Mi último día en Perú

Although I am very sad to say that my time in Peru is over, I am so blessed to have been able to experience this wonderful adventure. I've been looking back on my beginning planning stages of the trip and I really had no idea what this place was all about - I had no idea about the history, the struggles, the people, the land; of course I knew about Machu Picchu and I guess I associated the entire country along those lines.

Upon arriving to Cusco I realized that Peru wasn't all just "el campo" and women wearing colorful outfits selling potatoes (although there are many women who still dress traditionally from los campos). Cusco is actually very similar to the United States - minus the stress about money, the rushing around to this place and that, and the cranky people. It's truly wonderful to experience a different type of life outside of the US, it actually kind of shows how absurd our time frames are and our constant need for scheduling. It has been a wonderful break from straightening my hair, painting my nails, and keeping track of the time!

Mi familia

My host family has been the greatest contribution to my trip that I could have ever imagined - plus, of course, my roommate, Sarah. These people are truly incredible and have boosted my Spanish skills, along with my outlooks on many parts of life, to an entirely new level. Just one example is dinner: in the US we take dinner for granted so much - a time to sit down and share a moment with the people you love; like come on people! IT'S IMPORTANT! Every night after dinner we would attempt to speak the Spanish language - amidst awkward Spanglish and pauses of "entiendes?" (do you understand?) - but nonetheless it was these moments that have built the foundation of my entire trip.

I have fallen asleep every night so thankful for the opportunity to live with Carmela and Guillermo for these 5 short weeks. I have never been so spoiled in my entire life - with food, the Spanish language at my finger tips, and the ability to learn about very different customs. After spending every morning with Carmela in the kitchen, I have had the opportunity to learn some cooking skills along with some life skills to continue even when the future seems cloudy or you feel like what your doing isn't being noticed. Guillermo constantly is making me laugh and smile with his upbeat attitude and positive outlook on life. His love for life has shown me the importance of surrounding myself with happy people who are looking to bring the best out in me. These people are truly incredible and I look forward to visiting again on my next South American trip!

Las aventuras

I knew that I would take a lot away from this trip, but I never quite expected it would be this much. After adventuring around southern Peru (Valle Sagrado, Machu Picchu, Lago Titicaca, and the Amazon) I quickly began to realize how small I am in the scheme of things. But I also realized the significance that just one person can have on an entire city, empire, or country of people. The Inca and their culture have been extremely fascinating to learn about, along with the Spanish conquest of America that has both benefited and plagued this entire continent. The thing I love most is that all of these experiences, whether bad or good, have remained a part of the culture of Cusco even after all this time. It is the idea that no matter the history, it will always be a part of you.

It's so easy to think "I'm going to forget this and be my own person" but it's impossible. Every situation we encounter affects us and will continue to impact our choices. Because of one choice made in the past, we are where we are now. And I love how I somehow ended up in this wonderful city, enjoying some of the most incredible experiences I have ever been offered. Spanish wasn't always a "future objective" for me but I am so glad that somewhere in time I made the crazy choice to continue struggling yet pursuing the language.

El Español

I have been asked multiple times about my language growth while abroad. It's kind of a hard question to answer right now because I have been living this life, speaking Spanish and attending 5 hours of Spanish class every day, that I have kind of forgotten what it is like to live without it. While skyping my mom I often catch myself using filler phrases, like "qué más (what else?)" and definitely "sí" this one is CONSTANTLY slipping out, as if I have forgotten that I can to speak English with her.

All-in-all I believe my Spanish has greatly improved - at least the listening portion. I think speaking is always challenging when you aren't fluent, just have to keep practicing! In a classroom setting I can pick up about 95% of what is being said, but the street-talk is an entirely different story, maybe 75%. It's amazing how different classroom-talk and street-talk are! I have come across some funny phrases that either translate directly or don't...I was told that I have "dos pies izquierdos" while I was attempting to salsa...So yes that translates directly to two left feet. But when I was trying to explain that my "nose was running" I got a VERY blank stare from my host dad...

