Peru.
The trip of a lifetime.
I can honestly say that the two weeks I spent in Peru were the best weeks of my life.
I embarked on an adventure with several people from school this past June. It was my first time traveling to South America, my first time traveling without my parents, my first time experiencing a culture vastly different from mine. And I loved every single minute.
We spent the first few days in the city of Lima, not much different from New York City. The first night in Lima was amazing. We went to a park with one huge fountain. At the center was one (considerably) dry patch of concrete. My entire group participated in a game where the objective was to get to that one dry spot while avoiding getting sprayed by the spouts surrounding the fountain. Of course, let us not forget that it was winter in Peru and I was obviously not dressed for the winter. After all, I'll take a cute outfit over practicality any day. Thus, I was freezing, yet joined in this game. My best friend, Agata, was already drenched by the time I took my first step. I made it to the center without any trouble so naturally I got confident -- evidently, too confident. I grabbed my friend's hand, ran for the middle, she slipped, and within a matter of seconds, we were both on the ground, soaking wet, bruised, embarrassed, and laughing it off. This night remains as one of my favorite memories.
When we made it to Cusco, it happened to be my birthday. I think by the end of the day, "Happy Birthday" was sung to me as many as ten times. A traditional band at one of the restaurants even sang to me in Spanish. I had the best birthday in Cusco. In fact, my group even planned an entire birthday celebration for me. We ate cake, sang, danced, and simply lived life.
Our next destination was possibly the most memorable of all: Machu Picchu. The fact that it was a cloudy day made one of the wonders of the world even more breathtaking. When we reached the top of the great mountain, all I could do was stand in awe of God's creation. It was absolutely beautiful: both the landscape and the incredible showcase of Incan culture. Right after trekking up that mountain, a few of us went on another hike, then walked back to our hotel in Cusco where we hung out in the hall playing games.
The Amazon was definitely beautiful. Taking a very small plane for 20 minutes was definitely different from what I'm used to. The temperature increased by fifty degrees in less than an hour. We ate Peruvian rice called chaufa out of banana leaves. We took a boat across the Amazon river, docked at a very homey lodge, went on a hike in the rainforest and encountered tarantulas and scorpions. Then to top off the amazing night, we played soccer before the electricity turned off and we were plunged into pitch darkness. Who knew that one day I would be playing soccer in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest? Unfortunately, I did get extremely sick the next day, even requiring a doctor to come from three hours away by boat to give me medicine and three shots. Nevertheless, almost dying in the Amazon was still an adventure (and a great story to tell).
Our last destination was Paracas. We all felt the end to an amazing trip approaching quickly and spent the last few days enjoying every moment. The first day was spent on the sand dunes where we went sand surfing and watched the sun set over the golden dunes. We spent the next day walking around the boardwalk, looking for little souvenirs to bring home. Then we went back to our hotel and spent a day catching up on sleep. On the last night, we built a campfire, toasted marshmallows, listened to chill music, and curled under blankets. We reminisced on some of our favorite moments before heading to bed. And on the final day, we packed our bags and started the long trip back home.
I think about Peru at least once every day. I remember the late night conversations with my roommates. I remember the time I almost died in the amazon, the moment I fell in the fountain, the high-five I gave to a little Peruvian girl in Cusco. I remember the night everyone sang happy birthday to me, the awe-inspiring views on Machu Picchu, the hike through the rain forest. I remember the pacific ocean, the feeling of winter when I was only wearing a dress, the taste of traditional Peruvian dishes.
Most of all, I remember all the laughs I shared with the people I grew so close to in those two weeks away from home.
So, yes, Peru was indeed a trip of a lifetime.
Love, Rach.
Check out my vlog I made for Peru!