Epic South America Trip

Wed 9/9 - after two hours of sleep, because I finally decided to look up some tips on places to see on our trip, we took a flight to Lima. We saw most things to see in Lima in one day. Plaza de Armas, La Catedral (where Francisco Pizarro is buried), guard changing ceremony at the gov building, Museo de San Francisco y Catacombas (more religious artwork, a pretty cool library with old scribes, lots of skulls and bones in the basement which I didn't fully understand the explanation for). The first day pretty much fulfilled our interest in churches and religious artwork. During Spanish colonization Lima was very rich so the old architecture is impressive but now the country is not very well off economically and the capital reflects that. It seems like a layer of gray covers most things and outside of area with regal looking churches and government buildings there is not much to see. Then we went to an ancient adobe pyramid, called Huayamarca, which now looks very out of place in the middle of a rich suburban neighborhood of Lima. In the small museum there they have a mummy with preserved eyes! We walked to the coast, which isn't a beach, and then went to the Miraflores neighborhood, which has a lot of the restaurants and bars and is safe to be in at night. By this point everyone was exhausted and we got dinner, had some ice cream in a park and decided to head back to the airport. Our flight to Cusco was at 5:30 in the morning so we had a long wait ahead. Check-in didn't open until 4 so we all took turns napping on the floor and on food court tables in the airport. Generally on the trip I got really good at falling asleep instantly, in any circumstances, for any length of time. Random: Starbucks manages to create the same atmosphere inside no matter where in the world it is.

Thurs 9/10 - in Cusco we went straight to the hostel, downed some coca tea to prevent altitude sickness (Cusco is really high up so the smaller amount of oxygen in the air can actually make people sick) and slept until 4:30 PM. As planned, we just rested and adjusted to the altitude. The part of Cusco surrounding Plaza de Armas is pretty but the most tourist oriented place I have ever seen. As we learned when we came back to Cusco, just a few blocks away the scene changes drastically. The water was not safe for us in Peru; our orientation professor told us he once brushed his teeth with beer in Peru when he didn't have bottled water. This also meant that fresh fruits and vegetables and cheap local restaurants were not safe - although I'm sure we were overly careful. This sometimes got frustrating with all 6 of us trying to agree on a restaurant that was both cheap enough and inspired trust. This also meant that a lot of our meals were PB & J sandwiches, which was actually really cute and made us feel like a family, and snacks, so by the end I was thoroughly sick of cookies, crackers, and cereal bars, and probably a few pounds heavier. The whole trip we were all classic nerdy tourists with pouches under our clothes with all our money and documents - uh-oh I think we're getting old and starting to do embarrassing parent things.

Fri 9/11 - got a bit lost on the way to take a taxi to Ollantaytambo, a town between Cusco and Aguas Calientes, the closest town to Machu Picchu. The train ride was beautiful with huge green covered mountains rising up all around you and a river running alongside the train. Aguas Calientes is a tiny place filled with the tourists stopping over before going to Machu Picchu. Went for some souvenir shopping but quickly got disenchanted by how every stand had the same exact things. In Peru you have to barter for absolutely everything and they always try to rip you off. For example at dinner that night a mysterious tax appeared on our bill so one of us went next door to ask at another restaurant if such a thing exists and they told us it is 10%, but on our original bill they had charged us an arbitrary amount more than that. We were at the same hostel as all the other travelling groups from Tufts in Peru. The 20 of us divided into 5 groups for break, 4 went to Peru and 1 to Argentina.

Sat 9/12 - we woke up at 3:30 to get in line for the bus to Machu Picchu because there is a limit of 400 people per day that are let up to Waynapicchu, the famous peak, and we wanted to make it. At 5:30 we got on the second bus and managed to get the tickets (our numbers were in the 300s because some people hike up instead of taking the bus and get there even earlier). For a couple of hours we walked around on our own, took pictures and watched the sunrise over the mountain peaks. No pictures capture the feeling of being there. It is an absolutely breathtaking place, both the stone constructions of the Inca city (the only one the Spanish didn't find, and so didn't destroy, because it is so high up), and the natural scenery surrounding it. I didn't know much about it before being there so I think it was better that way because I didn't have any expectations from a picture in my mind. At 8 we had a guided tour, which helped explain some of what we were seeing but still left a lot of blanks in my mind that I mean to look up (things on my mental list of things to look up never really get checked off). I like that whenever given the option we always chose Spanish-speaking guides. At 10 Steven, Dan and I started our climb up Waynapicchu, which took a bit under an hour and was probably the most physically challenging thing I have ever done. It was almost purely stairs, steep narrow stairs on the side of a mountain with nothing really stopping you from falling off. The view, but even more so the feeling, at the top were incredible. We rested and had our PB&Js before heading down, which was even harder than coming up. I basically crawled half the way, facing the mountain (like on a ladder), and by the end my knees were shaking. I'm really glad I went up and amazed by all the fit older people I saw there. We all got sunburned and spent the evening napping, eating, drinking a lot of water and recuperating. I had a bit of a headache so I passed on going to the hot springs and stayed in the hostel with Emily, who twisted her ankle that day.

