Galloway and Professor Rodriguez's teachings and my own experiences with a host family and going out in the cities. We accomplished so much: movie reviews, essays, final projects, power point presentations, video reports, presentations, and a debate. I honestly haven't had so much work packed into each week in any of my other semesters. It is probably one of the hardest study abroad programs academically, but it was so worth all the hard work. 

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Lima - Last Day in Peru!

    Our last excursion was to the pre-Incan/Incan site of Pachacamac. I have loved all our tours and excursions, but honestly this one was the least interesting or exciting. It was probably because we were so tired, it was our last day of the trip, and the site was just all sand and small dirt buildings that are in the process of actually being excavated and restored. I don't even understand how that desert got to be in the middle of Lima...it was only like a mile from the ocean and a short drive from the city, so everything surrounding it was water or forests. We got to go to the museum as well, but we pretty quickly moved on to the next part of the tour, el pueblo joven of Villa el Salvador. It is a successful residential and industrial part of Lima that was founded by people migrating from other parts of Peru, into Lima. They make a lot of furniture so their whole business is the wholesale of raw materials to the manufacturers and designers who all live together in this community. We just took a bus tour but all of us were struggling by then, so we finally got to go back to our hotel and get lunch. 

    A group of girls found a really awesome family run Peruvian style restaurant that was literally $5 for a two course meal and a drink. It was the perfect traditional meal for our last day. We spent the afternoon walking around the rest of the city to take in what we could. Madison, Patricia, Megha and I ended up taking a walk down to the beach and I think it is one of my favorite memories from the whole trip! The temperature was cold, but the water was warm so if we had reallyyy wanted to, we could've went swimming (we decided not follow the lead of one of the guys on the beach who just decided to go for it just in his boxers). I've never seen that kind of black sand before...it was almost like tiny pebbles instead of actual grains of sand. We splashed in the waves and watched the sun setting. I know that at some point of my life I will have to come back to Lima and experience it properly. We had a long walk back to the hotel, and ran into a hilarious street artists miming as a robot that freaked all of us out, but soon it was time to pack and get on the bus to the airport. For some reason taking care of all the business at the airport before we could board was super stressful, but now I am done and just waiting for the boarding call. I can't believe it is all over! 

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Back in ATL

    We made it home!! The flight wasn't too bad because I just passed out from exhaustion and only woke up when they served food. It was so exciting to walk off the plane and be greeted by our families! My mom came to pick me up and I will admit I was extremely happy to be home. As soon as we walked out of the airport outside, it felt like the heat and humidity just smacked me in the face! I didn't even realize how nice the weather was in Cusco, but everything I step outside here in Atlanta I feel like I am stepping out onto a beach. I got home, told my mom some stories in the car but I didn't even know where to begin, ate some delicious food, and just was happy to relax on the couch. Later in the day my dad and sister came home so we had a lot of fun sharing stories, looking at pictures, and of course getting the souvenirs I brought back! The sun not going down until 9pm is really throwing me off to...this has been the longest day ever! I am so happy to be home and so lucky that I will always have this experience with me! 

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Lima - City Tour

    We arrived in Lima, relieved that all the long bus trips were over, but sad that to reach our final stop of the trip. As we were driving to our hotel, there was a bit of a reverse culture shock as I took in all the billboards, highways, fast food advertisements, and the general feel of being back in a city so similar to home. Our bus was really huge and we help up traffic and got stuck in the small streets, so that really made me imagine us as a group of awkward tourists stumbling through a foreign city being especially obnoxious. Luckily after six weeks of being in Peru, I was comfortable enough to not really feel like that...I felt like I could really get to know the city and the culture without being ignorant. Anyways, we finally got to the hotel and it was sad knowing this would be our last home in Peru. After unpacking we got the great news that we would be going on a bus tour in the evening..and then getting up for another super early ruins tour at like 7am. We were all ready to just enjoy Lima on our own and enjoy Peru on our own, so it will be a little hard to make the best of tomorrow.

    The bus tour was nice, but there was so much to see! We visited the colonial parts, downtown, the just built residential neighborhoods with beautiful condos overlooking the ocean, and everything in between. My favorite parts were definitely the ocean side parks with awesome murals and scultpures (like the huge kissing couple in Parque del Amor!) with the ocean in the background. I've never seen the Pacific Ocean, so I really hope I get a chance to go to the beach tomorrow! The Cathedral and Government Palace were both gorgeous, and I had a bit of an INTA-student nerd moment when I got excited about the fact that the President, Ollanta Humala, who we had learned so much about, was sitting right there in the Palace (unfortunately we didn't go in). We also visited the Catacombs of San Francisco which were pretty creepy. Lima has its distinct personality and energy from the other Peruvian cities, and I am so glad we got to visit so many different parts of Peru and get such a full picture.

