the entire country of peru: the most unanticipated two weeks

📍Paracas, Huacachina, Ica, Nasca, Arequipa, Cusco, Lima📍

I took a bus from Angra dos reis to São Paulo where I took a flight to lima with a layover in Bolivia. I am not known to be a timely person, because like I said in the last blog, “late people give positive vibes.” I arrived at the airport 4 hours early in search of decent wifi and somewhere to charge my phone and I have never been more impressed with my timeliness. I decided to go ahead and check in and thought to myself that I would find an outlet and wifi in my terminal. I get in line at BoA and a lady starts speaking Portuguese to me and I obviously have no idea what she is saying but I do know that I don’t have wifi and I have 1% because my converter did not fit any outlet. damn you, Amazon. On one percent I frantically fill out the form she asks of me, which doesn’t work the first 13 times or until I ask a kid standing next to me for help, literally, pretty sure he was 15. She sends me to check in where they need proof that I have plans to leave Peru and of course I can’t find my flight confirmation to Chile and I am still balancing my 1%. Needless to say, I finally make it through that line and on to customs. I find my terminal and I naturally single out all the single women, to ask if they have a charger I could borrow. This may not seem like a challenging thing but when you don’t speak Portuguese and your Spanish is spotty it becomes much harder to explain your situation. I finally found a girl that I thought was approachable and as it turns out, she is on the same flight as me so she gives me her charger and her faith as I go on a hunt for a working outlet. I finally find one but of course it’s being used, the man offers up the outlet to me and I am finally able to contact Annika. Right, I forgot to mention, I am suppose to be traveling with another person and I have not heard from her all morning. Anyways, with my spotty wifi that lets me see one text every 7 minutes I find out that she is not going to make the flight, so I am on my own. I start talking to both the woman that gave me her charger and the man that gave me the outlet. The woman is from Norway and she is working on her thesis, it has something to do with tourism and street art in South America. I sat pretty close to her on the plane so we exchanged instagrams in line for the bathroom. She was staying in Bolivia and I was moving on to Lima but she told me to catch up with two guys she met in the airport that we’re taking the connection to Lima. I run up to them and they invite me to cut in line with them. I hangout with them during the layover. I learned that one is from Israel and the other from Ireland and they also met on the flight for the first time. I don’t know if our flight is delayed or I am just disoriented, or maybe the time changed, but it seems like we were in that tiny Bolivian airport forever. Our flight to Lima was empty so I got a whole row to myself before the guy from Israel joined me. I love talking to people on busses and planes because I am learning so much about other cultures, personalities, and just observing personal traits about people and how they reflect in my life. 

After watching the sunset over the Bolivian sky, I land in Lima safely, still no word from Annika but I head to my hostel to meet up with a friend, Kelsey. It just so happens that our hostel is a party hostel and it is neon night. After eating fresh poke, I am rushed upstairs to the bar and thrown into a pit of 50 strangers dancing to reggaeton with neon paint on their face.

Friday the 6th, 📍Paracas📍

Me and Kels are picked up at 6AM from Lima and start our journey to Cusco with Peru Hop. We stop for breakfast at a cultural place that raises guinnea pigs, this sounds cute but in Peru they eat Guinea Pigs… Anyways, they served us food then we proceeded to play a native game that involved literally terrorizing a guinea pig. They also did a performance on a horse and my treat for winning the guinea pig game was to ride a horse. This morning as been full of surprises, including meeting 3 girls, 2 from Canada and one from Germany. 

We arrive in Paracas with no expectations, and honestly no clue of where we are, but quickly realize how amazing it is. first off, our hostel, Kokopelli, is so cute and attracts the best people, not to mention its on the beach. It also just so happens to be another party hostel. We quickly change into bikinis and immediately go for a swim in the Pacific Ocean. I forgot how much I had missed the Pacific Ocean. The water was perfect so we swim for a while after getting out past the seaweed. I found it interesting that the sand is black but surrounding us is a surplus of kayaks, paddle boards, and jetski rentals. We swim back to shore, brave the seaweed again, and sit in the black sand for a while, basking in the sun, before getting in the pool at our hostel. The weather was perfect, we were definitely burning but we fell asleep next to the pool. 

