MACHU PICCHU!! We finally made it! It was everything I hoped for. We started the journey off by taking a taxi to Ollantaytambo, which is a small Incan town located in the Sacred Valley about an hour or two from Machu Picchu. The town was tiny, but really beautiful and adorable. We spent the night there in a hostel...it was a friday night, but the town was so small it was hard to find anything to do after dinner. We went to a cafe for dessert, and they served us rotten cheese cake! At least we didn´t have to pay for it!
The next morning we wanted to hike to the top of the Inca ruins nearby town, but didn´t want to pay the extra money, so we went on our own walk down a beautiful road along the Urubamba River. At noon we took the train to Aguas Calientes, the small touristy town at the base of Machu Picchu. It was really fun taking the train, the scenery on the way there was gorgeous. It was really interesting watching how the terrain was changing, as Machu Picchu is lower than the Cusco and the Sacred Valley, we literally watched as the surroundings turned into jungle! The town was beautiful, our hostel was located directly on the river that ran through the town.
The biggest tourist attraction in Aguas Calientes are the hotsprings. The springs aren´t what I expeted, only because I am used to Oregon hotsprings! Although they were real hot springs from the river, the area was closed off, and the springs were made into individual concrete pools. The water was perfect temperature and relaxing, but there were too many people crowded into them! We were able to wave our hands and get drinks delivered right to us though, which was a big plus:)
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a Pre-Columbian Inca site (The lost city of the Incas). The site was built in the mid-1400s, and was abandoned when the Spanish conquered the Inca Empire only 100 years later. Machu Picchu is the most known and important Inca Site, largely because it is one of the only remaining sites of the Incas, as there is no record of the Spanish Conquistadores having even known that it existed. The site was abandoned until a foreigner came across the ruins in the early 1900s. It is still unclear as to what the ruins were used for, although there are some more accurate assumptions....
Sunday morning we woke up at 4:30 to catch the first bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu (it was about a half hour very windy bus ride up the steep mountain). We wanted to leave early because we wanted to hike Wainu Picchu, which is the towering mountain that you see behind the ruins in all of the famous photos. They only allow 400 people to hike Wainu Picchu per day, so we wanted to make sure we made it.
We started the trek up the mountain at seven. It was strange entering Machu Picchu, but having to hurry as fast as we could past all of the ruins to the other side where the hike started because we didn´t even get a chance to look at the ruins up close until after the hike. The hike was the highlight of our trip. I can´t even explain in words the extraordinary scenery that we were surrounded by. The hike was extremely steep, and took about an hour to get to the top (although we stopped a bunch on the way to take pictures and talk about how amazing the views were.. the views would get more amazing the higher we climbed). We were lucky to have great weather too. It didn´t rain the whole day that we were there, which is very unusual for February. The sun didn´t really make it out either, but the misty fog surrounding the mountains made the experience seem more surreal, and made for perfect hiking weather. We were able to see Machu Picchu clearly from above....way above! It was amazing being that high, all we could see were mountain ranges, and the Urubamba River (Which runs along three of the four sides of the ruins!). We took our time once we reached the top, as it was hard to make ourselves leave that beautiful mountain..but we had to get back down to tour the ruins! The walk back down was a little longer because we decided to go off trail and find some caves that we heard were pretty cool. We walkd up and down and up and down steep winding stairs for about twenty or more minutes and still no caves! Oh well, just walking through the jungle is enough to keep me satisfied.
Once back on the site, we met up with a tour guide. The tour took about two hours, and led us through most of the ruins, giving us history about the Inca ruins. The ruins were really interesting, the site was much larger than I had imagined...it seemed to keep going and going, and we didn´t even have enough time to explore the whole site, even though we were there for about nine or ten hours (half of the time we spent on the hike).
We took some amazing photos, so make sure to check them out on the Costco site. Although, the photos do not even compare to what we experienced that day, I will remember it forever.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Cusco (more to come)
We arrived in Cusco about a week and a half ago. This is our second week of classes, and our last before we head to Argentina. Cusco is a really nice city. I love everything about it, except for the weather! Here I am in South America, but I´m still wearing jeans and a jacket everyday. It rains pretty much everyday too. But there still have been some really nice sunny days (but it´s not as cold as Oregon!).