    We were on our own for the night, so Patricia, Madison, Rachel set out to find a great restaurant. It was an interesting process, as most were super expensive, crowded, or fast food chains from America. We finally found a choice we could all agree on (after almost deciding to forget dinner and go to the movies instead..they were so cheap!). We had ceviche, of course and it was delicious. We walked back to hotel and ran into some other girls from the program, having ice cream. After finding out that the fro-yo place was closed, we went back to the ice cream shop which was one of the best decisions of the night. Now tomorrow, our last day in Peru!!

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Arequipa

    After another long ride, I made it to Arequipa! We checked into our hotel which is a super cute little place with a great garden that we ate breakfast in. I love breakfast anywhere, but hotel buffets in Peru are especially enjoyable. I am going to miss cafe con leche! After a welcome shower, we got ready to set out and explore Arequipa. We were on our own for the day, with no formal tour, so Patricia, Madsion, Rachel and I headed straight to the Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral. The Cathedral was even bigger and more impressive than the one in Cusco, but the whole city really took my breath away. The feel was so different because it was all in the colonial style and there wasn't even one chacana decorating the buildings! We had a lot of fun watching other classmates feeding and getting attacked by the pigeons in the plaza. We met up with Angela and Alyssa and found a really nice church (that was free to enter) to explore. The mass there started on the next hour, so we just stuck around and I got to go to my second Spanish mass. I am really glad I got to share that experience with my friends! Afterwards we were ready for a snack so we got really yummy gelato and continued on to try and find some museums or other sites to visit. The Santa Catalina Monastery is a must see spot, but it was kind of expensive so we just read the info at the entrance. We couldn't find one museum, but the one we finally decided on was definitely worth the visit. It was home to a 500 year old girl who was discovered sacrificed, and perfectly frozen at the top of a nearby mountain. The museum was really engaging and interesting, and of course seeing the girl at the end of the exhibition was the best part. 

    After all that history, it was time for lunch! We found a nice restaurant with a bunch of outdoor tables out in sidewalk of one of the side streets. I got a traditional dish of lomo saltado (need to take advantage of these last few days of Peruvian food!) and we all tried the Arequipena, the locally brewed beer. It was quite an interesting lunch since the people begging and soliciting in the street are really aggressive. We kept getting interrupted and the restaurant staff didn't even try to get the people to stop bothering their patrons. One man was particularly interesting because he came up to the table, glanced at all of us and gasped and said the Peruvian version of "oh my goodness" when he saw me. At first I thought he thought I was someone he knew or someone famous, haha, but apparently my blue eyes are quite enchanting! We ended up donating to his cause and got stickers that left glue all over our arms, but it was pretty funny. 

    We didn't have much time after our late lunch since we had to get packed and get on another bus. I feel in love with Arequipa, though I am sad we barely got a day to spend there. It was beautiful and I passed so many travel agencies that offered excursions and adventure trips that sounded so cool, I wish we could do it all! Now it is time for our last stop, Lima, the capital!

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Last Afternoon in Cusco

    After finally being able to sleep in, we enjoyed the afternoon roaming around Cusco. Patricia and I were supposed to be doing our powerpoints and papers, but honestly school work was our last priority today. We went to Centro Artesanal (um, last time, I promise!) because my friends decided they liked my llama sweater I have been taking pictures in and I just had to get some for them as well. We walked down Avenida El Sol and got bread and juice. Now this seems simple, but the simple things like that are just so much better in Peru. We wandered through Plaza de Armas and Mercado San Pedro, where we bought our host mother the biggest, most beautiful (and cheapest..) bouquet of flowers I've ever seen. I know so much of the city now, and I have really grown to love it, and not just as a tourist. 

    We got back to the house for lunch and before it got too dark we went to take pictures of the neighborhood. I know seeing silly things like the corner bakery, the neighborhood supermarket, or the run down taxis, will bring back great memories later on. We had an early dinner and that was basically it! Our host mother gave us a beautiful present which was a silver spoon. It was from a really antique set made of a special type of silver that hasn't been produced in forever. It really meant a lot to me! Patricia and I left letters for the family and our room was cleaned up as spotless as it was when we moved in. Unfortunately one of our host sisters and our host dad weren't there to say goodbye, but it was still a really hard goodbye. They really opened up their family to us and told us we would always have a home in Cusco with them if we ever came back to visit. I honestly hope I do get that chance at some point. We left for our bus and everyone was totally emotional about leaving their families. Luckily we have a whole 12 hours in an overnight bus to get recharged for the rest of the trip!

