Iquitos: View of the Amazon River.
Via the Amazon River, I made it to Peru. The boat left at 4 or 5am and I remember waking up for a few precious seconds to see the sunrise. I wanted to take a picture so badly, but I did not have the energy. The image still burns vividly in my mind. Yes, that beautiful.
Welcome:
First meal once I got to Lima. A little welcome sampler to Peru. Ceviche and a pisco sour for lunch at Punto Azul. The best place for ceviche or so everyone says. They served corn kernels or something like that as a starter and they were delicious!
Lima:
Lima is a pretty shitty capital. I think there are parts that are actually beautiful, but it needs a paint job. Things are just a bit rundown, but I could see that it could be gorgeous and if it were a bit more safe.
Cusco:
Cusco is where many start their Machu Picchu tour. I met with Corina and the next day booked a 5 day trek to Machu Picchu. Cusco was also a lot bigger city than I imagined. Any outdoor gear you may need, you could easily find it all here.
Salkantay:
We did not do the classic Inca tour, but opted for the Salkantay trek. Salkantay is the name of the mountain. We reached 4,600 meters and I did get altitude sickness. The guide kept giving me coca leaves to fight the dizziness. (Read my other blog entry for more info.)
Monkey Business:
This monkey was so annoying. It would eat our popcorn. It also chowed down a lot of sugar. Crazy monkey!
Chaos:
The gate to hike up to the entrance of Machu Picchu opens at 5am. However, people begin to wait much before that. We got there at 4:15am. It should take around 45 min to get to the top. The main reason why people want to get there early is because they only allow 400 people to enter Machu Picchu daily. Only 200 people can go to Wayna Picchu at 7am and another 200 people can go to Wayna Picchu at 9am. Our group wanted the 9am slot and so getting to the top before the buses arrived was imperative.
Machu Picchu:
By the point I reached the entrance, I was exhausted. Finally, saw Machu Picchu! CHECK!
Amazon Tour:
Corina left the next day back to the States and 2 days later I went on a 6 day Amazon tour and 4 days of volunteering in the Amazon. When I was in high school, I would tell people that I always wanted to camp in the Amazon. Another dream, check!
Yes, and we have a mystery guest star in the green hood. Kelsey and I spend the next 5 days together in the Amazon. Random, I know.
Amazon Sunset:
Typical sunset. No big deal. Actually, completely awesome. I have a thing for sunsets, but, then again, who doesn't?
Clay Licks:
You can't really see it because the zoom on my camera sucks, but those are Macau birds. So beautiful! They lick calcium off the clay to balance their diet.
Amazon Sunrise:
At this point, we were on a catamaran looking for otters on an oxbow lakes. Ever since junior year of high school, I loved oxbow lakes. I think they are just so beautiful.
Big Tree:
This is a huge, old tree. I forgot the name and all that stuff, but it was worthy of a photo of Machin Blanco (Kelsey) and me. The vines on the tree are so strong that it can withhold the weight of someone climbing the vine. The vine and tree have a symbiotic relationship.
Side Note: I have never heard "symbiotic relationship" more times than these past few months. I love that term and will look for all things symbiotic. If you encounter a symbiotic relationship, please share!
Low River:
All the locals were complaining of the low river waters. They have to walk farther to reach water. The river could be as much as 10 meters deeper during rainy season. The river was so low that we had to push the boat at one point. Eeek!
Monkeys: Chico and Paula.
As I mentioned, I volunteered for 4 days in the Amazon on a Reforestation project. These 2 monkeys were all over the show. One night, I woke up to something by my tent and I had no idea what it was. I frantically searched for my light. Lo and behold, Paula just wants to cuddle. Gah, at least she doesn't bite. Chico bites.
Goodbye:
After all that nature time in Peru, I had to head to Bolivia. My time was cutting short and I had to get to Argentina by 09/25. At this point, it was 09/14 when I got back to Cusco. I had 11 days to traverse about 2,200 miles to Iguazu Falls in Argentina. I got in to Cusco at 5am and by 8pm that night I was on a bus heading to Copacabana, Bolivia.
Thoughts: Peru is overrun by tourists and I did not have enough time to hang out with locals as much as I did in Colombia. I really wanted to go to Nazca to see some art (geoglyphs), but no time unfortunately. Next time.
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