Sun 9/13 - took the train back to Cusco and everyone continued recuperating. Tried to do a bit of sightseeing and then more souvenir shopping, which I learned I am not a big fan of.

Mon 9/14 - we had planned to go to more Inca ruins near Cusco but people decided not to because that would mean being out in the sun all day. Instead we saw other parts of Cusco, had a leisurely lunch and then killed time in our hostel watching something on the National Geographic channel until it was time to go to the bus terminal. I think I got equally as tired on a day like this, where we didn't do much of anything, as I did on action packed days. Our bus seats were amazing, big and leather, reclined pretty far back and had footrests so it was almost like a bed. The ride from Cusco to Arequipa was 10 hours overnight.

Tues 9/15 - the hostel in Arequipa kind of messed up our reservations and instead of giving the 6 of us a single room they split us up and I was alone but it was only for one night. When planning to come here I think that what attracted us were the volcanoes and hikes up them and a spot to watch condors but when we actually got there and looked up details it turned out that both of these were far out of the city and we didn't have the time to go. So just having a guidebook and no concrete plans doesn't always work out but we took a city tour. It was really random and involved a lot of animals (ex bullfighting bull, alpacas, llamas, vicuñas, horses, guinea pigs, etc.), a few lookout points, the city founder's house, a horseback ride, a farm, a wool factory store, and a church. I guess it was good way to see a bunch of different parts of the city, which is actually the second biggest in Peru. Of course we saw Plaza de Armas, can't miss it. I hit my head on the van door frame at least 3 times so I was a bit unhappy and consoled myself with delicious street ice cream, called queso helado, disregarding potential health risks. In the evening we went to a museum to see a Juanita, a famous frozen mummy of an Incan girl who was sacrificed on top of a mountain. (Peruvian food I tried: aji de gallina, lomo saltado, sopa de quinoa, recoto relleno)

Wed 9/16 - I started off the day poorly, by oversleeping. We took a morning bus to Tacna, the border city in Peru, which was about 5 hours and the movies they played passed the time quickly for me. Took a taxi across the border to Arica, Chile and it was almost like coming home; suddenly there were so many familiar stores and foods around us. Everything was decorated with flags because the 18th is their Indep. Day and a really big deal here. We saw the beach, a church designed by the same man who did the Eiffel Tower, the set up street fairs for the celebrations and ran into one of the Tufts groups while walking around the city. I can't judge with so little information but the atmosphere on the Chile side of the border seemed a lot more lively, with locals out on the streets, in cafes, and at the artisan markets. It was funny how quickly I got used to Peruvian money and had to think about what Chilean prices really meant. Our second night bus was from Arica to San Pedro de Atacama, and except for a checkpoint at 4:30 where they made us get out, I slept wonderfully and am generally a big fan of these cheap overnight buses.

Thurs 9/17 - San Pedro de Atacama is in the dessert and popular with tourists because a lot of nature attractions are a day trip away. We signed up for the 3 most recommended tours right away and it felt good to have a set plan of what to do. Our first tour was to craters and mountains made almost entirely of salt, Valle de la Luna, Valle de la Muerte, sand dunes (which are tons of fun to run down barefoot) and a mountain to watch the sunset. The night sky in the desert was amazing and I wish I knew constellations because this would be my first time seeing these (different because it's the southern hemisphere).

Fri 9/18 - another day of waking up at 3:30, this time for a tour to the Geysers del Tatio. After a two hour ride on the bumpiest road ever, which we all slept through peacefully, we got there. The reason to go so early is that while it is really cold (-8 C. when we got there) the contrast in air and water temperature allows you can see the steam coming up from the geysers. After watching them shoot up water from underneath the earth we went for a swim in hot springs - my first time. The last stop was to see some 700 year old cacti. For a classic Chilean lunch on the 18th we had some of the best empanadas and pastel de choclo I have tried yet. After resting we went out for dinner and then went to the fonda, or carnival area. Since San Pedro is a small town and we went around 10, which is really early by Chilean standards to go out, it was not the huge party we were hoping to find. Mostly older people were there and we didn't stay for long but I enjoyed watching Chileans have a good time eating anticuchos, (bbq skewers), drinking chicha (fermented drink) and dancing. From what I heard the 18th in Santiago is much more fun, and at least a 3 day celebration, but I think it was worth it to extend our trip and see the north of Chile instead.

Sat 9/19 - all day trip which included salt flats and flamingos at Chaxa Lagoon, amazing blue lakes surrounded by snow streaked mountains at Laguna Miscanti and Laguna Miñique, a couple of desert towns, and an oasis.

Sun 9/20 - we got a flight from Calama, about an hour away from San Pedro, back to Santiago, which saved us about a 24 hour bus ride. Only in Chile can you get an empanada and beer as your flight meal. I got home and instead of a welcome party was locked out because my mom was away and my sister locks the door when she is alone on the one lock I don't have the key to. It was a bit of a fiasco to get in because my mom's cell was off, my sister was asleep at 4 PM and my brother was 10 hours south of Santiago, but it didn't take too long.

Overall an amazing trip even though I came back feeling like I needed a vacation. It helped me see that planning a trip is not so intimidating but also that you can't forget the details.