Things to Remember

Evaluate your growth.

I believe that the most important thing to remember after this trip is that there is a reason why I stuck with this language. It is so easy to doubt your abilities while learning another language and to shy away from your successes as if they were lucky - but it's ok to say "I got that grade because I worked hard" or when people tell you that you are a good speaker and listener to take it seriously and accept it with more than a "gracias". It's important to step back - often - and remember how far you've come, but also how far you have yet to go. It has been so exciting to glance both backward and forward - deciding my next endeavor and a future for my occupation.

Travel.

I would have never been able to receive an experience like this within the US. It is a completely different type of language use when you are forced to result to other adjectives to explain what you mean rather than explain yourself in English.

By being submersed in an entire culture, I have become fascinated with their way of life and the history that this place is built around. It is so rich with context that was constructed from the Inca's that continuously infiltrates every aspect of life - food, language, customs, festivities. It's honestly quite incredible.

Try new things.

Food especially. Peru is so extremely rich in the sector of gastronomy - I have never experienced anything quite like it. They literally have more than 400 types of potatoes...anyways, although there were a few dishes I didn't quite enjoy (riñon - liver) I tried every single thing. It is so important to immerse yourself in the culture - it's easy to say "I want cereal every morning like I do at home" but that isn't how they live here. For your short trip, swallow your pride and continue to try new things and different ways of life - it keeps things interesting :)

Capture your adventures.

It's okay to procrastinate your reading for one night in order to write your blog or upload your pictures of your trip. Not only for me, but for my family - the internet has been a great way to remember my adventures. Although it might seem a bit extreme at the time to blog so much, I know in the future I will be able to look back and relive all of these incredible experiences.

Finalmente

Thank you for electronically tagging along with me for the past 5 weeks! I hope you have enjoyed my crappy story-telling and awesome experiences while I was abroad. Peru will forever hold a spot in my heart and hopefully I have convinced some of you to put this amazing place somewhere on your bucket list! Stay tuned for my next adventure :)

*Treat yo-self ... bc I have an infected bug bite and I leave in 2 days so why not*

*Gonna miss this chica!!!*

*Celebrating Guillermo's 60th birthday!*

Puerto Maldonado (aka The Amazon Rainforest)

*Blogged in attempt to procrastinate my studies...1 exam, 2 papers, and 1 presentation to go in the next 4 days!*

Información

Situated on the southeastern border of Peru, right next to Bolivia, Puerto Maldonado contains the river Madre de Dios which eventually runs into the Amazon River. Much of the area surrounding this town is made up of national reserves in attempt to protect the rainforest and the creatures that call it home. FUN FACT: It contains the greatest variety of animal and plants species of the planet! There are over 600 bird species, 900 butterfly species, and 115 dragonfly species.

We stayed at Monte Amazonico Lodge and it was awesome! Highly recommend for future trips to the Amazon. From there we visited Isla Mono (Monkey Island) and Lago Sandoval.

The weather was such a pleasant surprise compared to Cusco - I finally was sweaty! The lows in the Amazon (60's) are our highs in Cusco so I was pumped to get some nice, South American weather ;)

Viernes (aka Friday)

Friday morning we departed Cusco and flew into the Padre Aldamiz airport in Puerto Maldonado. We arrived around noon and then took a boat to our lodge (about a 45 minute ride on the river). My first thoughts were quite striking - the river was very brown and the air wasn't quite as fresh as I had thought it would be. Upon arriving to our lodge though, my ears quickly filled with monkey and bird sounds I won't ever quite be able to recreate.

After settling in we headed over to Isla Mono (Monkey Island) and got to feed the monkeys! Now these monkeys are not exactly wild - the island was set up as a reserve for monkeys that were being sold in the market (not sure if it was the black market but something similar to this). The government created this area for them where they are protected - they act like little house pets to be honest. They know that when tours come through they will get fed so they come down from the trees and take fruit right from your hand. BUT still can't touch them, nor did I want to because well they are still pretty wild and the animals here aren't quite as fuzzy and cuddly as the US (I haven't wanted to pet a dog for 5 weeks...which is super strange for my dog loving self). 

