The Roundup.

Where to start?

I arrived to Peru in a blur. We left Santiago for Lima on a red-eye, just like the way we returned. I spent my first few hours in Peru in the Lima aiport--in purgatory hell, as I like to call. Really though, I just slept in Starbuck's, consumed some McDonald's ice cream, and even snagged a cheap, but crappy Peruvian massage.

From there, we caught another flight directly to Cusco, the gateway to Machu Picchu and the beginning of our epic journey. We arrived low on sleep, but hungry for adventure. After a nap and some cocoa tea in our quaint hostel, we wandered the steep, stone steps for info on the Sacred Valley and of course, the greatest Incan wonder of all, Machu Picchu. We haggled for hours, but finally arranged our business. Peruvians speak much slower than Chileans, thankfully, so negotiating a student group discount was much easier, although still never as cheap as we want it!

In the night we wandered upon a town parade. It was curious, indeed. We watched weird birds, children with lamps in the shape of stars, bumblebees and spongebob square pants(!), native instruments sounded and costumed women danced. I munched on food from the street, choosing Tamales and Potatoes slopped with an indescript sauce, I should have gotten the meat pairing, but I was a little cautious of its effects.

Day 2 brought us bright and early to the Sacred Valley. The land area encompassing many of the Incan's vast ruins, including Machu Picchu, however, the last is not included in the S.V. tour. That is reserved for an entire day of admiring.

The S.V. is beautiful, but touristy. Along our visit, we stopped at various markets to shop Indian crafts--including scarves made of alpaca wool, Incan trinkets, bags, blankets, murals, hats, hats, gloves, and more hats. Continued in the next post...