Photo Diary 008 | Peru

In terms of adventures, May was a very big month for me. Not only did I travel to the west coast, I also traveled to Peru! Our trip was broken into three distinct chapters/cities: Lima, Cusco, and Aguas Calientes (including Machu Picchu, of course). Peru is an absolutely stunning and culturally rich country-- from the beautiful Andean mountain ranges, to the ancient and modern cities. As the first stamp in my passport, I couldn't have asked for anything more.

Lima

Flying to Peru traditionally takes you right into the capital city: Lima. Bustling with nightlife, murals, churches where you can walk only feet away from piles of human femurs (!!!), and the Huaca Pucllana ruins smack dab in the middle of the modern city; Lima is a diverse (albeit a little overwhelming) city with no lack of things to do, see, or eat.

First up is Basílica y Convento de San Francisco de Lima, which features catacombs under the main church that you can walk through if you want to connect with your mortality. We were not allowed to take photos in this portion of the tour, but you can see some photos here. I would not recommend the catacomb tour to anyone even moderately claustrophobic or afraid of the supernatural. I, however, found it shockingly incredible.

We took a morning stroll at the Parque del Amor to attempt to see the ocean but were thwarted by the dense and characteristic Lima fog. Fortunately, fog and mist reminds me of home.

And now, a quick little city tour of Lima in art and buildings! I love how the colors of the buildings contrast with the fog that descends over the city. Note that while it is not pictured, this is also where I ate papa a la huancaina for the first time and fell in love. No kidding.

A quick note on Huaca Pucclana-- definitely go if you are ever in Lima. It is so surreal that this ancient ruin site was only recently uncovered in the middle of the city. It used to be a big hill that kids biked on. You know, just a significant historical religious site from sometime around 400-700 AD. 

Cusco & Vinicunca

A quick cab ride up to Saqsaywaman thanks to our amazing cab driver Martin (more about him later), lent us views of both ruins of the Sun festival and a great view of Cusco below. This tour also included another fun claustrophobia-inducing moment (I will note my gratefulness for lack of height) where our tour guide led us into a tiny tunnel that quickly plunged into complete darkness. Our very comforting instructions were to use one hand to feel above you and one for in front of your face. After all making it out in one piece, were were greeted by some much-welcomed wide-open views of the ruins and hills around us. 

At this point in the trip I had started to feel the altitude, and our wonderful cab-driver/new friend Martin drove us to an amazing textiles shop for coca tea. The shop owner gave us tea on the house (coca tea is amazing, by the way) and took a moment to explain how they dye and weave alpaca wool. We did a little shopping and were on the road again!

Because how could I resist: alpaca selfie.

I had so much fun in the San Pedro Market. I bartered for the first time and saved 2 sol (what a rush). The hustle and bustle of the expansive and packed market was unlike anything I had experienced. So much fun stuff to look at!

Our first big excursion was to Vinicunca, also known as the Rainbow Mountains. I had been mildly feeling the affects of altitude the day before, but was feeling confident that time would allow me to adjust. Well, after a 3am wake-up call and a incredibly bumpy (and potentially life-threatening) 3 hour bus ride, we made it to the base of the trail. After walking what could at best be called a small hill-- I knew immediately that I would not be able to make the 1.5 hour hike. Hence the best 70 sol I spent in Peru: a horse-ride up the mountain.

Thank goodness for these horses and the wonderful accompanying guides. While we had a minor communication barrier, we were all smiles and literally ran up the mountain. I'm not kidding. I could barely breath after 10 feet in the thin air, and yet there we were. Running. I am endlessly impressed by this.

The horses cannot do the last very steep part of the trail; and my group had all decided to be badasses and walk, so I joined another group of girls who seemed to be equally struggling. They were wonderful and welcoming and I just want to send a thank you out to them again. The views from the top of the pass were completely rewarding, with the beautiful stripes in the mountainside credited to various minerals found in the soil.

Aguas Calientes & Machu Picchu

The town at the base of Machu Pichhu is called Aguas Calientes, and there are only a few ways to enter the small town. Much to my happiness, we arrived by train. The 360 train was honestly one of my favorite parts of the trip, with the views along the way being some of the most beautiful I have seen.

Aguas Calientes itself is a very touristy town, but surprisingly very relaxed and comfortable. It was definitely the slowest paced of all the places we visited, despite being one of the most popular tourist destinations.

The bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu is about 30 minutes (and another where you just shouldn't look at the window, for self-preservation's sake). Our plan for Machu Picchu was to first climb Wayna Picchu, the mountain you see towering over the city in most photos-- and then take a tour through the city.

There is a reason that Machu Picchu is visited by about 1 million people a year and is part of the New 7 Wonders of the World. To feel so surrounded by these magnificent mountains is something truly breathtaking. And while a good 95% of the hike up Wayna Picchu was legit stone stairs, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

This is where I will take a moment to say how important it is that we preserve places like this. Unfortunately Machu Picchu is sinking-- due to the massive amount of people allowed on the site (while only 400 are allowed on the mountain, thousands visit the city). Not only this, but not everyone who visits comes with the respect required of these historical and natural wonderlands. Please remember that you are only a visitor, and do everything you can to make sure we don't damage these places more than we already have. 

And as a grand finale (hopefully you saw this coming): llama selfie.

The pace of Peru and the reminder to be present in the current moment is something that will stay with me longer than this trip.

Thank you Peru.