Pictures couldn't do this adventure any justice...videos will be up at the end of the week!

That night we got to experience a river boat trip at night in order to look for caimans. These crocodile like animals come to the surface at night and hug the riverbank. We were fortunate enough to come across all different sizes - seeing both white and black caimans (black caimans can grow up to 4 meters long...12 ft...or more!) Our boat driver even decided to catch a caiman - this one is an adult and veryyy fiesty for it's size!

Sábado (aka Saturday)

This was a FANTASTIC and extremely long day. We did so many amazing things and started at the crack of dawn...well actually a little before it! Wake up call at 4am had us using our head lanterns for light because the lodge only had electricity from 5pm-10pm. Nonetheless, we were headed to Lake Sandoval by 6 and got to watch the sunrise over the Madre de Dios river - quite spectacular!

Our hike from the riverbank to the lake was quite a trek though...an hour through mud - slipping and falling - all while our guides laughed and giggled at us gringas. The rule was that if you fell you had to buy the entire group beer that night...needless to say I was not gonna fall for the life of me ;)

The red line is what we hiked in order to reach the lake:

So upon our trek we came across so many different animals...red, green, and gold macaw (they fly in couples which is so cute - constant dates anywhere they want to go), anteater (way up on the top canopy of the trees - pretty incredible), sloth (it is rare to spot these because they move so slowly but our guide had incredible sight to pick up on these things), and some turtles, caimans, and random birds on the lake - just to name a few.

After our trek we enjoyed an amazing lunch - Juanes - which consists of rice, chicken, kalamata olives, and eggs wrapped in banana leaves and then boiled in water. It is so crazy good - Sarah and I ate at least 4 plates because obviously I take on the role of garbage disposal when no one else wants to finish their plates; I really took one for the team on this one ;)

Since I had about 2.5 plates at lunch worth of Juanes it's only reasonable that we went zip-lining right afterwards! :\ My friend Savannah said they were super sketchy about not following regulations but I am glad I have no knowledge about any of that - I am still alive today and had a blast using my GoPro to capture the zipping! ;) *Videos to come later in the week*

From zip-lining we ventured over to Isla Mono (Monkey Island) again but this time for some kayaking around the beach. The sunset was spectacular and it was an amazing feeling to have the sandy-mud between my toes because in Cusco there simply is no such thing!

To say the least it was a great weekend to end my adventures of Peru! Sad to say that it was my last one, but so glad we could relax and enjoy some great weather before our hectic week of finals began. Although I am covered with mosquito bites, I have to say - the Amazon did not disappoint!

*I need one of these at home...*

*Last week with the roomie, gonna miss her like crazy!*

*Beautiful sunset over Madre de Dios from our lodge - to the right side of the picture is Isla Mono*

*Living that wonderful mosquito net life.........okay maybe I won't miss EVERYTHING about the Amazon*

Mi Historia

Since I am more than half way through my Peru trip, I wanted to share my Spanish story with everyone - hopefully you'll be inspired afterwards to pick up a new language!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I took 2 years of German in high school but quickly realized that Spanish was going to be more useful for me in the future - after my trip to Honduras I switched over to learning Spanish for my junior and senior year.

After graduation, I seriously contemplated continuing (Spanish at Elkhorn was barely "taught" to say the least...I went into Madison at a beginner level). Sad part was, Madison cut their Spanish 1 class...I was placed in Spanish 2 with kids who had been learning for 6 years, AP credit, the big shabang; my first night I had 6 hours of homework and I felt like my dream of learning Spanish was out of the picture.

I worked my ass off my entire freshman year, attempting to learn as quickly as I could to catch up with the other kids in my class. Once arriving to Whitewater I felt like I was finally at a level where I was no longer "catching up" but rather learning and seriously enjoying the language.