We go to lunch and of course, get seafood, which was heavenly. We signed up for a sunset hike in the national park but we weren’t really sure what it was, or how hard it would be. We were told to bring water and wear layers. All day it had been incredibly hot so we didn’t think it could possibly get that cold. We loaded into a bus and drove to the Paracas National Park which felt like driving through a land detailed in Star Wars. It was miles and miles of sand and salt formations with huge seashells, even though the ocean wasn’t In sight. They dropped us off near the shore and we started our trek up to the sunrise spot. The waves at this location were impressive but I couldn’t get over the sand formations surrounding the shore and the size of the seashells. We walked up hills of mixed sand and salt and back down the other side to see even more beautiful cliffs and eroded plateaus that displayed layers of colored rocks. We walked out on a peninsula and watched the sky change from blues to oranges to pinks to purples. The tide came in and the waves would crash up on the rock we were viewing the sky from. This created a thin layer of water on the rock, making room for a reflection with just as much color as the sky. We waited for the sun to dip behind the ocean and we started our bus ride back. The entire ride back the sky was bleeding reds and purples that I cant explain. Maybe the salt enhances the colors? 

We got back to our hostel, got a smoothie, then regrouped for the party by the pool. We met people from all over the world, I think that’s been one of the best things about traveling with Peru Hop. I’ve met people representing all different countries and I’ve started to ask them from the start “tell me your story, how are you traveling through Peru.” This is very forward but I am definitely taking notes on how I can travel through Peru again when I’m their age. All their stories are inspiring to me and I am always impressed by the people I am meeting.  

In the morning we laid by the beach for a little before going into town, which was two blocks away considering this town was 7 blocks long, to go to the market. Of course we bought all kinds of seashell bracelets and things that we didn’t need. Then, we loaded on the bus to Haucachina. 

📍Haucachina📍

I know you’ve been dying to know where Annika is, well she finally met up with us in Haucachina and has one hell of a story to tell. We check in to our hotel, then grab our bandannas and sunglasses and head to town for a dune buggy tour and dune boarding. This tiny town is built around a tiny pond and thousands of pounds of sand surround it. We walk a little through the sand and quickly break a sweat in this desert as our shoes fill with sand. We get in these 4WD buggies and ride over and around the dunes for a while, almost feeling like we’re on a rollercoaster. Our driver would take us down the biggest hills and everyone would scream as we watched the peak of the dune that looks like a cliff turn into our new path. We stopped at a steep sand dune that seemed to be a cliff and he told us to grab our boards. We waxed up the snow boards, laid head first on our stomachs and he shoved us down he hill with no guidance. It was exhilarating zooming through the dunes so freely. With no waiver, or safety explaination all I have to say is thank god I had a bandana and sun glasses because sand got everywhere. I mean everywhere. After flying down the steep dune, picking up speed with each second, I finally made it to the bottom and I rolled over in the sand out of breath from screaming. We walked over to the next dune and did it all over again but this time the hill was even bigger. This is definitely one of the most fun things I have ever experienced in my life, I felt like a little kid but I loved looking like a penguin and feeling like I was gliding through the ice or something. After speeding down the dune we ran back up a little to try to go down on our feet. We were unsuccessful but continued to try over and over again, eating sand every time. We stopped at a lookout spot of miles and miles of sand dunes and watched the sun set. Peruvian sunsets don’t disappoint. Our driver took us back to the bottom of the dunes, we emptied our shoes of a surprising amount of sand, and we walked to the little town for dinner. Per usual, we ordered seafood and happy hour Pisco sours at a tourist trap restaurant then walked around the little nick knack stands. 

This time we didn’t stay in the hostel dedicated to partying but I did walk over to it to see what was going on. Wild Rover was definitely the best party hostel yet, or at least the rowdiest. They gave us props, like angel wings or devil horns when we came in the door and just like all the other places, had a serious game of beer pong going on that drew crowds of cheering drunks. The neon pink sign over the bar read “One More y Nos Vamos” which pretty much sums up my partying experience here because I am always convinced into one more.  

