Today is Peru’s Independence Day! I had to wake up really early in order to get a shower. The building Nelly’s parents live in only gets water in the morning, and the rest of the day you cross your fingers and hope that you can turn the sink on or flush the toilet. After I had showered we eat breakfast and Nelly’s dad and Marcelo head to the parade grounds early to get a spot. A little later Nelly, Flavia, and I go and try to find them so we can take Marcelo with us to see the catacombs. The streets are crazy filled with people going to see the parade and venders selling Peruvian flags, candy, chips, eggs, etc. We can’t find Marcelo and Nelly’s dad so we decide we will just stay and watch the parade for a while. We wait and wait but the parade is running two hours late, so we leave and take Flavia back home. Nelly and I go the Museo San Francisco. We take a tour of the monastery and they tell us to pray to St. Angelo for boyfriends, so Nelly and I pray extra hard. Then we go down into the catacombs. While we are down there, we feel the ground shake a little and the guide tells us there is a little earthquake. No big deal I’m just a couple of feet underground in an enclosed mass tomb and the ground is shaking, no biggie. The catacombs were really cool and creepy, Nelly was terrified which was really funny. When we come out of the catacombs there is a painting of the last supper and Jesus and his disciples are eating guinea pig. The tour guide tells us we should try to eat guinea pig while here, and I said I had already eaten, and Nelly proceeded to say “yeah, you ate yesterday!” So that “beef” I had the other day, hadn’t been beef at all but really guinea pig which Nelly had failed to mention. So I was able to have guinea pig for a second time, without even knowing it, yay me! We went back to the apartment for lunch, and while we were eating the president’s car drove by. After we rested for an hour we went to a little amusement park with Flavia and Marcelo. I rode the bumper cars and “double shot”, really it was more of a frog hop, to appease Flavia and Marcelo. Then we went and played some arcade games and here comes my best story from my entire trip in Peru. This was the day I was almost bought as a sex slave. Flavia was playing a little bowling game and we were all crowded around her cheering her on. A creepy old guy walked up to me and began to speak in Spanish. I was able to pick up a few words like “I’ll buy you for a night” and I heard some numbers, but I missed exactly how much he was willing to pay(I am kind of bummed I want to know how much he would have paid for me). Anyway Nelly tried to tell him no and send him away, but he grabbed my arm and started saying lots of things in Spanish and talking so quickly I couldn’t understand a word he was saying. I was terrified though, this creepy was trying to pull me away from Nelly. Nelly started yelling at him a bit and he finally back off. After he left, I looked to Nelly for an explanation, I thought I might be mistaken, maybe this weirdo didn’t really want to buy me. But no Nelly confirmed what I had heard that this man had been willing to buy me for what he said would be a “fun night”. So that’s how I almost was bought as a sex slave. Let me tell you it’s a great fun fact to whip out.

The next day we slept in for a while and then Nelly and I headed to the market to get fruit and vegetables. We bought some really cool (and tasty) fruit that I had never seen before. Once we picked up Flavia and Marcelo from the house, we headed to the plaza de armas in order to watch the guard change. The guard did a cool little march and played music. Then because Flavia insisted we took a carriage ride around the plaza. On the way back to the apartment for lunch Flavia threw such a big tantrum for toys that people on the street were yelling at her to shut up. To finally get her to stop screaming we bought churros. When we ate lunch Nelly kept just saying “meat” and since she said the day before I had to try bunny I am pretty sure I ate a rabbit. Wouldn’t be the first time she has tricked me into eating something weird. After siesta we go to the cathedral of Lima. Next to the cathedral was the house of the archbishops. End the night by playing catch with Flavia and Marcelo.

My last day in Lima! We head to the coast to visit a fort. You could see the Pacific which was cool because I had never seen that ocean. We climbed all through the fort and our guide told us it is haunted. After we explored the fort we went back into Lima and went shopping.

Once we went back to the apartment I packed all my luggage and Nelly’s mom braided my hair in the traditional Peruvian fashion. She also gave me really pretty earrings. I said my good-byes and thanked Nelly’s parents for their hospitality.

Nelly’s dad took me to the airport because Nelly had to leave for work. The plane ride was long and I was just happy when I landed. When I came out of security and immigration I was so happy to see my mom waiting for me. I hugged her and the first words that came out of my mouth was, “I almost got bought as a sex slave!” Probably not the best thing to say after being away from her for sixteen days in a foreign country…needless to say she wasn’t amused. I loved Peru so much, especially Cusco, the Andes mountains, and of course Machu Picchu. The culture was so different from everything I have ever known and I loved it. I will definitely return to Peru in the future. And once I came home my mom gave me the best news, one of Au Pairs was getting married the following year in Italy…and of course we couldn’t miss that! Ciao!