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Returning to Cusco

Today we left Puno in the morning, and I am really sad to be leaving such a beautiful place. Our bus ride was fun at first because I chatted with the people I have grown to be close friends with through this program, but it was so long. To make it longer, Dr. Rodriguez decided to have class on the bus. Now trying to make 28 sleepy students listen to you on a bus is not easy. We ended up having just a quick discussion about what we learned on the islands of Lake Titicaca and then talked to him in pairs about ideas for our essay. It took forever because he loves to talks things over thoroughly, but at least it got me started thinking about my essay. We stopped in Sicuani for lunch. It was basically the middle of nowhere again, with a cute little restaurant. As always the food was delicious, but the best part was the dessert buffet with all the Peruvian classics. We finally made it back to Cusco, unpacked, and were ready to collapse. It took way too much energy to think about unpacking and repacking and getting organized, so Patricia and I just decided we would pack up all our suitcases tonight and get it over with. I can't believe it is my last night eating dinner with my host parents and sisters and sleeping in this room that now feels like home! Kind of randomly, our family got a new host student while we were gone. We had a funny exchange because I wasn't sure if she spoke English, and she got confused at my Spanish. She is only here for a few days though, so I guess she isn't exactly replacing us. Now I am going to enjoy watching one last episode of Yo Soy and Combate!

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Taquile and Puno

    As Patricia and I heard the knock on our door, the last thing we wanted to do was get out of the cozy blankets and into the freezing Amantani air. Our nice host grandmother was at the door though, so we had no choice. She even brought us a bucket of warm water to wash up in! (remember..no running water on the island..) We got breakfast which was basically these friend donut/pancake things and I can't believe I ate the whole plate of them. We rushed back to the dock and it was time to leave our host family and the island. We were off to another long ride to the island of Taquile. 

    Taquile was really pretty, and of course difficult to climb as well. The walkway up to the main town was so steep, but the frequent stops to take pictures and admire the lake made it fun. This island specializes in textiles and the men are traditionally the ones to practice the trade. After exploring we went to lunch at a fantastic open air restaurant and had yummy fresh fish from the lake. The homes rotate who acts as the restaurant for the week, so the tourism work is shared by the whole community. We learned a lot about their customs and even though they are really different from Western culture in some senses (couples live together for 2 years before deciding on marriage, if a child is born to unmarried parents the grandparents take it as their own, there is no laws/crime/punishment), the community seems to just be really thriving socially. Yeah, I had to write an essay about this as well! After another fun hike back to the boat, it was time for the three hour return to Puno. We were all a bit crazy by then, but it made for some good laughs and great pictures.

    We finally made it back to the hotel and were super happy to shower with hot running water and relax in comfy beds. The only thing on the agenda was to go to dinner. The group we went to decided to go to a restaurant that also does a special traditional dance show during dinner. I had the most amazing meal of my life...it sounded really fancy on the menu but I just decided to go for it and the steak and potatoes were just ridiculously good. The dancing was really interesting and gave us another perspective of the culture. We didnt get to see much of Puno, besides the ride to and from the harbor and the walk to and from the restaurant. In general it looked like a really touristy city but there weren't very many people. Like I said the temperature was literally below freezing, so maybe that is why. For some reason the girls (including me) got their hearts set on ice cream for dessert but we couldn't find any places and we were all pretty loopy from the cold and lack of sleep. I wish we had more time to explore the city but we need to get back on the bus early tomorrow morning for another super long ride back to Cusco!

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Puno and the Islands of Lake Titicaca

I must have been really tired...or just really relieved that our overnight bus was not the regular Centro Tinku bus we have been taking everywhere, but a nice double decker big enough for everyone to have two seats and recline almost completely...but I slept through the entire bus ride and did not want to get up when Eddy woke all of us up at 5:30am. We went over to the hotel and had breakfast, sort of tried to wash up in the bathroom, and got our trip started. We took these really fun tricylce taxis...basically a bike attached to a basket that people sit in. We rode down to the harbor and got on a boat to visit some islands on Lake Titicaca. Before we got on the boat, at the market we bought presents for our host family, which mostly included oranges, rice, sugar, or flour.They live pretty simply on the islands!