Classes are going good, the school is kind of a let down because they are in the middle of construction, and don´t offer any kind of facilities except for the cold class rooms! There are four of us in my class, and we have had two different instructors. I like the instructors and my classmates so far. It is nice being in a class with only three other students, it is much easier to learn Spanish that way! The classes are from 8:30am-1:pm. It is nice waking up early and having the whole day to do things. Almost all of the students at our school are from Holland, because it turns out that the director of the school is Dutch. Ruby and I were the only American students last week, so it has been a little bit confusing hearing Dutch everywhere! They are very nice and fun to hang out with...there is a bar called Indigo (yes, very much different than Indigo in Eugene!), where students from my school get a discount on wednesday nights. So the only time Ruby and I have gone out to get some drinks in Cusco has been there (we are going there again tonight)...it is fun because almost half of the students from our language school go there.
Cusco is the capitol of the Incan Empire, and is full of museums, ruins, and interesting history. I enjoy being in this city more than any of the others we have visited. It is smaller than Lima and Arequipa (we can walk almost anywhere we need to go from the Plaza de Armas). Although Ruby and I are looking forward to visiting smaller towns where we can get away from the crowds! In the main plaza, it is impossible to get away from the local women and children hasseling you to buy their arts and crafts everwhere you go, they even follow you begging. I think that my most used phrase since I have gotten here is ¨no gracias!¨We went on a city tour on monday, which took us to five of the famous Incan ruins in and around the city. The Inca civilization is fascinating. We also went to Machu Picchu last weekend, it was definately an experience I will never forget! (I will be posting the Machu Picchu entry next time I get a chance).
I am living with a host family here in Cusco. They are a very friendly family, but I don´feel like I am learning much Spanish from them as they are not usually around. They also live a far distance from the school and the main plaza (about a forty five minute walk, and a 3 soles taxi ride), so I have become accustomed to staying around the downtown area all day without going back home until late night. The main meal of the day here is almuerza (lunch) which is usually eaten around 1 or 2, then dinner is a lighter meal. I don´t usually go home for my almuerza, because I can easily buy a good meal near the main plaza for less than it would cost to take a taxi to the house and back. It is amazing how easy it is to be entertained in Cusco...I usually spend some time at the internet cafe after school, then meet back up with Ruby to go exploring the city. Without feeling like much time has gone by it´s already nine at night!
There are tons cobblestone narrow streets lined with shops and restaurants, it is impossible pick a place to go eat! My favorite thing to buy here are the juices....every shop and restaurant has jugos of all different kinds, I don´t know what I´m going to do when I go back to Oregon and have to spend more than five dollars on a smoothie! Here delicious tripical juices and smoothies cost about a dollar.
The nightlife in Cusco is amazing...the streets become more packed in the night than in the day. The bars and discotecas are crowded everynight until about five in the morning! Ruby and I havn´t been to a discoteca yet because we have to wake up so early...I am looking forward to going to one in Argentina. We decided that we are going to cut our trip to Cusco short, because we have friends that we are meeting in Argentina at the end of the month. On friday we begin our long bus ride to Buenos Aires (it´s going to take about three or four days). Then we are going to spend some weeks travling the Argentina coast and finally getting some beach time in!
Classes are going good, the school is kind of a let down because they are in the middle of construction, and don´t offer any kind of facilities except for the cold class rooms! There are four of us in my class, and we have had two different instructors. I like the instructors and my classmates so far. It is nice being in a class with only three other students, it is much easier to learn Spanish that way! The classes are from 8:30am-1:pm. It is nice waking up early and having the whole day to do things. Almost all of the students at our school are from Holland, because it turns out that the director of the school is Dutch. Ruby and I were the only American students last week, so it has been a little bit confusing hearing Dutch everywhere! They are very nice and fun to hang out with...there is a bar called Indigo (yes, very much different than Indigo in Eugene!), where students from my school get a discount on wednesday nights. So the only time Ruby and I have gone out to get some drinks in Cusco has been there (we are going there again tonight)...it is fun because almost half of the students from our language school go there.
Cusco is the capitol of the Incan Empire, and is full of museums, ruins, and interesting history. I enjoy being in this city more than any of the others we have visited. It is smaller than Lima and Arequipa (we can walk almost anywhere we need to go from the Plaza de Armas). Although Ruby and I are looking forward to visiting smaller towns where we can get away from the crowds! In the main plaza, it is impossible to get away from the local women and children hasseling you to buy their arts and crafts everwhere you go, they even follow you begging. I think that my most used phrase since I have gotten here is ¨no gracias!¨We went on a city tour on monday, which took us to five of the famous Incan ruins in and around the city. The Inca civilization is fascinating. We also went to Machu Picchu last weekend, it was definately an experience I will never forget! (I will be posting the Machu Picchu entry next time I get a chance).
