Peru in three days.
Saturday, April 23 we departed from Quito, Ecuador to Lima, Peru around 9 in the evening. Arriving in Lima, we found ourselves cramming 12 people into a van that would drive us to our hostel for the night. After 11:30 PM, we arrived at our cramped abode to sleep for a few short hours that night, and five delusional girls and I crammed into one small room with three bunk beds to leave at 3:00 AM the next morning for the airport. Cramming an equal amount of people into the same vans the following morning, we arrived at the Lima airport and drifted in and out of sleep in the airport chairs before boarding the plane to Cusco, Peru. As Cusco approached closer and closer, the snowy mountain tops peaked above the cloud line and the beauty of Peru revealed itself little by little.
After unloading our plane, we met our tour guide, Francisco, who gave us a sweet welcome to Peru and deeply thanked us for visiting his city. Calling us his “dear friends” upwards of 20 times during this initial welcome introduction, this short-statured Peruvian man made it clear to us that he wanted us to view him as our “wayqey” instead of as our tour guide (“wayqey” being the Quechua word for brother).
Checking into our hotel that was located right across the street from the main artisan market in Cusco and dropping our belongings off in our rooms, we ate breakfast after our morning flight. We then re-boarded our tour bus to head for ATV riding. Driving out from Cusco into the countryside, the warm, inviting colors of the city became blatantly evident which is in stark contrast to the cold, city colors that define our familiar home of Quito. Driving into the countryside, beautiful mountains surrounded us on all sides, staged majestically behind golden fields. After this mesmerizing drive, we arrived at a rugged, concrete-walled structure which housed the fleet of ATVs we would soon ride. After a short briefing on how to ride ATVs, we embarked on the dirt trails through fields and beside beautiful lakes, all within the surrounding mountain majesties. Coated in a thick layer of dust from our trail-riding, we loaded back into the bus to drive to the salt mines.
Giddy from our previous ATV ride, we arrived at a small shop for a briefing on how salt mines function, from the formation of the mines to the harvesting of salt. After being made the most excited I’ve ever been about salt, I purchased more salt than I would like to admit for friends and family back home before heading to the actual salt mines. Driving out along the dirt road to the mines, we passed more mountains that presented the most awe-striking mountain terrain I’ve seen in my life.
We didn’t drive down to the mines; however, viewing them from above was equally stunning. I could’ve sat and simply stared at the carved beauty of the hillside for hours. Returning back to Cusco, we had about an hour of free time during which I walked to the main plaza, marveled at beautiful churches, and saw the first Starbucks I’ve seen in about four months. Dinner was a short walk from the hotel at which I tried alpaca meat for the first time. According to Francisco, trying this surprisingly delicious meat for the first time is what turned young Incan girls into princesses. Dinner may or may not have been followed by piercing my friends ears in the hotel (she wanted to wear blue-footed booby earrings at her graduation which is an impossible feat if piercings are performed professionally). Even though we’re students studying abroad, going on lifelong adventures, and learning about the rich history of the countries we visit, late-night college shenanigans are still a definitive aspect of our time abroad.
Monday morning we left the hotel at a painful 4:00 AM to arrive at the Ollantaytambo train station for the Machu Picchu train. We rode on the majestic train for about two hours that seemed to fly by in half an hour as we passed drove through stunning countryside along rolling river. Upon taking another bus to Machu Picchu, we travelled into the stunning bowl shaped valley that surrounds the Incan ruins. Driving up the steep hillside, the surrounding scenery was so beautiful it was beyond my belief, even while viewing it with my own eyes. The mountains are incredibly jutting and the prospect of living and farming atop of Machu Picchu seemed even more surreal touring through the ruins in person than it seems in pictures. We toured the ruins for a solid three hours in the hot sun before driving back down to the town at the base of the mountains.
After sampling a plethora of Peruvian dishes at a fancy buffet while listening to Peruvians play traditional music in town, we perused through the local market and re-boarded the train to return to Ollantaytambo as an ethereal rain began to fall in the mountain town. Taking a short, well-needed nap on the train, I awoke to once more marvel at mountain majesties with glaciers atop their peaks surrounding the train. Walking to the open train car, hanging out the windows of the train, marveling at the natural beauty surrounding us, and watching the sunset is one of my most cherished memories of my time in Peru. Returning to the hotel for dinner, we ate around 8:30 PM Monday evening and afterwards fell fast asleep to try to get some heavily-desired sleep.
The following morning we enjoyed the liberty of eating breakfast at our own desired time and spending a free day in Peru. I started out the day by walking to the Starbucks in the plaza, trying a Peruvian Starbucks latte, and playing Dutch blitz with good friends and beautiful Peruvian architecture outside the windows. We decided to then spend some time exploring the streets of Cusco during which we walked up the hillside on stone streets illuminated by the warm glow of Peruvian architecture. With the hot sun on our backs and all of the street vendors eagerly inviting us into their shops, lunchtime quickly approached us during which I shared a massive plate with a friend for 30 soles, with has a value of less than 10 USD.
After lunch, we returned to the plaza where medical profesional were demonstrating salary frustrations through a protest on the main steps of the cathedral. Likewise to Quito, the concentration and display of wealth in the Catholic Church is readily apparent in Cusco. Walking back to the main artisan market, a group of friends and I undertook the daunting task of souvenir shopping for our family and friends back home. We spent hours bartering in the artisan market which I sincerely believe is a time warp. Although surprisingly tiring with the amount of people always seeking to invite foreigners into their stores, time flew like no other within the walls and under the decorated roof of this artisan market.
Although the number of people always seeking to sell their goods became quite overwhelming at times, the incredible talent of these artisans is awe-striking. Whether hand-sewing blankets, crafting leather bags, or their business skills, the humble artisans were wildly impressive. Bartering here was a deeply enjoyable experience as we were able to converse in Spanish, learn about the market culture, as well as learn bits and pieces of the stories of vendors who we engaged in deeper conversation with. Part of the culture that is especially memorable is the culture of asking for a “yapa” which is a Kechwa word that refers to a small free gift that one receives after making a purchase. Depending on the price of our purchases, yapas ranged from a small alpaca pen to a small, hand-crafted metal alpaca.
After bargaining our afternoon away, dinnertime quickly arrived.
Francisco led us through the nighttime streets until we reached our dinner spot for the evening. Under warm lights and with cheerful company, we once again were individually served with portion sizes large enough for at least two people. I ordered an alpaca burger this evening alongside mango juice. After stuffing myself to the maximum, we learned that we were going out for ice cream as a means to say goodbye to a girl in the cohort who was flying home early for graduation. I enjoyed a generous serving of marakuya ice cream this evening as we shared more sweet time in fellowship and began to realize that we are all soon going to leave as our semester abroad is nearing an end.
Following this outing, we returned to the hotel to share more conversation before heading to bed for our final night in Peru. After breakfast in the morning, I returned to the market with some friends to blow through the 15 measly soles I still had in my wallet before returning to Ecuador. Picking up a few final items, we then cherished a final goodbye from Francisco during which he gifted each one of us with a small Machu Picchu keychain. Sending us off with a sweet “God bless you,” we waved goodbye to Francisco as we re-entered the airport to fly back to Quito.
From my experience, Peru is a beautiful country with some of the kindest and most personable people. I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent there, and I fully intend to return in the future. God evidently revealed Himself on this trip in the form of wonderful fellowship, awe-striking nature, and through the marvelous human creation of the Machu Picchu ruins.