To continue my adventure through Lima, we headed out into the city for another day of sightseeing. Nelly, her nephew, Marcelo, and I went to our first stop, a museum that held very abstract paintings of the jungle.  We had fun looking at the paintings and trying to see what different kinds of things we could find hidden within in the paintings. Then we headed to what is considered the prettiest of all the churches in Lima, and trust me, I felt like I had already seen every church in the entire city. Outside the church these women were selling hard boiled eggs, but they were much smaller than chicken eggs. Nelly bought some of them and told me to eat one because she said they were really healthy. I don’t know what kind of bird egg I was eating but it was pretty good and just tasted like our normal eggs.  After wandering through the church for a while, we went to Lima’s Chinatown. In Chinatown we got ice cream to eat, because in Peru you never stop eating, from the time you get up till you go to sleep, there is always food. After our second snack of the day we went to San Domingo Church (yep another church). This church was a little different because there was an attached museum. They took us up into the choir balcony of the church and they said the next part of the tour was to climb the bell tower. We were really excited to go up, but then the tour guide said Marcelo and I couldn’t go up, we had to be eighteen. Excuse me, I have to be eighteen to climb up some steps? So Marcelo and I waited while Nelly went up, but then Nelly came running back down the stairs and told us to hurry and we would be able to go up while the tour guide wasn’t looking. So we got to go up to the next level and see the city, but we weren’t able to go to the highest level because the tour guide was coming back down so we ran back down the stairs before we got caught. We went back to the apartment for lunch and ate potatoes and what I thought was beef, but I’ll come back to that later.

After rest time we head back out with Nelly’s daughter and her sister. We went to the Parque de la Reserva which was a kind of park with lots of water fountains. The park is really cool and Flavia loved it. There was a game that was a fountain that shot water out at different places and at different times. The point was to get to the middle without getting soaked. I managed to get to the center completely dry, but getting back out of the circle one of my legs got soaked. Marcelo definitely lost because he was completely soaked. Once it turns dark there is a show. Before the show starts we get picarones, fried dough drizzled with honey. The one fountain shoots out mist and then pictures are projected onto it. After the water fountain park, we head back to eat dinner and sleep.

While the rest of my group was boarding planes to return home, I was planning on staying in Lima for an extra five days. When I was a kid, I had Au Pairs, or babysitters, who came from other countries and lived with my family. Every year we had a new Au Pair, some from Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, Brazil, Poland, and others, but one Au Pair was from Lima, Peru and her name was Nelly. I had talked to her before and she was excited to have me come and stay with her family and we planned everything out. We decided she would pick me up at the airport. I ended up waiting two hours because she was late and the entire time I was scared she had forgotten me and I had no way of contacting her. Finally she arrived, to my relief, and we took a taxi to her apartment. She told me that her apartment was in a sketchy part of town, but that the next day we would be going to her parents’ apartment in a nicer section of Lima. When we got to her apartment it was already midnight but she decided she was hungry and wanted to go to KFC. So we started walking and then waited for one of the super sketchy “buses”, really just little vans that they shoved as many people in to as possible. As we waited for an empty “bus”, we watched as full ones wizzed by filled to the max with people, that some were hanging off the sides. Many of the men hanging of the sides proceeded to wolf whistle at me as they sped by. This added to my uneasiness. Finally we arrived at KFC and Nelly filled herself with as much fried chicken as she wanted, I declined saying I wasn’t hungry, besides this new city was making me so nervous I could hardly eat. Once she finished her late night snack we found another “bus” to take us back to her apartment. This time when we jumped on the “bus” a little kid proceeded to climb on with us and he offered us musical entertainment for the ride. He sang many songs and was the radio for the trip, and when we got off we paid him a few coins. By the time we arrived back at her apartment I was exhausted, I hadn’t slept much with all of the travelling back to Lima and now my nerves were pretty tight. I was just happy to sleep…

The next morning we board another “bus” that will take us to Nelly’s parents’ home. I was excited to meet her family, especially her little daughter, but also nervous because none of them spoke English. When we arrived at the apartment, her parents’ lived on the seventh floor, and the elevator was out, and Nelly told me it had been broken for over two years, so we schlepped up the seven flights of steps. When we arrived at the apartment, her mom came out and gave me a big hug and kiss and proceeded to tell me how happy she was to see me (in Spanish). I then got to meet her daughter, Flavia, who was six and Nelly’s nephew Marcelo who was eleven. After introductions and I gave everyone their gifts, our sightseeing of Lima began. The first place we went was the Cathedral of Saint Rose, which was only a couple blocks away from Nelly’s home. St. Rose is the patron saint of Lima and is said to have performed many miracles. At the cathedral, there was a well where it is said that if you write a letter to St. Rose with your wishes and throw it in the well, she will help them come true. As we were walking to the next church, I noticed that almost every building had a Peruvian flag out, when I asked Nelly, she explained that the next day was Peru’s Independence Day so everyone had to have flags on their homes. We visited the Sir Miracle church and then stopped by the apartment to pick up Flavia and Marcelo and went to the main square of Lima. In the square is the president’s house and Lima’s Cathedral. We visit a little museum that shows all the different areas of Peru and the typical food of each area. Then we go back to the house to eat lunch. Her mom’s food is amazing and there is so much. She made mashed potatoes, rice, and chicken. At this point I am realizing that I am not just exhausted, but am I actually sick. In Cusco, the nights were freezing and the days were hot. Whenever the temperature changes so much, I get a sinus infection and this was no exception. After lunch is siesta time so I am able to rest so I feel a little better. After our siestas, we go and take a bus tour of the city. It was one of those double decker buses, so we sat on top. I have never hated being blonde, but in Lima I did. As we rode around time I got many winks, kisses, and wolf whistles, I was mortified. After the bus tour we found a merchant stand that was selling suprillo which was a very sweet and creamy drink that was delicious. Once we got back to the apartment we ate dinner and went to bed, I was exhausted.