    Our first stop was the Uros islands. They are man made out of reeds and have to be reconstructed like every 25 years. They float on top of the water and are anchored so that they don't float into say, Bolivia's territory of the lake. A bunch of the islands make up the community and two or three families live on each island. If there are arguments they just saw the island in half and leave peacefully separately. We visited one island and they gave us a presentation on how they construct the islands and explained their lifestyle. We also learned that reeds can also be eaten...definitely really random...and it really had no taste. We had some time to explore the island (which was tiny, about the size of a basketball court) and walking on it was so strange! Spots would sink more than others and you could feel the water swaying underneath. We went inside of the huts and the woman showing it to us started dressing us in their traditional clothes! It was so funny because their Spanish isn't very good (they speak an indigenous language) and they randomly just started putting clothes on us. It made for some great pictures though! Afterwards some people went on a really cool boat that was made out of reeds, and we met them on another island to start our three hour ride to Amantani.

    I slept again through most of the boat ride, though the water and surrounding land were really beautiful. We got to Amantani and split up with our host families. Now this was a regular island and was so hilly. We had to stop twice on the 15 minute walk to our house. The people of Amantani keep up their traditional lifestyle and tourism is the main thing. They take turns hosting visitors and the relationship between tourism and their culture is really interesting. There is no electricity on the island (only some homes have solar power), no tv, no internet (unless they were hiding it from us..) but everyone did have a cell phone. The houses are really simple  as well, a farm house with a courtyard in the middle, the top floor reserved for guests and the bottom floor with the family bedrooms and kitchen. There is also no running water. Thank goodness we only had to stay a night because showering in the freezing temperatures would have been impossible. We had a great lunch of quinoa soup and then a huge plate of potatoes and fried cheese. The potatoes were ok, but I am kind of tired of eating stuff that looks familiar, but then tastes really strange. I would just love a regular baked potato with butter. Anyways at lunch we met our host sister who was eight years old and adorable. We played catch with her, asked her about school, and let her braid our hair. Oh and she tried to convince us to paint her nails and give her lipgloss, but I'm not sure the mother would have appreciated that.

    In the afternoon Patricia and I met up with the rest of the group to play a game of soccer (well, I just watched) before we started our hike. We climbed a mountain up to the Pachatata temple and had the most gorgeous view of Lake Titicaca and the sunset. The hike was again really painful because of the altitude, but it was one of our last ones so I powered through it. It was definitely worth it as we sat watching the sunset. The lake, the sky, the clouds, the mountains in the distance were all different colors that kept changing and fading...it was so beautiful. We made the hike down quickly because like I said there is no electricity, and we had to get back home for dinner. The dinner was a potato soup and a dish with rice, noodles, and veggies. For some reason this simple meal was ridiculously delicious. After a quick rest, our host mother and grandmother came up to dress us up in traditional clothing (again!). It was so fun and Patricia and I acted like little girls playing dress up...getting excited about the pretty skirts and scarves. We wore it all over our regular clothes so we had like 8 or 9 layers on, but thank goodness because it was literally below freezing outside. Our host mother walked us to the town hall where they hosted a party for all the tourists. We would dance in circles holding hands, then the circles would join other circles, until we became one big chain that snaked around and you just had to go with the flow. It was a lot of fun and such a unique experience. It was pretty late by then, so Patricia and I spent some time star gazing (no electricity means we had the most amazing view of the Milky Way and it was just ridiculous how many stars there were). After chatting for a while, we piled under four blankets and went to sleep!

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Last Day of Class!

    It’s the last day of class! After spending five weeks at Centro Tinku it will be sad to leave! Even though the classes have been long and sometimes hard to sit through, I feel like I have learned so much and in the end it is definitely worth it. That being said, I am totally ready for the fun and freedom of summer! After class a bunch of girls decided to go to Paddy’s, the Irish pub that serves food as close to American as you can get, to get lunch. Unfortunately it was packed and with the EuroCup on, no one was giving up their seats. There was another pub across the plaza, Norton’s, that looked promising but the service ended up taking ridiculously long. We all got hamburgers, though they really don’t taste like hamburgers here. I don’t know if it’s the style of cooking or the type of meat but I knew not to get my hopes up. After the tiring wait, we got the check and they had made math errors and charged us for an extra burger, so I had fun arguing that with the waitress. Afterwards five of us convinced a taxi driver to take us all to Centro Artesenal (for the last time, I promise!) and got some last minute gifts. We spent a while there and when we got back, Patricia and I packed for our trip and ate dinner. Our overnight bus to Puno was at 10:30pm so we just relaxed for the night and watched a movie. I am kind of dreading this overnight trip (the first one of three…) but I’m sure the weekend will be worth it!