I am living with a host family here in Cusco. They are a very friendly family, but I don´feel like I am learning much Spanish from them as they are not usually around. They also live a far distance from the school and the main plaza (about a forty five minute walk, and a 3 soles taxi ride), so I have become accustomed to staying around the downtown area all day without going back home until late night. The main meal of the day here is almuerza (lunch) which is usually eaten around 1 or 2, then dinner is a lighter meal. I don´t usually go home for my almuerza, because I can easily buy a good meal near the main plaza for less than it would cost to take a taxi to the house and back. It is amazing how easy it is to be entertained in Cusco...I usually spend some time at the internet cafe after school, then meet back up with Ruby to go exploring the city. Without feeling like much time has gone by it´s already nine at night!
There are tons cobblestone narrow streets lined with shops and restaurants, it is impossible pick a place to go eat! My favorite thing to buy here are the juices....every shop and restaurant has jugos of all different kinds, I don´t know what I´m going to do when I go back to Oregon and have to spend more than five dollars on a smoothie! Here delicious tripical juices and smoothies cost about a dollar.
The nightlife in Cusco is amazing...the streets become more packed in the night than in the day. The bars and discotecas are crowded everynight until about five in the morning! Ruby and I havn´t been to a discoteca yet because we have to wake up so early...I am looking forward to going to one in Argentina. We decided that we are going to cut our trip to Cusco short, because we have friends that we are meeting in Argentina at the end of the month. On friday we begin our long bus ride to Buenos Aires (it´s going to take about three or four days). Then we are going to spend some weeks travling the Argentina coast and finally getting some beach time in!
Lake Titikaka
Most of you have probably heard of Lake Titicaca (correctly spelled Titikaka)...I know I had before I came here, but I didn´t know anything about it! The history is actually pretty fascinating. The lake is located on the border of Peru and Bolivia, and is HUGE for its elevation of 12,500 feet! The lake is known to be the highest navigable lake in the world, and the largest in South America.
The Floating Islands of Lake Titikaka
We visited two islands on the lake while we were there. The first was a collection of small man-made floating islands called Uros. The islands were built from tutoro reeds, a native cattail type reed grown in the lake, and built by the Uros tribe, pre-dating the Inca civilization. The islands are about a half an hour boat ride from Puno. The history of the Uro tribe is fascinating because as a way to get away from the Incas taking over the region in the 15th century, they created their own home out of these reeds, while the Incas allowed them to live peacefully out on the lake. To this day there are still about 2,000 Uro people living there...the little tribe had outlasted the Incas! Their way of life is very simple. It was an amazing experience visiting these islands and talking to some of the native Uro people, and learning about their way of life. We even were able to taste the tutoro reeds, which are a large part of the Uros diet and medicine.
We were lucky enough to have great weather while we were visiting these islands (february is usually rainy and cold, but it was a beautiful sunny day).
Most of the Uros islands today are run by tradition and tourism. The islands are a huge tourist attraction, so the Uro people take pride in being able to sell their homemade weavings, textiles, and other beautiful and intricate art work to the tourists. We only came in contact with about five Uro people, all dressed up in colorful, traditional dresses and hats (native people on Lake Titikaka often wear hats and head pieces covering their faces because the sun is so strong there). We were told about their history and traditions, and were shown a small tour of their home. It was fascinating walking on the reeds, they were really soft, and all of the Uros that we saw were walking about barefoot...although we were warned that there are some spots on the reeds that if stepped on may fall through to the water! It was amazing that they have maintained these reed islands for hundreds of years! The little houses were also made out of reeds, which mainly consisted of a small room with a bed. The one room that we went in even had a tv! The Uros don´t reject modern technology, some of their boats have motors, and there are solar panels on some of the houses for appliences like TVs. We visited two different Uro Islands, and when we were leaving the Uro women sang us a farewell song, then ending with ¨hasta la vista baby!¨
Island Tequile
The second place we visited on the Lake was Tequile Island, this one is a real island! It is located about another two and a half hours out into the lake , also with about 2,000 inhabitants speaking Ayumara. This island was absolutely gorgeous, amazing views on all sides. We could see mountain ranges all the way to Bolivia. It was amazing being that high in elevation, we were higher than most of the clouds that we saw! We docked at the shore, then took a steep half hour trek up to the main plaza of the Island where we were able to explore the small town, and ate lunch with our guide. It is so crazy seeing all these people who live their lives so differently than ours! Life is so simple there, but it was also a little sad seeing the childres beg for money. We were told to not give money to the kids because it teaches them to be lazy and not go to college. When we first got there we were taking pictures, and some young children demanded their way into the pictures, then demanded money, so I didn´t have a choice!