In the morning we left for Nazca after a phenomenal breakfast in Huacachina. Well it was phenomenal even though it took forever and we had to ask them to box it up and take it on the bus. Remember those little inconveniences I referenced in the last blog? Well, thank god we ate on the bus because we made an unexpected stop at Nietto Pisco, a vineyard. Peru Hop had arranged for us to go on a wine and Pisco tour and tasting at a Peruvian favorite vineyard. We were surprised to see a new guy on the bus that wasn’t from our normal bus group and after introducing himself to me he asked, “did you know we were going on a wine tour?” To which I answered, “no, I definitely can’t get on this bus drunk though.” And we agreed we wouldn’t be drinking too much. 

We were shown how wine was made and Pisco from there, which Pisco is a hard liquor native to Peru and especially important to Ica culture. Then we moved on to the taste testing. Our guide was absolutely hilarious, the way he described the drinks to us and his cheers had the entire room cracking up. We tried white wine, rose, red wine, then flavored cream liquors, then on to the 42% Piscos. before every taste test we did a Spanish salud that got funnier each time. Then, he decided it was time for a drinking game. This game required five volunteers in which I was voluntold by the guide. The crowd would chant “we want to know if Courtney’s our friend. Shot! Shot! Shot! Shot! Shot!” And I had 10 seconds to take a shot and clear out the little solo cup so that it wouldn’t drip. My Israeli friend from the bus looks up from the crowd and states, “I thought you weren’t drinking!” Neither did I. Apparently getting every last drop out of a ridged cup is a lot harder than it seems. So after 5 heavy poured shots I decided it was best to tag Annika in and let her finish the job for me. This game went on until an entire bottle of Pisco had been drank. Then he told us we could try any flavor they had. So me and my friends took that mean we had to try all the odd flavored cream liquors. Thank god they had lunch prepared for us because we needed it after the 20 shots of Piscos and wines we just tried. Again, to our surprise, lunch also had a show native to Ica, Peru. The food was phenomenal and the dance during it was entertaining to say the least. It was even more entertaining that they picked the least likely people to dance up on stage with them, Kelsey, and our new shy Israeli bus friend. I requested we pull us our table to join a table with a 70 year old man who was also on our bus. His words inspired us so much. He was so wise and the fact that he is trekking through Peru alone at that age was so impressive to me. I am holding on to the idea that that will be me one day. 

We left the vineyard tipsy and full and headed to Nazca. I am not going to lie this was a little underwhelming. For some reason I thought that the mysterious lines of Nasca were much bigger than they were but I think I could be convinced that a teenage boy did this as a prank, not the aliens. Nonetheless, we climbed up 8 flights of a surprisingly shaky tower stairs to view the lines from above. Then we proceeded on to our overnight journey to Arequipa. 

📍Arequipa📍

The long drive to Arequipa started with an incredible sunset over a windmill farm. The sky quickly dropped to a pink that bled into the blues in long and drawn out stripes. Then the clouds started to form over the windmills in an almost eerie matter. I slept for a while before waking up to look out the window at the stars and constellations. The stars were so bright and clear wherever we were. At this point I had no idea where we were but I do know that there are huge rocks that keep breaking my view from the stars. I read 18 chapters of “People We Meet on vVacation” and remind myself that traveling like this never has to stop. Then, with all the time I have on this bus, I talk to my Israeli friend for a while and he asks some pretty profound question and I guess I answer profoundly because he seems to be convinced I’m not 19, which I guess I’m not really convinced of either.