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Avenida El Sol

    Second to last day of class! We sat through a lecture and then got done early to start working on our next powerpoint project. It’s an interesting project because each of us is in charge of a street in the center of the city, and we went to interview tourists and cusquenans about the effects of tourism of the city. We also analyzed how tourism is reinventing history. Avenida de Sol was the best street for this. After spending five weeks here I have definitely formed by own opinions, but it became apparent that tourism is the heart of Cusco. I am really enjoying projects like this because they are making us go out and talk to people we wouldn’t ever talk to and it makes the experience so much more meaningful. After Patricia and I interviewed people and went to the Qoricancha museum, we met with our video report group at the café (last time having that wonderful strawberry juice!) but we still have a lot of work on one of the videos. I can’t wait to knock out these last few projects!

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Videos and PPTs

We had another regular day of class, but after a few hours of lecture we got to work on our first powerpoint presentation. We don’t have time to actually present them in front of the class, so it’s like doing a really easy essay in slide form. We were supposed to find cases of robberies of artifacts from Peru and how they got resolved, but last minute he decided to make everyone choose a unique case. It was really stressful because the cases are hard to find and Patricia’s and my internet wasn’t working so we were one of the last ones to turn in cases. After class we had an optional trip to a museum, but there was so much work that our video report group met up in the café and worked for about four hours. Back for dinner, finished up the powerpoint and bed time! It is our last few days here in Cusco, before all the traveling starts, so I am trying to make the most of it, but there is just so much work!

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Cultural Patrimony and Visting Ruins

6.11

    Today was our first day of class with Doctor Rodriguez! I’ve never had him before but I am enjoying his class so far. We had four hours of lecture, which was kind of rough after not having pure lectures with Doctora for a few weeks. This class is about cultural patrimony, which is really interesting because it is basically anything that is passed down generations that reflects the culture of the country. So artifacts, dance, songs, ruins, buildings, traditions, whatever. Thankfully it is not just dry history and we get to do a lot of interesting projects. After the lecture and a yummy lunch, Patricia and I met up with Rachel and Madison to find our final project essay for Doctora! We got it all turned in and it is about 20 days before the deadline. First and last time that has ever happened in my life, but there was no way I was writing that paper after coming back to the states! We are in the middle of about four projects for Doctor Rodriguez and there is one more movie review to do for Doctora so needless to say I am pretty overwhelmed. After dinner we met with our other video report group to work on that project. It will be really nice to have videos and pictures to remember Peru by. Especially since my camera is not working properly so I don’t think I will be able to take my own pictures for the rest of the trip!

6.12

    I had really bad luck this morning with taxi drivers! Two of them tried to rip me off as the four of us were trying get to school. I blame it all on my super touristy llama sweater because this happens every time I wear it! Anyways, we got to class and had a few hours of lecture and got to leave early for lunch because we had a 2pm excursion to see ruins. We were divided into our video report groups again and each group had to interview the tour guide about one particular ruin. We went back to Sacsayhuaman and then visited Qenqo, Puku Pukara and Tambomachay. It was nice because we could explore the sites on our own if we weren’t interviewing. It’s probably the last time that we are going to see the Incan ruins so I really tried to soak it all in. On the way back there were ladies selling their homemade tamales and they were so delicious and warm, especially on that really cold night. It’s so difficult to get tamales in Georgia, but they are one of my favorite foods. We got back to eat dinner and work on our essay. I was just not feeling it so I procrastinated and went to bed late but at least one assignment is done!

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Machu Picchu Part 2

    Being in Machu Picchu another day meant that I had to be ambitious and wake up at 6am again so we could go explore before all the tourists got there! We had a great breakfast at the hotel and headed back on the bus up to the ruins. Patricia and I were leading our group up the trail and somehow lost Madison and Rachel who were in the back. We waited for a while but they never showed up, and we really didn’t want to climb down to climb back up so we just decided to go off on our own. We walked around the terraces behind Machu Picchu and realized we were starting to go up the Incan Trail. It would be so amazing to actually do the four day hike to Machu Picchu, going through the sun gate, but I am just hoping that I have the opportunity to come back and do that! We found a nice spot to sit and overlook Machu Picchu, as much away from the other tourists as we could get, which was kind of difficult. There was an Avon convention visting (a sea of pink jackets!) and it was free entrance for Cusquenans. Patricia and I sat and chatted for probably two hours. We couldn’t get ourselves to get away from the view. More so than yesterday, I really experienced Machu Picchu peacefully, without worrying about taking pictures or listening to a guide. Even more fun, I met some Polish people! Two met sat a few feet away from us overlooking Machu Picchu and they spoke Polish, so as they were leaving I asked them where they were from and chatted for a bit. What random chance!