The Tequile Island was part of the Inca Empire, and has a number of Inca ruins. Tequilensos are known for their fine handwoven textiles and clothing which are regarded as among the highest-quality hand-crafts in Peru. We didn´t buy anything there because the prices were much higher than anywhere else.
The long four hour boat ride back to Puno was relaxing, as we were able to sit on top of the boat and bathe in a little bit of the sun. We also met some interesting tourists who gave us some good tips on places to travel to in South America.
We took a lot of pictures of these islands, so check them out on the costco site!
The Floating Islands of Lake Titikaka
We visited two islands on the lake while we were there. The first was a collection of small man-made floating islands called Uros. The islands were built from tutoro reeds, a native cattail type reed grown in the lake, and built by the Uros tribe, pre-dating the Inca civilization. The islands are about a half an hour boat ride from Puno. The history of the Uro tribe is fascinating because as a way to get away from the Incas taking over the region in the 15th century, they created their own home out of these reeds, while the Incas allowed them to live peacefully out on the lake. To this day there are still about 2,000 Uro people living there...the little tribe had outlasted the Incas! Their way of life is very simple. It was an amazing experience visiting these islands and talking to some of the native Uro people, and learning about their way of life. We even were able to taste the tutoro reeds, which are a large part of the Uros diet and medicine.
We were lucky enough to have great weather while we were visiting these islands (february is usually rainy and cold, but it was a beautiful sunny day).
Most of the Uros islands today are run by tradition and tourism. The islands are a huge tourist attraction, so the Uro people take pride in being able to sell their homemade weavings, textiles, and other beautiful and intricate art work to the tourists. We only came in contact with about five Uro people, all dressed up in colorful, traditional dresses and hats (native people on Lake Titikaka often wear hats and head pieces covering their faces because the sun is so strong there). We were told about their history and traditions, and were shown a small tour of their home. It was fascinating walking on the reeds, they were really soft, and all of the Uros that we saw were walking about barefoot...although we were warned that there are some spots on the reeds that if stepped on may fall through to the water! It was amazing that they have maintained these reed islands for hundreds of years! The little houses were also made out of reeds, which mainly consisted of a small room with a bed. The one room that we went in even had a tv! The Uros don´t reject modern technology, some of their boats have motors, and there are solar panels on some of the houses for appliences like TVs. We visited two different Uro Islands, and when we were leaving the Uro women sang us a farewell song, then ending with ¨hasta la vista baby!¨
Island Tequile
The second place we visited on the Lake was Tequile Island, this one is a real island! It is located about another two and a half hours out into the lake , also with about 2,000 inhabitants speaking Ayumara. This island was absolutely gorgeous, amazing views on all sides. We could see mountain ranges all the way to Bolivia. It was amazing being that high in elevation, we were higher than most of the clouds that we saw! We docked at the shore, then took a steep half hour trek up to the main plaza of the Island where we were able to explore the small town, and ate lunch with our guide. It is so crazy seeing all these people who live their lives so differently than ours! Life is so simple there, but it was also a little sad seeing the childres beg for money. We were told to not give money to the kids because it teaches them to be lazy and not go to college. When we first got there we were taking pictures, and some young children demanded their way into the pictures, then demanded money, so I didn´t have a choice!
The Tequile Island was part of the Inca Empire, and has a number of Inca ruins. Tequilensos are known for their fine handwoven textiles and clothing which are regarded as among the highest-quality hand-crafts in Peru. We didn´t buy anything there because the prices were much higher than anywhere else.
The long four hour boat ride back to Puno was relaxing, as we were able to sit on top of the boat and bathe in a little bit of the sun. We also met some interesting tourists who gave us some good tips on places to travel to in South America.
We took a lot of pictures of these islands, so check them out on the costco site!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Puno Festivities
We took another long and windy bus ride to Puno from Arequipa. The main tourist attraction of Puno is Lake Titicaca, but we were lucky enough to be traveling through the town when they were celebrating the Virgen de la Candelaroa (one of their many annual festivities). Ruby and I fell in love with the city after getting lost over and over again in their crazy and vibrant streets. Puno is full of bike cabs (more advanced than Eugene, some of them even had motors on them)... so however lost we got, we could easily get back to where we wanted to be for less than a dollar!
