- Machu Picchu is stunning.
- I love hiking but can't wait to do it again at a slightly lower altitude.
- My friends here are awesome.
Now, I'll start from the beginning. Thursday was my last day at Club Corazon. In celebration (not really, but let's pretend), we threw a carnival for that kids. (That part is true.) What I have learned about myself at this placement is that I really like to be active, if not in charge. I feel like the lady running the program knew that and was always quick to ask me for direction. In 30 minutes, we threw together some adorable games. When the kids walked in, I found myself closest to the face paint. Suddenly, I was getting requests for, "gatos, tigres, and leones." They all got a blob on their noses and 6 whiskers. Surprisingly, they seemed quite satisfied when they checked it out in the mirror. We had loads of fun playing the games. I struggled to keep the 3-4 year-olds off the tables, but no one broke anything, so ill chalk it up as a success.
Anyway, all of that was really just so I could tell you that I was in the ghetto. The after school program is located on top of a mountain, through the barrio, and all the way across town. I had to leave the carnival a tad early so that I could get to the other side of town for a pre-trek meeting. I was feeling good when I left because there was still some sunlight, and I had forgotten my flashlight. (See, I wasn't exaggerating when I said the ghetto.). So as it turns out Thursday just so happened to be the beginning of a huge festival in Cusco, so the streets were roaring by the time I made it down the mountain. Also, that sunlight that I mentioned was a thing of the past. So there I stood, waiting for a cab alone in the dark. I waited, full. I waited, full. I waited, full. After this went on for
approximately 15 minutes, I finally waved down an empty one. Relieved, I hop in and tell him where I need to go, not even worrying about negotiating a price. He drives me approximately 6 meters,
when I am promptly kicked back to the curb because there is no way he is driving me to the busiest part of town with that festival going on. Bah! I ask nicely, but pretty please with sugar on top doesn't really translate well in Spanish. Back to the curb I went. I waited some more, full. And some more, still full. At this point, I have a realization that I may never get home, so I panicked. I tried really hard to develop a plan, but for the life of me, could not come up with a good one. In hindsight, I old have probably just had to walk to a bus stop and hope that someone would help me. Instead, I waited and panicked. Eventually, an empty cab rolled by. He ripped me off, but I did not care. Whoah, I made it to the meeting with one massive headache and a giant pair of crabby pants.
approximately 15 minutes, I finally waved down an empty one. Relieved, I hop in and tell him where I need to go, not even worrying about negotiating a price. He drives me approximately 6 meters,
when I am promptly kicked back to the curb because there is no way he is driving me to the busiest part of town with that festival going on. Bah! I ask nicely, but pretty please with sugar on top doesn't really translate well in Spanish. Back to the curb I went. I waited some more, full. And some more, still full. At this point, I have a realization that I may never get home, so I panicked. I tried really hard to develop a plan, but for the life of me, could not come up with a good one. In hindsight, I old have probably just had to walk to a bus stop and hope that someone would help me. Instead, I waited and panicked. Eventually, an empty cab rolled by. He ripped me off, but I did not care. Whoah, I made it to the meeting with one massive headache and a giant pair of crabby pants.
Now, we'll fast forward to the trek. I had to leave my house at the crack of dawn (3:50) to go meet the crew. Somehow, I managed to not get my packing done the night before, so as punishment, I get to pack via flashlight, which probably still annoyed my roommate considering the hour. I probably should have just turned the lights on if she wanted to strangle me regardless. Anyway, I made it, and we were on our way.
Clearly, at this point I was exhausted. However, every time I opened my eyes on the bus, I saw something breathtaking, and it was virtually impossible to close them again. Llamas grazing on the hillside. Snow-capped mountains. Waterfalls. Several hours later, we stopped in Lares, where we were greeted by therapeutic baths or hot springs if we want to cut to the chase. They were incredibly relaxing. It was great because the 7 of us were the only ones there, and people seem to bond quickly when wearing minimal clothing. (We discussed this previously). It turns out people also bond quickly when they have terrible gas (we'll discuss this later) and when they all realize they are shedding layers of skin in thermal pools because they haven't had a proper shower in weeks. So we soaked and peeled our skin and bonded. We had an awesome group: Kim (actress 1), Kelen (actress 2), Maris (volunteer friend), Toyna and Patrick (Aussie couple), Tim (Irishman), and Leo (our guide).
After the baths, we were greeted by an adorable picnic on the lawn. The food was delicious. We aren't talking your typical hiking food. Jan and Casey, don't get me wrong, I love your Jamwhiches, but our personal chef made us steak and rice (naturally topped with French fries) right there in the
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