Rainbow mountains and floating islands, Peru has it all!

Hola amigos! Another two weeks has gone by here in Cusco, Peru; I can’t believe how fast time has gone by on this trip so far! Last I left you I was in the thick of my TEFL class, was seeing friends from Argentina and was soaking up the sunshine here in Cusco. In the last two weeks I have hiked above 16,000 feet, done a week of practical teaching, received my TEFL certification, and been to Lake Titicaca. Whew has it been an adventure!

Let’s start with Rainbow Mountain. Rainbow mountain has exploded in popularity and recognition only in the last two years or so, before then it was a secret that only a few people had been lucky enough to stumble upon. Now however, it is a popular tourist attraction with every tour agency offering a day trip to the mountain. That being said, it is NOT for everyone since it is HARD. The hike starts at about 13,000 feet and continues to climb steadily upwards reaching about 16,000 feet at the top. Hiking at that altitude is definitely not something to be taken lightly. I decided to go with an American company that was significantly more expensive than others in town but had great reviews, FlashPacker Connect. My trek was AMAZING! I was picked up at my house at 2am and we drove for three hours to reach the start of the hike. There we were fed a delicious and hearty breakfast in a local adobe home. My trek group consisted of only me, another tourist from New York and our guide Jonathan which turned out to be great because we all stayed together pretty well and when Jonathan found out that we both spoke Spanish, he conducted the entire trek in Spanish! This was super great for me because I don’t get to practice my Spanish as much here in Peru as I would like. After a super hard, three hour hike, we made it to the top. IT WAS INCREDIBLE. Every time I do a really hard hike, I wonder why I continue to do hard hikes voluntarily and vow never to do one again; but then I get to the top and forget all about the hike because the views and the sense of accomplishment are so wonderful. By the time I reached the top of this hike and saw the amazing views, I was skipping and yelling with excitement and had forgotten all about the difficulties of the hike. On our way down, we passed half the tourists of Cusco on their way up, another huge plus to paying extra was that my company made sure we were some of the first hikers at the top and therefore had a much more enjoyable hiking experience and much better pictures. Once we got down, our chef prepared an incredibly delicious meal and then after eating to my stomachs content, we headed back to Cusco. It was an incredible trip and the extra money that I paid was 100% worth it! It was a fabulous day.

Now onto TEFL! Last time I posted, I was in the thick of my program; reviewing grammar, planning lessons, and writing papers. Now, as I’m writing this post, I am done with my course and have received my official TEFL certification! I can’t believe it’s over already. For my last week, I took over an hour long class from one of the Maximo Nivel English teachers and taught an actual English class every night from 6-7pm. I taught my learners about healthy and unhealthy foods, movie genres, and how to form an excuse depending on whether the excuse is an obligation or an enjoyable activity. Teaching was great but also super difficult and I was exhausted every night after a full day of class, lesson planning, and teaching. On Friday night, our class had a celebration with pizza and champagne and we all toasted one another and received praise from our teacher Claudia. It was so much fun and I am really sad to leave my TEFL class, they have become like my family in here in Cusco and we have shared a lot of hilarious moments, grueling lesson plans, and grammar jokes together. They are all great people with great futures ahead of them and our TEFL journey was a really fun one!

Finally, this past weekend I went to Lake Titicaca with three of my roommates and it was so much fun! We caught the bus late Friday night after my TEFL party and did a six hour overnight journey to Puno, Peru. Once we got there, we were taken to our boat where we would be based for the next two days. The first day we went to Uros Islands which are super cool and unique because everything on them, including the islands themselves are made out of a water reed that grows on the lake. We were given a demonstration of how the locals build the islands and their homes and were then given a tour of the local homes and given the opportunity to buy handicrafts made by the island locals. Finally, I got to go on a relaxing boat ride, in a boat that was also made out of the lake reeds. This island community was truly spectacular to experience and the locals are very welcoming and informative. Sure it was a bit touristy but what isn’t in Peru? I thought it was one of the more authentic displays of culture I’ve seen here so far. We then took a three hour boat journey to another island, Amantani Island, where we were introduced to a local family who took us to their home and hosted and fed us for the night. Our host was Catalina and she and her family were incredibly welcoming to me and my roommates and made us feel very welcome in their home. In the evening, we hiked up to a local temple to watch an amazing sunset over the lake, it was so beautiful. That night, Catalina loaned us traditional clothing and dressed us up for a dance party with traditional music and dancing. It was a super unique experience and I loved every minute of it! The next day, we said goodbye to our lovely hosts and headed for our last stop, the island of Taquile. On Taquile, we got to see local handicrafts which are considered to be come of the best textiles in Peru and are unique because they are knitted primarily by the men of the island. We then hiked along the cost to a beautiful little restaurant where we ate delicious quinoa soup and river trout. The food was delicious and the views were incredible. After another boat ride under the Peruvian sun, we were back in Puno and caught our night bus back to Cusco. It was a really wonderful weekend and Lake Titicaca is a beautiful body of water inhabited by beautiful people.