   Soon we had to get back down to the actual ruins because I really wanted to climb Wyanapicchu. It is the big, steep mountain that you always see behind Machu Picchu in pictures. Look at it closely…it looks impossible to climb. Patricia wasn’t feeling well and we got lost from the rest of the students so I was just going to go ahead and do the climb by myself. I knew I would eventually run into them since it is one route up and down, but I was kind of excited to do it by myself. I have had no alone time on this program, which isn’t that big of a deal but I think experiencing something like that by yourself just really makes the experience a lot more meaningful…if that makes sense. The climb starts by going down a forested path of Machu Picchu, then crossing a little connection between the two mountains. The first third isn’t that bad, but then it got really steep and the steps became less nicely defined and there were spots where I had to use the rope on the side to pull myself up. I had to stop myself from thinking about how I would get back down, and just continue up and up. The hike was supposed to take about two to two and a half hours and that was just enough time to get back to take the bus for lunch. I was worried I was falling behind, but suddenly I rounded a path and heard the excited yelling voices of my other friends from the program! They had been taking a nice and slow time getting up the mountain, so I somehow climbed all of that which I thought took an hour, in about 35 minutes and actually caught up to them! They started 30 minutes before me so it was pretty lucky. Right about where we met was when it started to get really interesting. The rocks got steeper and the cliffs got steeper, so it literally felt like we were scaling the mountain. I am so glad I caught up with them because it would have been impossible to do without their support.

    We had to crawl through tiny caverns, go up wooden ladders, scale slippery rocks that slid right over the cliff, and climb down stairs overlooking the drop off. It was exciting and challenging but I loved it! We took our time to get back down the mountain, which was pretty scary (we definitely crab walked and slid down some stairs on our butts because it was too scary to walk) but we made it! Of course at the end we had to walk back up the actual Machu Picchu Mountain to get back to the ruins. By then my legs were shaking and all I wanted was to sit on the bus. The climb was my favorite part of Machu Picchu. I got to see the area from a totally different perspective from most visitors and in general it was a ridiculous challenge. And lunch tasted especially delicious after all that! It was another buffet but it had more traditional Peruvian food and an awesome salad bar! I haven’t had the chance to eat that many fresh veggies here. After lunch we had about two hours to hang out before our train ride back. Patricia got bit by something on the mountain, so we stopped by a pharmacy and then decided to visit the river. Rachel, Patricia and I climbed down to sit on a big rock and it was just perfect. It was great weather and the sound of the river was so soothing. Plus we were surrounded by huge mountains and that incredibly blue Peruvian sky. After some good laughs, we met up with Madison and went out to get ice cream. We had to run to make it to the train station but soon it was time to really say goodbye to Machu Picchu. I loved my amazing vacation at a world wonder, so I was genuinely really disappointed to have to leave!

    The train ride was its own experience though. It was different from the first one we took, but the chairs were comfier so I just wanted to take a good nap. However, after they served the snacks I saw something going on near the bathrooms. Without any warning, this clown dressed up in ridiculous clothes, straw hair, and a wolf mask started dancing up and down the aisle. Our whole car was basically just us tired and sleepy American students, so we were just all very freaked out and confused. It made people get up to dance and took crazy pictures, but they never explained why. Afterwards they actually had a fashion show where the attendants put on alpaca sweaters and paraded them in the hopes that you would actually want to buy one of them. I have no idea how effective this marketing strategy is, but at this point we all just wanted the weirdness of PeruRail to stop so we could go to sleep. Machu Picchu definitely ended with a bang, though the two hour bus ride from Ollantaytambo to Cusco was kind of brutal (please just go all the way to Poroy!). We got off farther away than we boarded yesterday, so it took forever. However, luckily I had an incredible night sky to look at while we were driving through the middle of nowhere. I could see the Milky Way and a bunch of constellations – it was actually breathtaking. I didn’t expect it on a bus ride, but it made it all the more enjoyable. Well, now it is time for bed and for the start of classes again! This has definitely been the best weekend of my life though!