We arrive in Arequipa at 5:30 AM, following checking into our hotel we take a quick nap before going to breakfast at Lokanta. I knew I had to eat here because the Lokanta in Buenos Aires gives so many good memories of sharing food with Caro, Abe, and Noelle. The food, as expected, was phenomenal and served with a glass of papaya juice and cup of coffee, the best way to dine, further proving my three drink theory. We spend the day touring the town, we walk through little colorful tourist trap markets, then to the plaza which felt very European, and continued to walk down their cobblestone streets. We went in the beautiful cathedrals and even toured the Alpaca museum where we learned how their fur is made into cashmere and other threads for bracelets, bags, and clothes. Following petting some alpacas and learning the difference from llamas, we went to a panoramic point to view the snowcapped volcano. We tried their native chocolates and teas while we were here. This town is so unique because it shifts from little, cobblestone, Italy vibes to ancient irrigation systems, to poor community living style homes that express so many colors, to large clean business buildings that tower over all of it, all following the theme of the mountains. We wander the town all day and watch the sunset from the roof of the plaza. As the sun set, the lights started to illuminate the main cathedral in the plaza. After dinner we had crepes for dessert, then went back to sleep because kels and Annika have to get up at 2:30 AM for a canyon tour, which I am so jealous of because I instead have to get on the road to Cusco. The canyon in question, Colca canyon has hot springs and is — meters deep, the grand canyon is only —— but I have to move on from Arequipa because I am doing a 2 day hike to Machu Picchu, so I have to head towards Cusco at 5AM. 

I left Arequipa at 5AM and we stopped a few hours later after reaching 4444 meters in elevation, or —— feet. This little stop on the side of the street, presented local women selling handmade alpaca fur ponchos, blankets, and other souvenirs. They also sell Coca tea, coca comes from the same plant as cocaine but does not have the same effect. It is a natural plant that the natives swear by in helping with altitude sickness. My head has been pounding for the past four days and nothing has seemed to help so I agree to try this mysterious tea. After a cup of this I feel all the pressure in my head relived. At this stop I met a girl from North Carolina who also studied abroad in Buenos Aires and goes to school in California, our stories seem pretty similar. She’s taking a gap year to travel all over South America which is what I now realize that I want to do post grad. We stopped for lunch soon after this at a native food buffet. they served all kinds of really great foods, including rice, vegetables, chicken, and other mysterious meats that I knew I had to try. The view from our table was of the colorful mountains where alpacas grazed. 

I wont lie to my 4 readers, this was a long, lonely, and bumpy bus ride. I had become familiar with everyone on my bus the first few days and leaving Arequipa early put me on a new bus, meaning I knew no one. The bus was also full so I didn’t really have a choice in where I sat. For the first time I didn’t have someone to talk to on the bus and I was sitting far from the girl from North Carolina. Not to mention, this was the longest leg of the bus ride. 

📍Cusco📍

When we finally arrived in Cusco, it was already dark but the lights from the town built on the surrounding mountains lit up and it created a magical view. I sat down in the town square and just smiled. I seriously can't believe that I am in Cusco, Peru, about to hike Machu Picchu. I think it’s also setting in that I am all alone in this but I am trying to remain positive.

the long anticipated hike

I was picked up from my hotel at 6 AM to head to a town called Hidrocelectrica. I was not very well briefed about what I had gotten myself into… this was a 7 hour bus ride. Not just any bus ride but on the side of an unpaved mountain with reckless Peruvian drivers. The entire 7 hours was spent looking over cliffs, driving through rivers, and dodging holes in the “road” if that’s what we want to call it. the road is only big enough for one car so when another one would come racing around the curve we would have to go in reverse to a space where there was room for two cars. When we finally

arrived to the town of Hydroelectria we got a quick bite to eat and then had to walk 11 km to the town of Aguas Calientes. This town is at the base of Machu Picchu and it is adorable. There are of course street vendors, and native women selling alpaca fur materials, and all kinds of cultural significance of the Incans. Following checking into my hostel, I was invited to a free dinner paid for by the company I booked my tour with. I assumed that there would be a lot of people there from the tour, but that’s what I get for assuming. Not only was I the only person at my table, I was the only person in the entire restaurant. However, that wasn’t going to stop me from eating a free four course meal. After I finished my very lonely dinner, I wandered the town for a little before going to sleep at 9. 

Today is the day!