This past semester I volunteered to work with 3 boys at Whitewater Middle School who had JUST moved here from Mexico; I was basically their lead teacher for language arts - making lesson plans, worksheets, quizzes, etc. This got me thinking about my major as an English teacher and if that was what I really was meant to do.

I decided to double major in both English and Spanish Education, hopefully being able to teach native Spanish speakers the English language at a kickstart program on the coast or possibly even abroad. If I could eventually teach at the university level that would be my dream.

Now I'm here in Peru and realizing the depth that knowing two languages can provide you. The need for skilled, bilingual workers is at an extremely high demand - but I hope that once you begin learning it, it won't just be for your job. It puts you in between two worlds - knowing both lives - hectic USA and relaxed Peru (or where you choose to go). It's an understanding of the hardships of entire countries that might not have hot water faucets, dishwashers, or excessive amounts of knickknacks. The language is only a small piece to the puzzle once you have delved into the entire culture that the language has built.

It truly is spectacular to be speaking English with someone and thinking in Spanish at the same time...Push yourself to enter a new proximity and understand the lives of other people. As Americans we are sometimes so caught up in ourselves - learning a language changes you and makes you aware of how small you are in the scheme of the world surrounding you.

Lago Titicaca

Qué significa "Titicaca":

Titi = puma
Caca = piedra (stone)

El lago de los pumas de piedra (The lake of the stone pumas)

*The lake is in the shape of a puma catching a rabbit...pretty neat*

Hechos Divertidos (aka Fun Facts)

• 56% of the lake is in Peru while the other 44% lies across the border of Bolivia
• volume wise...it is the largest lake in South America
• it is the highest (altitude = 12,507 ft) navigable lake in the entire world
• average water temperature is around 50 degrees
• air temperature has highs of 60/70 and lows of 30 (SO cold during the night)

Las Islas (aka The Islands)

The first island we stopped at was "Isla de los Uros" or rather called The Floating Islands. There are 44 different islands that make up this grouping and the people (Urus) live on these floating islands. This tradition is pre-Inca and was at first used as a protection mechanism from enemies (think...floating away from your problems). These islands and the housing complexes built on them are completely constructed with reeds (yes, everything...houses, boats, floorings - all reeds). Each step you take on the island sinks about 2-4 inches; it is really quite a strange concept and felt extremely weird to stand on!

*Kind of gives an idea about the boats and the housing being constructed entirely of reeds*

The second island we ventured to was "Amantaní" where there was some sort of modern technology but not much (half-way functioning toilets, no running water, and one lightbulb per room).
Here is our amazing host family greeting us on the island - our host mom was Valentina and she provided such a welcoming homestay for all 40 of us! The food and activities were quite marvelous.

• cuento rápido - quick story • 
Since we're all adults here...they fed us an incredible amount of food - so naturally people have to poop. I realized earlier during the day that the toilet wasn't flushing so I'm thinking *Oh shit...* literally. Of course I confide in Sarah (my roomie) about if she knew how to flush the toilet and thank god she knows all these weird things. The first thing out of her mouth is "Is there a bucket nearby?" A bucket for what!?!? Sure enough, there was a bucket outside that you had to fill with water in order to manually flush the toilet...and I was standing there praying and cursing at the same time that maybe the simple life ain't so simple after all!

I'll begin with LA COMIDA: Pachamanca ...bad transition from toilet story, my bad!
This was seriously the most incredible cooking I have ever experienced. To begin with...lava rocks are heated up by the fire.

After the rocks are hot enough, they are removed from the flame and the fire is put out. A couple rocks are thrown into the hole in the ground where the fire had been and placed on top is a sack of pollo (chicken). On top of the pollo is another layer of rock, then a layer of papas (potatoes), more rock...more potato...you get the idea. Once all the ingredients are in the hole, sage is added to the top and the entire concoction is covered with dirt... about 45 minutes later you have an amazing meal of pollo y papas.