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Machu Picchu

    Machu Picchu day one!! We woke up super early before 6am to make it to our train. It was my first train ride and despite it being so early, it was fun. The train had big windows on the sides and in the roof so we got to see the pretty landscapes zoom by…well it was going about 18 miles an hour so it was a slow zoom. We made it to Machu Picchu Pueblo, which is actually called Aguas Calientes and is basically tourist town catering to those coming to see the world wonder. We had to walk through the market to get out of the train station, and I really wanted to try to barter with the vendors for cusquenan prices on the goods. Aguas Calientes is notorious for overpriced goods since many people come to Peru just to see Machu Picchu. We finally made it to our hotel and I was happily surprised! It was cute and quirky, but had comfy beds, fluffy pillows, clean bathrooms, and hot showers. So exciting! We had a free hour so Patrica, Madison, Rachel and I went to explore the city. We ended up going down this great path that felt like we were walking through the jungle. It felt just like a vacation and for the first time it really felt like summer. The weather was beautiful and it was nice enough to walk around in short sleeves. We had times for lunch and dinner but basically everything else was on our own accord. It felt like freedom, haha.

    After we finished exploring we went back for lunch, but somehow we were late and had to find our own way to the restaurant. Luckily most of the street vendors knew which way the big group of “estudents” walked. The restaurant was so much different from anything in Cusco! It was really upscale and I was surprised our program fees included such a nice place. The food was a delicious buffet that was kind of random, but it was probably the best meal I’ve had so far. The whole feel of the town is really different from any other place we have visited. It is pretty tiny and full of little streets with restaurants, textile and souvenir shops, cafes, laundromats, and that is basically it. It runs right along the Urubamba River and there are a few really pretty bridges. It was easy enough to learn the town in our two free hours. It was a great balance between catering to the tourists but not being completely cheesy and overwhelming. I liked it a lot!

     After lunch we got right on the bus to go to Machu Picchu! It is about a 25 minute ride up the mountain and then a 15 minute hike to reach the best viewing area that all the famous pictures are taken from. We took so many pictures, but it was absolutely gorgeous! Our guide explained some history and culture pertaining to the site, but overall I was kind of disappointed with the tour because he didn’t give us a lot of information. This might be because so much of Machu Picchu is a mystery, so I just enjoyed the wonder of it. The constructions are amazing but the location of it is what really impressed me. The mountains We took tons of pictures and walked through all the major sectors, but it is really big! It all closed at 5pm so we didn’t have that much time anyways.

    We went back to the hotel to hang out. Some people went to the actual Aguas Calientes, or hot springs, but I didn’t have a swim suit so I was content hanging out with people watching TV and playing cards until dinner. Dinner was at another really nice restaurant and we got to order our own food! After over a month of our host mother always planning and cooking our meals, it is so great to have that little sliver of independence. I got an appetizer of the best tomato soup I’ve ever had, with an entrée of salmon, veggies, and the best potato chips I’ve ever had. Plus dessert of apple pie and ice cream. Kind of ridiculous in addition to the huge lunch we had, but delicious. We got done pretty late and the early morning plus all the hiking really wore me out so I just passed out as soon we got back to the hotel. Finally fluffy pillows!

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TGIF!

    We met for class for a few hours to get through the final presentations, so it went by really quick! Doctora wanted a hug from every person before she left, and she kind of teared up as she was saying goodbye, so I really think it was a successful program! I remember going to her film study class at 10am on my very first day of college, and being so totally intimidated and scared of college classes. I have learned so much from her since that time, especially on this program. She has definitely been one of the most influential professors. Anyways, after class Patricia, Madison and I went to the chocolate museum! It is free admission and it’s a cute little shop that explains the whole chocolate making process and the history of it. We had samples of cocoa tea, which was weird. I prefer a bar of chocolate! We went back home for lunch and met up again to go Molino. I got a few movies but couldn’t find the good oldies like the Parent Trap of the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. After dinner I picked up my laundry (oh how I appreciate the luxury of clean clothes after four weeks!) and we had to go back to Centro Tinku for our prep meeting for Machu Picchu tomorrow! They gave us tea and snacks which made such a late meeting much more bearable. We got to learn a bit of the history and significance behind it, but I cannot wait for tomorrow! We joke that this is the only reason we came to Peru in the first place, but honestly it is one of the excursions I have been looking forward to the most!

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Corpus Christi!