Today is the day! May 12, 2022

I wake up at 4:30 to finish my long awaited trek to Machu Picchu. The sun was rising over the town of aguas clients as I left my hostel and started for the trail head. I wasn’t able to store anything so I had to bring my book bag with me on this hike. It took 20 minutes to walk from my hostel to the base of Machu Picchu and in that 20 minutes I remembered that I was doing this alone, with a throbbing headache, in insane humidity. Before even making it to the control booth I had taken off both my jacket and sweatshirt and had wished I was wearing shorts. The trail isn’t much of a trail but rather 2000 stair steps in the jungle straight to the top of the mountain. Apparently its not very common to hike, most people just take the train, so I saw the same 5 people over and over on this trail as they would pass me while I was taking a break and then I would pass them while they took a break. Everyone was so encouraging and positive and I could not breathe. I was sweating profusely and felt as though I couldn’t catch my breath so I had to stop every few stairs to breathe. I wont lie, I thought about how hard it would be to just highjack a bus passing by. The stairs felt like they went on forever but every time I would turn around I would see the insanely lush jungle mountains behind me. I spent more time catching my breath than looking at the mountains though. The mix of the elevation, dehydration, headache, and humidity really did a number on me so I thought I was crazy when I heard the sound of people in the distance. Soon after a native man applauded me and told me I had made it and gave me a hug, I could’ve sworn he was welcoming me to heaven but it was just the gates of machu Picchu. I hear someone screaming my name but I am still pretty sure that im dreaming so I cannot figure out where its coming from, but without ever catching my breath my tour guide rushes me into the park. I am still sweating and panting and we start our tour through Machu Picchu but I don’t retain much of the information until we turn a corner and I see it. I see the Incan ruins that I have always dreamed of seeing. I sit in silence, almost in a daze, in awe of the masterpiece in front of me before I snap back into reality to my guide calling my name again. It was so rewarding to have hiked all the way to the top of this world wonder. Our guide took us through the ruins and explained each room and its use along with where the alpacas and humans were sacrificed. I learned all about Incan culture and history and before I knew it we were on the other side of the ruins. Our tour guide said bye and I thought I would be able to sit in awe od this magical place for a little longer, however, I was never informed that it’s a one way and you can’t go back the way you came, meaning I was unknowingly forced out. I literally started to cry. I felt like I had done all this work to get here and then I never even had a second to myself to reflect on what was in front of me or what I accomplished in getting there. So key tip, it’s a one way so be careful who you follow.

On the tour I met two people from Canada who had quit their jobs to travel and they are on month 6 and hoping for 6 more. I walked back down the 2000 steps with them and talked to the girlfriend for a while. We talked about traveling, from learning new cultures to learning about yourself to learning about the people around you. I talked about my dream of one day doing what she is doing and she was honest about her struggles with traveling with her boyfriend. I am envious of her story because it’s amazing to me that she just quit her job and had enough to go for hopefully a year. I really enjoyed talking to her and hearing about everything she’s learned about the world and herself in the short time she’s been traveling. Once we findlly got to the bottom of the steps she found out my age and was baffled. She couldn’t believe that I was doing this alone but not only that she praised the way I carried myself and referred to me as an old soul. I feel like I spent my younger years trying to prove that I acted older and it felt good to know that people see me as an old soul and are impressed by my demeanor. I also came to the realization that as long as I have envied the people traveling for a year in their 20s, people are envious of me for starting so early and wish they would’ve done this in college. It’s crazy to mw that before I even graduate I have already visited 6 countries and I know there’s so many more to come. 