That night we trekked up Pachamama (cause it's obvi better than Pachatata) in order to catch an amazing sunset over Lago Titicaca. Pachamama (Mother Earth) is a significant place for the Aymara people that live on Amantani...they provide many sacred objects (coca leaves) to this mountain as an offering.

The sunset was incredible and sharing the experience with tasty snacks and great friends was the best part of all. Prior to this hike we were told to purchase lanterns for the walk back down...and I was thinking waitttt wut?! BUT......there was obviously no electricity and this lantern helped a girl out plenty of times throughout the weekend.

Upon our arrival back to the homestay, we were greeted with a tradition of the "Baby's First Haircut". This was un poco extraño, but I went with it and cut the baby's hair and offered some coins and coca leaves that would eventually be used as an offering for good luck in the baby's future from Pachamama Mountain.

To finish up the night we were dressed in traditional Peruvian wear and brought to a fiesta (mucho bailando -  a lot of dancing) ... This terrible picture about sums up that part of the night ... YIKES!

The last island we visited was "Isla Taquile" and yes, we kept calling it Isla Tequila...typical college students, I know. It was gorgeous but had extremely weird customs; the people of Taquile still live exactly as their ancestors did. They are extremely well known for their handwoven textiles (so naturally I bought a scarf made with little llamas at the bottom) aaaaaand their relationship status (a lot more exciting than Facebook has to offer...) If you have time, I seriously recommend checking out this awesome article for more information on the Taquile tradition of wearing hats to identify status - both with power and relationships. VERY interesting stuff.

Now...la comida, of course! We ventured up to the top of the mountain and enjoyed lunch at the island restaurant - quinoa soup & trucha (trout) & coca té. To top it off, we got to eat while enjoying the most amazing vista (view) of Lago Titicaca.

 • la playa •

*Of course I enjoyed a peanut chocolate bar while getting a nice sunburn...Carmela and Guillermo (my host parents) have been calling me "Tomate" all day...*

Mi Experiencia

Although this post is getting a bit lengthy, I think it's important to brush on this. Upon my arrival to Lago Titicaca and the islands we visited, I was all Christopher Columbus - "This place is my paradise! Holy cow, it's so amazing and beautiful...the people, the earth, the food...WOW!" I literally caught myself saying that if I died, this place might just be my heaven.

BUT

Don't let the beautiful sunsets, amazing chocolates, and delicious food fool you...this type of simple life is an EXTREME culture shock from the US. Going from the US to Cusco was about a halfway step from what going from the US to Isla Amantani was. This is not the "simple" life that I always dream of living - tiny house, running water, not many knickknacks. This "simple" life is THE simple life...and while the stars are amazing (I got to experience the Milky Way for the first time! I have never seen so many stars!) the walk home in the pitch black with a native dress on that was cutting off my breathing was just short of the "washing up" experience. After 3 days of not showering and using a water bottle to wash my face and brush my teeth...I was SO glad to get back to Cusco's running water and what I like to call now "the semi-simple life". 

This is the reality of so many places in our world and it is seriously crazy the discrepancy of life experiences between an Aymaran and an American...the extreme culture shock kind of disrupted my trip and made me realize just how naive we can be sometimes - to think that living simple means electricity and running water when on the island it is not very simple at all.

Overall, the trip to Lake Titicaca was a great experience but I don't think I'll go back. It was an extremely hard trip because of the culture shock and really exposed the discrepancy of lives that people live around the world. Next time you wash your hands with running water or flush the toilet...just think about those types of things that we take advantage of and how difficult it would be to go fetch water just to complete these mindless tasks in America.

¡MACHU PICCHU!

La Historia

I will make this brief but meaningful because after all, the history of this place is absolutely crucial to understanding Peru and Cusco for all it has to offer. 

Machu Picchu was constructed in 1471, about 50 miles northwest of Cusco, and was reserved for housing the royal family. Although it was deserted about a century later (think 1570) during the Spanish conquest (even though the Spanish did not know anything about Machu Picchu) of South America, the site itself was not rediscovered until 1902 and officially not until 1911 (it's a pretty secluded, jungle area with a lot of mountains surrounding it - so it's not that weird that it took so long to be rediscovered).