Check back next week to hear how I almost got bought!

Today we had to wake up at 5:45 AM to ensure that we reached the mountain pass with good weather. Before we even set out, our guide warned us that this would be the hardest day of hiking because it was the steepest and the longest (8 miles). Once again my friend and I stuck together, falling behind the fast group, but leaving behind the slow group. We struggled up the mountain, many parts were so steep and the weather was freezing. At one point we were actually hiking across ice, it’s July!! It was really hard going, but I told myself I wouldn’t give up. Some of the girls got tired and rode the horses to the top, but I had promised myself I would reach the top of this mountain on my own two feet. Finally the peak was in view and it would only be a little bit further, I pushed myself on. And then I reached the top, I reached the summit of the mountain!! I was so proud of myself, this was  the highest elevation(16,000 feet) I had ever climbed to and I never gave up or quit. Because the slow group was so far behind we had to wait a while for them to reach the top, but that was ok because it gave us time to soak in the view. Once the whole group had reached the summit we took lots of pictures to remember our accomplishment. I guess when we all thought about the day we reached the top of the mountain we didn’t realize we weren’t done, we had a whole mountain to climb down now. I think I actually hated going down even more then climbing up. The descent was really difficult because the terrain was still very steep and made of all pebbles so we all pretty much slid down the mountain instead of hike down. Going down at such a steep angle also really hurt my ankles. The views coming down the mountain were amazing though, all of the mountains and valleys laid out before us and we passed lots of gorgeous lakes. At one point, there was no longer a path just the side of the mountain. At this point some of the girls who had been in the front of the pack the whole trip had fallen back to my friend and I. When we reached the section with no paths, they all looked to me to lead them down the mountain. Let’s just say I led down that mountain by trial and error. If I took a certain way that ended up being really slippery or hard, I sent the rest of the group another way. I had no idea what I was doing just climbing down the areas I thought looked less dangerous. It was slow going but we finally made it down that section of the mountain and were back on a path. We finally reached our campsite which was set up in a schoolyard, we were all really excited because our leaders told us we would be able to see the kids the next morning.

The next morning we made breakfast and broke down camp. Then we made breakfast and served the children at the school. It was so amazing to see how just the little things were doing made such a big difference to the kids. They were so excited just to get some oatmeal and a sandwich, it tore at my hear that something we all take for granted, like breakfast, caused so much excitement in their lives. After they had eaten we were able to hang out and play with them. I giant soccer game was started which was a ton of fun. Then we had to say goodbye because the kids had to go into class. Since it was the last time we would see our porters, we thanked them for everything they had done and presented them with their tip. Before we started the hike back to where the bus would pick us up, we did a little reflecting on everything we had learned on our hike. Finally we reached the bus and we are all excited to once again be in a moving vehicle. We then drove to some nearby hot springs where we were able to swim and relax for a bit. Then we got back to the hotel and slept well in real beds with heat.

Here are some of the gorgeous picture my friend Vada took of the kids:

Today is the day we finally go to Machu Picchu!!! In order to reach the site we take a train from Lares. The train ride was about an hour and half, so we played lots of card games to pass the time. Finally we arrive at the Machu Picchu train station, which then we had to board a bus to take us to the top of the mountain. As we got closer and closer to the top we began to catch glimpses of the ruins through the trees, and our excitement was building. Off the bus, through the gates, and finally the view I have been dreaming of seeing for a long time. Machu Picchu was stretched out before us, it looked like a postcard, and my breathe was completely taken away. I couldn’t believe I was actually here, it was magnificent. We were taken around the whole site and told all about this amazing city. It was also so interesting and I loved every minute of it. Our tour guide shared so much of the history and who had lived in this hidden city in the clouds.

Once it was time to leave, none of us wanted go, but we soaked up the last view of this ancient city and made our way back down the mountain. When we reached the little town where the train station, we had some time to shop before the train came. I was able to grab some last minute souvenirs and then we rode the train for three and half hours back to Cusco.

The next day the whole group went the airport and boarded their separate planes home, however I didn’t because I was staying an extra five days in Lima. Hear about my adventures in Lima next time!