We split at the base of Machu Picchu because they went back to agues calientes and I had a 11 km hike back to hidroelectica … alone. I started along this long and dreaded trip back to the bus, after 1 km I stopped at a house for fruit and to pet the puppies, and after 5 km I stopped at the river to take my shoes off for a little and soak my feat. I didn’t realize that I must’ve been walking slow and taking my time because when I pulled out my phone I realized I was late for the bus. I started running in fear of missing my bus and somehow I managed to get lost. I broke down. I was tired, in pain, dehydrated, and I couldn’t find the busses in this little town. I finally found the bus and I was the very last person on the bus meaning I had to sit in the front with the driver in the seats that don’t recline and in between two full grown men. This was the most uncomfortable situation I have ever been in but it only gets worse. The town is called hydroelectric because they take the water and make it into energy for the town and for some reason they decided it would be a good idea to reroute the water system by blowing up the Side of the mountain, making it impossible for us to get through. So after sitting in traffic on the side of a cliff for 10 minutes we decided to Get out and walk around. Im not sure how much time passed but I know this happened multiple times and the 7 hour bus ride turned into 10 real quick. if I sound miserable in writing this I am. What I thought was going to be a magical day of seeing machu picchu turned into me being squeezed between to men, in a chair that was 90 degrees, with a throbbing headache, blistered feet, and no possible way to sleep for 10 hours. to make matters worse, when I get back to cusco I find out that my friends are all having dinner together and when I go to check into my hotel I realize that I was scammed and its not even a real hotel so I am sitting on the side of the street, alone, with all my stuff in Cusco crying. 

May 13

I decided to leave that there because teh night only got worse but anyways, I found a hostel, without running water I might add, that I stayed in for the night. When I woke up I desperately needed to shower because I hadn’t since my brutal hike to Machu Picchu. I texted my friend Alex who graciously let me use her shower which had hot water, which is hard to come by in Peru. After taking the longest shower of my life I felt like a new woman and I carried on with my day. We did all the touristy things in Cusco like going to the cathedral, the plaza, and mindlessly wandering into the tourist trap stores. we held baby alpacas, got street churros, and bought colorful purses, typical Cusco things. Caroline and Alex met me and Annika for our final Pisco sour and we laughed in an empty restaurant while dropping first and last names before going to the airport. I really wish we had more time in Cusco but it gives me a great excuse to come back and do it again one day. 

May 14, Lima

Lima was a break from the hectic life I have been living so I don't have much to write about, nor did I bring my camera anywhere in Lima, which I now regret.

I woke up at 2 PM in Lima, Peru. This is the first time since leaving BA that I have slept past 8 AM and for the last two weeks, 6 AM. I am staying with a friend, Mafe, who lives in Lima and I couldn't be more grateful for her. After living out of a backpack, taking too short of showers, sleeping in too noisy of hostels, and lacking human connection for the past week I finally feel at peace in Mafe's home.

For lunch she takes Annika and I to Edo, a highly rated sushi bar where they come and cook in front of you, I would definitely recommend it. There are not many sushi places I've been to that I wouldn't recommend though, I hope to keep it that way. We wandered around La Molina, a neighborhood built on a lagoon surrounded by bright pink flowers, until the sunset.

The following day we tried Chaufa, a Peruvian restaurant, that might be my favorite South American cuisine thus far. Her parents ordered a bunch of different dishes and they served it family style. After lunch, we went to an art museum in Barranco, a higher-end barrio. We walked around the open market in the plaza and then followed the stairs lined by the brightly painted buildings to an overlook of the ocean. We watched the waves break as the sunset from the hill on the other side of the highway. We quickly stopped in Larcomar, a huge mall built into the hill facing the ocean before deciding to get Churros at Manolo and Picarones in the park.

On Tuesday, we slept in again, then went to the main square where the government buildings are. Every city in South America has a square with a magnificent Cathedral and a government building. That was our daily dose of tourist activities before we wandered over to Mafe's Abuelita's house for lunch. Mafe's 90-year-old Abuelita served us lunch and homemade chicha, a Peruvian drink made from corn. She is seriously the cutest little human ever, I really wish I knew more Spanish solely so I could converse better with her. We did some more walking and aimless wandering before finding ourselves at her friend's house for merienda.

Eat, Sleep, repeat. Wednesday was our last day in Lima so we went to the beach in our airport pants. I love the beach here because it's not covered in sand, but rather in rocks. Which, if you know me you know that rocks are my most favorite thing ever. To be convincing, I have a bag of rocks in my bookbag that has rocks from every place we've stopped since starting our travels. After collecting a.few too many colorful rocks, we had a final Peruvian Pisco on the Pier. The restaurant at the end of the pier is perfect and it overlooks the bright blue water with just enough view of all the surfers. And just like that, Annika and I are packing up our oversized bookbags and heading off to the airport.