Although the site was used for many things (think political, astronomical, and religious reasons) it was also a great place of protection - to this day it has proved to be extremely durable in the face of natural disaster. Like I said before, the site was abandoned around 1570 but the reasons are unclear - to this day the mountain receives fresh water and is very capable of sustaining life/food. It is believed that the people left abruptly to travel to another Inca site, maybe because of disease/sickness - many terracing walls in Machu Picchu stand out because they had been started but quickly abandoned, leaving scattered rocks and disorganization (very UNLIKE the Incan Empire).

*From Cusco we took a bus to Ollantaytambo (1.5 hrs) and then a train ride to Machu Picchu Pueblo (1 hr) where we stayed for the weekend. Prices were outrageous (actual American prices compared to 1/3 like Cusco is). Don't worry, we found a 4 for 1 happy hour, so I only had to pay 5 soles (less than $2 per drink...gotta love Peru!)

Now for some fun facts:

• Machu Picchu is a "New Wonder of the World"
• They did not need an irrigation system because of the terracing
• Only 40% of Machu Picchu is above ground - 60% is beneath the ground (think terracing, water channels, etc.) MIND BLOWN
• La Montaña Wayna Picchu was used especially for astronomy
• They are still restoring areas of Machu Picchu today
• Only current residents: Llamas ;)

Wayna Picchu

While "Machu Picchu" means "old peak", "Wayna Picchu" means "young peak". This mountain has many different translations (Huayna Picchu, Wayna Picchu, Wayna Pikchu...you get the idea). Yes, this is the mountain behind the ruins of Machu Picchu in the famous picture everyone knows...

So yes, that mountain in the middle with the high peak, I literally hiked to the highest point on the mountain. We were among the clouds and it was the most incredible experience I've ever had in my entire life. Here is a view of Machu Picchu from our hike...

Although about 5,000 visit Machu Picchu every single day, only 400 of those people are allowed to hike Wayna Picchu - SOOOO glad I was able to be a part of that number. It is a "Bucket List" type of thing for sure - if you're going to Machu Picchu and you don't complete the hike, it's a huge shame. I would've been kind of disappointed with Machu Picchu (I felt like I was in America - English everywhere and extremely touristy) had I not done the morning hike of Wayna Picchu. That being said, it is an extremely difficult hike...I was dripping, I repeat DRIPPING sweat for the entire climb up to the top. After 2 hours of hiking, we completed about 15,000 steps (and when I say steps, I mean steps). I didn't want to look at another stair case for the entire day.

I can't even begin to explain the rush of eating a snack on Wayna Picchu mountain, looking down at the entire ruins of Machu Picchu. Might be the coolest place I'll ever eat trail mix ;) We all had to keep reminding each other "Guys, we're at Machu Picchu!" It was beyond incredible and will definitely be a day of adventure I will never forget. #PinchMe

Special #ShoutOut

So blessed to have been able to get to know these people and experience some of the most amazing parts of our lives (adventuring around Peru) together!

*Sarah* 

My roomie and mom figure on this amazing trip. So blessed to share a homestay with her and learn all about the natural parts of life. She constantly reminds to me live in the moment and not look back!

*The Outcasts*

We call ourselves this because we prefer to be separate from the main group - think 45 people trying to hike one mountain... Savannah, 2nd from the right, is in both of my classes and her roommate, Hannah, in the middle. These girls are always up for an adventure and a good time - have appreciated their company on all of our adventures!

#MásComidaPeruana

Low-Down

I don't want to make this post too lengthy, so I'm going to stick to foods that I had this week that are native or special to Peru. I have been able to try so many different things thanks to Carmela and her amazing cooking abilities. I have been trying to help cook when I can - constantly asking "¿Cuanto?" (how much) and she just sprinkles a little here and pinches a little there...all of course while giggling at me and my American preciseness!