This week I am taking a few days to relax and sleep and then on Thursday I start my four day trek up the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu! I have been planning my trek since January and am so excited its finally coming to fruition. Without TEFL to keep me busy, I have been feeling a bit homesick again and find myself counting down the days until I see my family. Please continue to think good thoughts, send good vibes, and PRAY. God has been so good to me on this trip so far and I am so blessed. Thank you for all of your support, it means the world!

See you all on the other side of Machu Picchu,

LP

Friends, Ruins, and Guacamole

Well hello there and welcome back to the blog! I know it’s only been two weeks since my last post but I feel like so much has happened since then! I am already halfway through my TEFL course and have given two mini English lessons, each twenty minutes in length. I have re-learned English grammar and next week will be a full week of practical teaching, I can’t believe it! The course has been great and I have made friends with everyone in my class, I haven’t regretted my decision to get this certification and I am really enjoying my time in Cusco right now!

As you all know, I made some wonderful friends during my time in Argentina but what you may not know is that many of them had and have plans to come to Cusco during the time that I will be here. Last week I met up with two of my fellow Argentinian volunteers! Natasha, who did equine therapy with me for a month and Laura, a fellow volunteer who I had many fun times with in Córdoba. It was so awesome to see some familiar places and hear their stories about the traveling they have done since leaving Córdoba. Volunteering really is an amazing way to meet some really incredible people who are doing cool things and share many of the same interests. It’s also fun to know I have friends all over the world! I can’t wait to see some more friends in the upcoming month and a half!

Two weekends ago we had two new girls move into our room, Shannon from England and Ella from Australia. We also have a new housemate, Kendra who is from the states! We have all hit it off really well and have had a great time going to lunch together and exploring the city. This past weekend we all went to the Sacred Valley, which is an agricultural valley outside of Cusco filled with traditional little towns and lots of Incan ruins. It was a beautiful sunny day and we all really enjoyed being in each other’s company, learning about Incan history and hiking up lots and lots of stairs. I have also attended a free salsa class at my school on the past two Tuesday nights and LOVED it! I’m not very good but I’m better than I was at tango in Argentina and the class is so much fun! It’s also quite a workout, like going to an intense Zumba class for two hours a week but where they serve guacamole and chips.

Last Friday I had an especially great day and found myself thinking that I loved Cusco that day. In the morning there was a parade for San Jeronimo filled with people wearing traditional costumes and masks and dancing and singing to traditional music. The people of Cusco have such a rich culture and they are also wonderfully talented at playing instruments and dancing, it is really fun to see and be a part of the almost daily parades here. On Friday afternoon I watched a group of kids no older than 6 perform a traditional dance in the main square. I sat on the sidewalk and watched among a group of adolescent Peruvian kids and wasn’t treated like a tourist or a foreigner but just like another spectator enjoying the performance. One of my favorite things to do in Cusco these days has been to sit in the sun filled main plaza and read a book, usually when I do this I am constantly pestered to buy things from all of the street vendors but in the last couple of days I have had some real conversations with people, and not always people trying to sell me things. I have met Pedro, who had learned some English at the same place where I take classes and was surprised to learn that I speak Spanish. He was trying to sell me on something or other but I think he mainly just wanted to practice his English so we had a nice conversation. Later on in the plaza, an older gentleman sat down to share my park bench, we didn’t exchange any words but he smiled when he sat down and smiled when I stood up to leave. It might not sound like much but it was such a genuinely friendly gesture that it meant a lot to me. It was a great day where I really felt like I was a part of Cusco instead of someone who is on the outside looking in.

I’ve been having a great couple of weeks here and I hope that it continues to be great! Once again, thank you for all the encouragement, good thoughts, and prayers and as always please keep them coming! I think and pray for everyone at home all the time and make sure to remind myself how blessed I am to have such an amazing support system.

Hasta luego from the naval of the world,

LP