Even though we were some of the only White people in the city, we felt the passion that the locals had in their city and culture. Although we missed the main celebration which takes place on Saturday and Sunday, we were still able to experience Puno during celebration...the streets were packed until after we went to sleep (even the children stayed up later than us!), there was a huge parade on friday night that seeemed to last all night and morning, or at least picked up again at four in the morning marching down our street and circling around and around for hours...I don´t know where they got their energy from!
It was an amazing experience though, it almost seemed sureal being in Puno...the city is over 12,000 feet in elevation! It was super hot during the day so Ruby and I were cruising around with shorts and tank tops on, only to notice that everybody was staring at us, not only because we were White but because they were shocked that we were not covered up...I guess they were right cause after a day in the sun we both had sun burns, even though we put sunscreen on!
The first night that we were there, we were heading back to our hostel and came across a large circle of people applausing...we decided to check it out, and it was a man who was dressed in drag doing some kind of comedy show..as soon as we walked up to the circle, we found ourselves at center of attention. As we were the only White people in the crowd, David (the comedian) decided to spend the next ten or fifteen minutes of his show cracking jokes at us or about us..who knows cause we couldn´t understand anything that was going on..but we were good sports and just laughed....and we were able to escape once a couple of Europeans came along...
Puno was my favorite city so far...it still amazes me how cheap things are here. We went to one of the nicest restaurants in Puno and spent less than ten dollars on dinner (two dollars for a delicious glass of wine, and three dollars for a gourmet personal pizza)...I´m going to be shocked when I come back to the States and have to spend over five or ten dollars on a simple meal!
Even though we were some of the only White people in the city, we felt the passion that the locals had in their city and culture. Although we missed the main celebration which takes place on Saturday and Sunday, we were still able to experience Puno during celebration...the streets were packed until after we went to sleep (even the children stayed up later than us!), there was a huge parade on friday night that seeemed to last all night and morning, or at least picked up again at four in the morning marching down our street and circling around and around for hours...I don´t know where they got their energy from!
It was an amazing experience though, it almost seemed sureal being in Puno...the city is over 12,000 feet in elevation! It was super hot during the day so Ruby and I were cruising around with shorts and tank tops on, only to notice that everybody was staring at us, not only because we were White but because they were shocked that we were not covered up...I guess they were right cause after a day in the sun we both had sun burns, even though we put sunscreen on!
The first night that we were there, we were heading back to our hostel and came across a large circle of people applausing...we decided to check it out, and it was a man who was dressed in drag doing some kind of comedy show..as soon as we walked up to the circle, we found ourselves at center of attention. As we were the only White people in the crowd, David (the comedian) decided to spend the next ten or fifteen minutes of his show cracking jokes at us or about us..who knows cause we couldn´t understand anything that was going on..but we were good sports and just laughed....and we were able to escape once a couple of Europeans came along...
Puno was my favorite city so far...it still amazes me how cheap things are here. We went to one of the nicest restaurants in Puno and spent less than ten dollars on dinner (two dollars for a delicious glass of wine, and three dollars for a gourmet personal pizza)...I´m going to be shocked when I come back to the States and have to spend over five or ten dollars on a simple meal!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Arequipa
It´s been almost a week since I have even had time to post another blog entry...there are so many great stories to tell, as everyday is a new adventure! We spent most of our time in Arequipa doing touristy things...my favorite place we went to was the Santa Catalina Monestry which was recently opened up to the public after being closed for centuries. The monestery was a home to nuns, and cover´s an entire city block. Ruby and I spent three hours exploring the monestery, making up stories of what the rooms were used for..haha.
The first night we were in Arequipa we went to a restaurant where a folklorica band was playing...Ruby and I happened to be the only people in there, so the band was dedicating all of their songs to us :) The band was so good! I now love folklorica music! Later on, three American guys came in, which Ruby happened to have mutual friends with (they were also traveling South America for several months)...we ended up going to another bar and getting pisco sours...the traditional Peruvian drink! Yumm...kinda tastes like a margarita.
Ruby and I didn´t have time to see much of the city besides the tourist area (Plaza de Armas), as we were heading on to Puno to celebrate Carnival, and see lake Titikaka.
Also, I have taken about two hundred photos so far, but haven´t had the time to post them...I will put some up in the next couple of days!