This week I learned how to make Jugo de Coco (coconut juice), Aji de Gallina, Sopa de Semola, y Guacamole. I'd say that's a start...I'll come back to a few of these later on!

Ahora (Now), just sit back and relax...perhaps eat before reading this ;)

Ají de Gallina

This traditional Peruvian dish has been my pride and joy this week; it is usually only made for special occasions because of how labor-intensive the recipe is. Since I was meeting the entire host family, Carmela thought it would be a good time to get me in the kitchen to help cook this with her. We had an amazing morning (took us about 3.5 hours to prepare) and she told me all about her childhood and growing up in Cusco - I'll have to save that story for another post, but she is truly an outstanding woman. After 3.5 hours...we finally got to indulge in this amazing masterpiece.

The recipe starts off con agua que está hirviendo (water that is boiling) for the pollo (chicken) to go in. While the pollo is cooking, I started making the breadcrumbs - soup crackers mashed up with crema (cream) y agua. While I was prepping this, Carmela was cooking the pimientos rojos (red peppers), un poco de sopa de pollo (a little bit of chicken broth), y cebollo (onion). This gets a nice red color but eventually dulls out to a yellow color once the breadcrumbs have been added to it. Once the pollo is all cooked, it is added to the breadcrumb/pimiento mixture (this portion is finally done). 

The water that the pollo was cooking in is used for the soup now - just add some sopa de pollo (chicken broth) and sémola (I haven't ever heard of this...but it's like a grain type thing?).

*Sopa de Sémola*

Toppings: one of the most important parts of this dish!!! Debajo (under) the pollo mixture a leaf of lechuga (lettuce) is added...Arriba (on top): dos "tunas" (aka kalamata olive? Weird, I know), dos papas (potato), y un huevo (egg). 

So you can imagine that my first experience cooking all of this stuff was a bit eye-opening...so many different types of foods but oh my gosh. Carmela always looks at my star-struck face as if I've just tasted food for the first time after being stranded in the desert "¿Te gusta?" ... "MUCHO!" through a stuffed mouthful :D

Lenteja & Arroz

Prior to coming to Peru I had never tried lentils...but, wow! It looks a bit like throw up but I quickly got over that once I tasted it. I have no idea how Carmela made this, but many recipes I've been finding are very intricate...this was VERY plain and tasted so fantastic - you don't need all the extra goodies!

Causa

I'm calling this one ensalada de pollo y papa (chicken and potato salad)...sooooo good! If you enjoy both of these, try this awesome Peruvian dish with a little bit of a kick to it. Carmela used pollo (chicken), papas (potatoes), cebolla (onion), and of course orégano - if I haven't mentioned...oregano goes on EVERYTHING here.

Mazamorra Morada

AKA Purple Corn Pudding - AKA Peru's finest and most delicious/spectacular/one-of-a-kind dessert!!!

This pudding can be served either warm or cold - I tried both and I personally prefer the warm one. Basically any type of fruit you want can be added to it; once again though, purple corn is only found in Peru :( It has some amazing health benefits (check out my other food post for more info on purple corn).

Cañihua

Pronounced: Kah-Knee-Wah. Hopefully you're still with me, because this is about to get real good. For all of you in the health kick (quinoa, etc.) check this superfood out. It goes by a lot of different names (chenopodium pallidicaule, kaniwa, etc.) The only problem is...it is SUPER rare; it is grown in the high altitudes of the Andes where most food struggles to survive. In fact, it can only be found in Puno, Peru...luckily I am headed there in 2 weeks and ready to bring back a couple pounds worth of this crazy goodness!

This grain is very closely related to quinoa but has even more health benefits (think higher levels of protein, calcium, magnesium, AND iron). I had this served as a drink - water, milk, and cañihua, but it can be incorporated in with bread, fruit...basically anything you want to put it with. My host dad, Guillermo, said I would sleep like a baby thanks to this awesome grain - I'll let you know how that goes for me!

Good news for me, it costs 5 soles here for a large bag (aka less than 2 US Dollars).

