Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

Our week in Peru was one of the greatest of my entire life. I had been focusing on my mom’s visit for so long that I had barely thought about it when the time came to pack so when we finally made it to Lima it was somewhat shocking to be in another country but amazing at the same time.

Overall, the trip was truly indescribable. The country itself is so wonderful and so different from Ecuador that capturing it in words is a task that I don’t think I can handle. That being said, here is a lovely photo summary for all of you.

Nghiem, Leila and Ryann look out over the Cusco salt deposits.

Cusco at nightfall

Mom you missed out on some serious shopping in Peru, it's a whole other ballgame over there. Guess you'll just have to come back!

In Peru they say that if it doesn't have snow at the top, it's not a mountain. I'm so glad Talcott makes the cut at least in the Winter.

We did a little practice in Incan ruins before Machu Picchu and from the way we were all breathing, I didn't think we were going to survive the next day.

Train to Machu Picchu. Because of the floods in Peru two months ago, this train was wiped out up until 5 days before our trip. Perhaps that explains the nervous look on my face.

Machu Picchu. Lot's of gradas.

Honestly, this can't be put into words. Also, I'm so happy I decided to rep UConn on the most epic day of my life.

Lima Lima with the girls!

Nghiem makes break-dancing friends on the Lima boardwalk.

Things I Liked:

• Lima and the weather there. I don’t know why but it constantly reminded me of Stone Harbor, which I loved. It was humid and beachy and the shopping was just like 96^th street…almost.
• Our Cusco guide, Tomas. Everyone made fun of me for my strange love for this 40 year old Peruvian but I was really interested in what he had to say about the history of the country
• Machu Picchu itself has every right to be one of the wonders of the world. It was unfathomable, really. The fact that 500 years ago people knew how to manage these gigantic rocks, get them to fit perfectly together and have their temples and houses survive centuries blew all of us away. Being there for the day is something that I will never forget and that it is a trip I would highly recommend to anyone even remotely considering it (except for those who are stairs-wary, LMH).
• The plane ride from Lima to Cusco where we convinced Leila, who had been asleep for hours, that we had made it to Cusco when really we were back at the Lima airport due to poor weather. When we took off again, it was quite a shock for the poor sleeping beauty.
• Spending 6 full days with our group. I love them.

Things I Could Have Done Without

• There were lots of airports, lots of bus rides and lots of times where we wanted to kill our guide, Javier. He was constantly stressing us out and making us feel like we were late wherever we were going. It really bothered the majority of us but, as Brianna said, he was probably jealous of the fact that we were all friends because he was definitely the weird kid in high school.
• Sharing hotels with Jess (actually had the flu all week) and Ryann (nicknamed “Pukey” for her history on this type of trip) in which not a single toilet fully functioned.
• Our hotel in Machu Picchu itself. The beds looked like something out of 1980s Las Vegas. Sarah had to wrap herself in towels in order to sleep and the smell of the rooms is absolutely going to haunt me for years to come.