The first night we were in Arequipa we went to a restaurant where a folklorica band was playing...Ruby and I happened to be the only people in there, so the band was dedicating all of their songs to us :) The band was so good! I now love folklorica music! Later on, three American guys came in, which Ruby happened to have mutual friends with (they were also traveling South America for several months)...we ended up going to another bar and getting pisco sours...the traditional Peruvian drink! Yumm...kinda tastes like a margarita.
Ruby and I didn´t have time to see much of the city besides the tourist area (Plaza de Armas), as we were heading on to Puno to celebrate Carnival, and see lake Titikaka.
Also, I have taken about two hundred photos so far, but haven´t had the time to post them...I will put some up in the next couple of days!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Our arrival in Peru
Hey guys, as many of you know, I am beginning my adventures abroad in South America with my college amiga Ruby. Ruby gave me the wonderful idea of creating a blog so my friends and family can keep up on our travels (although I expect that the blogs won´t always be up to date) as internet is not as accessible in South America, but I am glad that you are taking your exctra time to view this blog about my travels!
We will be studying Spanish in Cusco, Peru, beginning on february 8th for one month.
Our trip thus far...
It is our fouth day in Peru, and we just arrived in Arequipa after a long and very windy 15 hour bus ride from Lima. Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru (next to Lima), but we only have two days to explore the city. The cost of things here are extremely cheap...we are paying five to ten dollars a night for a hostel, and a meal only costs about three dollars!
More of Arequipa to come...
Our arrival in Lima (January 30th).
Ruby and I begin our adventures abroad...
We arrived in Lima on friday night, and we were lucky enough to have a wonderful Peruvian family pick us up from the airport and share their house with us for three nights (the family are relatives of a friend of Ruby´s dad). They showed us around the entire city, parts that we would have never seen if we were on our own. My favorite barrio (neighborhood) was the barranco, a traditional and bohemian district with beautiful restaurants and bars overlooking the ocean. It was a great experience staying with the family because they did not know any english, but they were very helpful with helping us understand. They also gave us good tips on safety, taught us about their culture, and cooked us every meal!
Many of you would be shocked to hear about some of the food that I have been eating since I have been here. I didn´t want to be rude by not eating the food that they cooked, so I ate steak, pork, and even ceviche (a popular seafood dish in Latin America).
Lima is huge! The downtown area is packed (tons of traffic, people, etc), it smelled kind of bad...but the main plaza was beautiful...
We went to the beach on sunday, it was a lot different than I imagined. The beach was huge, but there were too many people...it was impossible to get away from the chaos. Travelers of Peru had warned us not to let our impression of Lima effect the way we are going to think of Peru due to the overwhelming amount of people, chaos, dirty streets, and lack of beautiful sights...so we are looking forward to exploring more of the country!
We will be studying Spanish in Cusco, Peru, beginning on february 8th for one month.
Our trip thus far...
It is our fouth day in Peru, and we just arrived in Arequipa after a long and very windy 15 hour bus ride from Lima. Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru (next to Lima), but we only have two days to explore the city. The cost of things here are extremely cheap...we are paying five to ten dollars a night for a hostel, and a meal only costs about three dollars!
More of Arequipa to come...
Our arrival in Lima (January 30th).
Ruby and I begin our adventures abroad...
We arrived in Lima on friday night, and we were lucky enough to have a wonderful Peruvian family pick us up from the airport and share their house with us for three nights (the family are relatives of a friend of Ruby´s dad). They showed us around the entire city, parts that we would have never seen if we were on our own. My favorite barrio (neighborhood) was the barranco, a traditional and bohemian district with beautiful restaurants and bars overlooking the ocean. It was a great experience staying with the family because they did not know any english, but they were very helpful with helping us understand. They also gave us good tips on safety, taught us about their culture, and cooked us every meal!
Many of you would be shocked to hear about some of the food that I have been eating since I have been here. I didn´t want to be rude by not eating the food that they cooked, so I ate steak, pork, and even ceviche (a popular seafood dish in Latin America).
Lima is huge! The downtown area is packed (tons of traffic, people, etc), it smelled kind of bad...but the main plaza was beautiful...
We went to the beach on sunday, it was a lot different than I imagined. The beach was huge, but there were too many people...it was impossible to get away from the chaos. Travelers of Peru had warned us not to let our impression of Lima effect the way we are going to think of Peru due to the overwhelming amount of people, chaos, dirty streets, and lack of beautiful sights...so we are looking forward to exploring more of the country!
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