Bad news for all of us in the states, it costs about $25 online, not counting the absurd shipping rate I was too fearful to check.

MORAL OF THE STORY, if you ever find yourself in Puno, Peru - leave some room for this in your luggage!

En el Futuro

HEADED TO MACHU PICCHU TOMORROW...(aka in 4 hours - we leave at 4am) Many panoramic and GoPro pictures to come :D

Moray (aka More-eye)

Yes, and if you say it like "More-ay" you WILL be judged and labeled a gringo ;)

Today is a very important holiday in Cusco - Corpus Christi (think thousands of Peruvians...food, beer, dancing). It's a great time, but also very touristy! A couple of my friends from class and I were talking about maybe skipping out on the normal traditions and venturing out to Moray for the day...Best idea we've had so far.

If you can just quick paint this picture in your head - 4 white, American, 20 year old girls wearing hiking gear and trying to find our way to Moray (about a 4 hour trip there and back...) you can imagine it was quite a sight. Luckily their host mom gave some quick directions of key words like "Urubamba bus station --> Maras bus --> Taxi" :| yes that's what my face looked like, too.

BUT, we were on our way with this little sheet of paper, hoping to eventually get to Moray!

After our 5 soles taxi ride to the Urubamba bus station, muchos Peruanos were telling us to get on this bus...like, uhm sir WHAT BUS?! All we kept saying was "¿Moray?" "¡Sí, sí, sí!" ...so on the bus we went.

*Savannah lookin like a straight up gringa on the bus! Love it - especially the "backpack-death-grip" ... (pickpocketing is really popular on the public buses).

After about an hour or so the bus (6 soles) stopped and no one was getting off - so we're thinking "Oh, we'll just get off where everyone else does..." NOPE. I quickly saw a sign for "Maras" and once again asked "¿Moray?" "¡Sí, sí, sí!" .......... off the bus we went!

Now featuring a pretty sketchy bus stop in the middle of God-knows-where with once again muchos peruanos...so obviously you can guess what comes next...

"¿Moray?" "¡Sí, sí, sí!"

Into the taxi we went and this really awesome driver stuck with us for about 3 hours (only 40 soles!). He drove us through the town of Maras and took us to the Inca site of Moray, giving us some background of the culture, history, the land, and the town (how lucky that he was a tourism major - he was pretty happy we could understand Spanish, too...losing gringa points, gaining español points!

So, finally, WE MADE IT TO MORAY! This place is seriously incredible. It took us about an hour to walk around the entire site - 4 enormous circles of agricultural terracing (the circles were used because they are a phenomenon of the natural world - better to grow crops with, I guess). The site is about 30 miles northwest of Cusco and at a soaring elevation of 11,500 feet - yes, we were dying on our 1 hour semi-hike (frightened for our 3 hour hike of Machu Picchu this weekend...not really reassuring to struggle at Moray).

It was wonderful day off of classes, enjoying the amazing scenery that Peru has to offer! I just want to break down our entire trip with cost in mind because it's actually quite insane how cheap traveling is here:

Taxi (Marcavalle -> Urubamba Bus Station) = 5 soles

Bus (Urubamba Bus Station -> Maras) = 6 soles

Taxi (Maras -> Moray) = 40 soles

Bus (Moray -> Plaza de Armas, Cusco) = 4 soles

Taxi (Plaza de Armas -> Marcavalle) = 5 soles

• The exchange rate for US Dollars and Peruvian Soles is about 3.14
• 4 of us girls split the cost
• We travelled from 9:30AM-3:PM (5.5 hours)
• We were only not in a vehicle for about 1.5 hours

DRUM ROLL PLZ...

I spent a total of 15 soles...in other words $4.78 in the US.

For riding on public transportation for the entire journey - that is simply unheard of!

*Ahora* Feel free to watch this short video capturing our day-trip to Moray :)

*En el futuro* Blog post coming tomorrow about my favorite meals of the week...then this weekend: MACHU PICCHU! :D