6/18

Today we left Cuzco and Peru :(
We had to check out of the hotel by 10 am and then we had free time until 2 pm. I stayed mostly in the hotel with a few friends and we just did some work. We were all pretty tired after last night. I did go out and walk through the streets of the city of Cuzco one last time. The city was so crowded and the sidewalks were not wide enough for everyone to fit.  It was difficult to get around.
We got on the bus at 2 pm and drove to the airport in Cuzco to begin our journey home.

This trip was an incredible experience and it definitely gives me a new perspective. Being able to interact with the kids at the schools and figuring out my way around the cities of Peru by communicating only in Spanish was a challenging but worthy experience. Peru is definitely somewhere I could see myself returning to in the future.
I'll never forget the last five weeks of my life and I'm extremely grateful for this experience.

To commemorate the experience I'm reposting some of my favorite pictures from the trip:

6/17

Today was our last full day in Cuzco! We got up around 9 and had breakfast in the hotel. We then went back up to our room to figure out the plans and pack a little bit. After deciding on the plans we gathered in the lobby and first headed to El Mercado de San Pedro. The market is called El Mercado de San Pedro because it is near an old monastery called Monasterio San Pedro. The market was huge and inside was a bunch of vendors selling everything from raw meats, to fresh vegetables to all types of artisan crafts. Walking by the food section was very cool because there were fresh snouts and hooves and animals for sale, as well as every other body part you could think of!

We spent most of our time in the artisan section where there was jewelry, bags, mini statues, masks, blankets, tapestries, socks, etc. I bought a tapestry for 30 soles that I want to hang up in my dorm next year!

After the market we went and got pedicures at this place on the way to a chifa restaurant where we got lunch. Chifa is a type of food that is a mix between Peruvian and Chinese cuisine. I got pollo a la plancha con chaufa. It was basically a chicken and vegetable dish with fried rice. The portions were good and the price was right!

After that we headed back to the hotel to rest, pack and do some work before dinner. Since tonight was our last night in Cuzco, we had our farewell dinner at a fancy restaurant.

The dinner was incredible! It was at an old monastery that is now a hotel and a restaurant. There was live music (an oboe player and a guitarist), and we each got a three course meal. For the first course I got a cooked vegetable salad, for the second I got the fish of the day with pesto and asparagus, and for the third course I got warm strawberries with vanilla ice cream. My table also bought a bottle of chardonnay from Argentina to share.
After the dinner we walked back to the hotel and went out to Mama Africa, the same club as before, to party one last time all together.

The outside of El Mercado de San Pedro

El Mercado de San Pedro

Snouts for sale at the market!

My pollo a la plancha came steaming!

My first course at the fancy dinner (cooked vegetables)

My second course at the fancy dinner (fish)

My third course at the fancy dinner (strawberries with ice cream)

Me and Anna wearing our matching jackets before we went to Mama Africa

6/16

Today we traveled to Machu Picchu! We left the hotel at 5:20 am and took a bus to the Sacred Valley. It was freezing cold and the bus had no heat. Also once we got to the train station to take the train to Machu Picchu we had to wait outside and it was so cold!

Finally, we got on the train and the trip there was beautiful! The train had large windows and the scenery was beautiful.

After we got off the train, we then took a bus to the actual entrance of Machu Picchu! There we showed our tickets, passports, and student IDs and we were off on our tour! Our tour guide first brought us to a site where we could see a beautiful view of the ancient civilization.

Then our tour guide brought us through the only door of Machu Picchu and brought us around all the ruins. It is estimated that Machu Picchu was built in 20-25 years and was not finished when it was abandoned. The Incan people grew all sorts of plants, including the cocoa plant which was used to help with illness and mummification.

The Incan trail actually goes from Columbia down to Chile and of course crosses through Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is believed to have been the capital of the Incan people. The language of the Incans was a language called Quechua. But unfortunately there is no written form of Quechua so it is hard to know what happened in the past.

Machu Picchu was extremely busy, and after our tour we had a few hours to do what we wished in Machu Picchu before we had to catch the train home. I went with a group and hiked the Sun Gate Trail which is part of the Incan Trail. It took us about an hour to hike up the trail and from the top you could see the mountains, the village below and the ruins of Machu Picchu. It was breath-taking and definitely one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. After that we took just a few more pictures and hiked back down. We had to catch a bus to get on the train and then after the train to the Scared Valley, we had to take a bus back to the hotel in Cuzco city.

It was a long day and we got back to the hotel around 9:30/10 and all just went to bed.

Machu Picchu is definitely one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen, and the long day was totally worth it!

The view from the train!

Another view from the train!

Another view from the train!

Machu Picchu!

The only door of Machu Picchu

A garden with the type of plants that existed during the Incan period at Machu Picchu

Ruins

Me and Anna at Machu Picchu

Me along the sun gate trail at Machu Picchu

Me at the top of the sun gate trail 

Enjoying my bologna and cheese sandwich

6/15

Today we left the hotel at 8 am again and traveled to the Sacred Valley (Valle Sagrado). We made a few stops along the way, and the second stop was the coolest. We stopped at an alpaca and llama farm and got to feed and pet them! The alpacas were surprisingly soft and both species were very friendly.

The stop after that was just a quick one to stop and look at the village of the Sacred Valley. After that we got back on the bus and traveled to Pisac, a village in the Sacred Valley. In Pisac, there is ancient Incan architecture. The architecture was important for agriculture and consisted of different levels carved out of the land. The different levels were helpful because Peru has different microclimates which allowed the Incans to grow all kinds of crops. The climb to the top of the mountain was hard, but the view was definitely worth it.

After that we went and got lunch at this fancy buffet which was nice. Outside of the buffet was a beautiful river with mountains surrounding it, so after lunch we just sat outside for a while and enjoyed the nice view.

We then traveled to a place called Ollantataytambo where there was more ancient architecture. This place is believed to have been used as a way to tell the change of the solstice. It is also believed that it was not finished by the time the Spaniards arrived so it was never finished.

After that we traveled to an artesian market where we learned how Peruvians make yarn from alpaca fibers, how they dye the yarn, and how they make sweaters and blankets from the yarn.
We got back to the hotel around 7 pm and went to the market to get snacks for tomorrow’s trip to Machu Picchu! After that we went out to an Italian restaurant and then came back to the hotel to rest for tomorrow!

Me petting and Alpaca at the farm!

A Llama!

Another happy alpaca!

The view of the Scared Valley

The agricultural terraces of Pisac

The view of the Sacred Valley from the top of Pisac

Anna and Me at the top of Pisac

The river near where we had lunch

Some of the ancient architecture at Ollantataytambo

The temple of Ollantataytambo

A woman explaining to us how alpaca fibers get made into yarn and dyed

All the alpaca products!