    Happy Corpus Christi! It is a Catholic holiday but Cusco celebrates it in its own special way. We met together as a class in the morning and got to experience the festival of Corpus Christi together. It was the first day of our third class that we are taking in Cusco, which is cultural patrimony with Juan Carlos Rodriguez. Senora leaves after the last presentations tomorrow, so after we finish our final two essays we will be done with her classes! I can’t believe we have accomplished that much in four weeks. It is was literally the same amount of work that you would expect in a whole semester, so needless to say I am exhausted.

    Anyways, for Dr Rodriguez’s class we are doing film reports which are more exciting and much less stressful than big presentations and essays! We got into groups to film Corpus Christi celebrations and to interview people. The day started out with a mass outside of the Cathedral in Plaza del Armas. It was so beautiful! I’ve never experienced a mass like that before. There were hundreds of people all around the plaza listening. We interviewed a sweet old couple who have been going to the festival for years. Afterwards, it was time for the procession so we walked to the other side of the plaza to get a good view. It started off with the Corpus Christi…or the Eucharist…being pulled by a ton of different students by this rope that was attached to the huge silver statue. Following that were all the different parishes and then all the different schools. I think most schools in Cusco are associated with a religious saint or something like that, but they aren’t necessarily a Catholic school like in the US. The procession was done soon, but we knew that there was supposed to be a procession of the huge saint statues as well, so Patricia and I hung around to wait for it to start. We met the sweetest family while waiting! Patricia fell in love with their dog and the parents started chatting with us. The kids had sugar cane and they shared it with us since Patricia never tried it, and it was so sweet! Chatting with them was one of my favorite experiences in Cusco. I wouldn’t have imagined hanging out in the plaza and getting to know a regular family…and successfully communicating in Spanish! Anyways the procession was taking forever, so we met with the rest of our group and went over to the next plaza for more interviews and food!

    It was incredible. There were even more people than around the cathedral and everywhere women were selling chiriuchu. This is the typical dish made especially for Corpus Christi. It consists of basically everything possible: cornbread type pancake, parched corn, cheese, seaweed, fish eggs, chicken, sausage, jerky, and the most important part, the cuy, which is guinea pig. There were guinea pigs EVERYWHERE and you could see the women preparing the plates of chiriuchu. They basically took each ingredient and chopped it into pieces, so the guinea pigs were roasted whole and then you were lucky enough to get a piece with a paw on it or the tail or maybe even the head. We didn’t eat from the street vendors, but we went to a restaurant which was also serving chiriuchu. That’s basically the only thing served today. I got my plate of food, and saw the guinea pig head and just could not look at it. I made my friend take it away and then I was lucky enough to take a bite of the fish eggs first…which at the time I didn’t know were fish eggs. Basically it was a very dramatic meal and I really didn’t enjoy much of it besides the sausage and the cornbread. But I was in Cusco, on Corpus Christi, eating chiriuchu and drinking Cusquena, so I was happy! An experience to check off the bucket list. The guinea pig was hard to eat because it didn’t have much meat and it was salty, and it had some kind of unsettling flavor I couldn’t identify. But three of my friends, and the rest of the cusquenans liked it, so if you are ever in Peru, try it!

    Other fun foods of today included coconuts that they sold whole, so that you could drink the milk and then crack it open to eat the inside. It was the first time I had fresh coconut and it was awesome! The ice cream vendor taught Patricia how to crack it open on the ground, it was funny! The street vendors sold typical things like snow cones, ice cream, beer, cotton candy (which was so much better and cheaper than in the US!), and something called queso helado…cheese ice cream. It was one of the best ice creams I’ve ever had! Kind of similar to egg nog ice cream in taste. After stopping in a few shops we decided to go back home. It was a fantastic festival and interviewing the people made it all the more special!

    After hanging out at home for a little we went back to Plaza de Armas for celebratory ice cream with Doctora. I had pear caramel ice cream and it was delicious! Patricia, Rachel, Madison and I went out to dinner to Paddy’s pub, a really good Irish-owned place, since we were craving some more American style food. It was so weird to talk to the bartender and servers in English! We talk in Enligsh basically all the time among each other, but we are constantly surrounded by Spanish and have to rely on that to talk to strangers. It will definitely be reverse culture shock when we get back to America, haha. The food there was amazing. After dinner we walked around and found a nice café to get dessert. Yes, we started off with ice cream with Doctora but it wasn’t very much ice cream and we definitely deserved another treat. The night was full of laughs and fun times with my chacanas, couldn’t have asked for anything more! Now it is time for bed to rest up for the last class with Doctora!

    I would upload pictures on this blog, but for some reason this internet won't let me upload anything :/ Check out my facebook albums instead!!