Last weekend I was happy to leave Lima for the first time to venture out into Peruvian wilderness :) Something I'd been longing for because I'd heard there was sunshine and beautiful landscapes to see beyond this crazy city. I went with 6 other students from my group on a Thursday overnight bus. It was a greyhound equivalent but Peruvians are much shorter and smaller in general and so leg space wasn't very gracious and the people in front reclined their seats all the way back. Needless to say, it was a fun 8 hour ride, and cold! But when we arrived in the morning it was all worth it! There was sunshine!!!!!!!!!!!! I had felt deprived, so this was amazing. We went to the markets to buy food and call a cab from the little city surrounded by the Andes to an inn about a 40 minute drive up the mountains.
The inn was beautiful!!!! We stayed in a hostel type accomodation called the "cave bungalow" which was a room built into the side of a mountain cave. The beds were incredibly amazing with big warm down blankets so it was nice to sleep there since I miss my bed at home a lotttt. The views from the mountain were vast and beautiful! Mountain peaks forever, like a painting. Day 1 we rested on the hammocks all day and just hung out to become accustomed to the high altitudes. Day 2 we woke up early, enjoyed complimentary crepes and fruit salad and tea and headed off for a hike. We were advised to take it easy so we hiked through a nearby valley, which felt much more difficult than normal because of the altitude adjustment. But it was beautiful to walk through nature finally and we could drink the water in the valley streams and it was just so rejuvinating to be there :) Ixtla (friend in my program) and I rested on a big boulder for awhile. I ended up falling asleep, with our "guide dog" who had followed us from the inn cuddled next to me. The sunshine and the sound of the stream and a nice nap on a big rock.. perfect afternoon. Day 2 our big group split up into smaller groups to do different things. I went with Jessa and Peter to hike in another valley to Huarascarán National Park... It felt great to do so much hiking! My body was thanking me... We passed a few small villages with homes build of piled rocks and thatched roofs. The people who lived in them dressed traditionally and asked for sweets as an entrance fee to pass through. I thought that was funny. We stopped to eat and then rest at this beautiful spot along a stream where you could see snow peaks in the distance... it was another lovely afternoon!
By night we ate warm meals prepared by the chef at the inn, I decided to splurge on meals that cost 20 soles, or $7ish because after a long hike, it was well worth it. We also played a lot of scrabble and cards. What a fun and relaxing weekend! It definitely reenergized me to come back to Lima.
The 8 hour ride back to Lima was all day Monday because it was El Día de Santa Rosa in Lima, a holiday, and we didn't have classes. This bus ride was absolutely breathtaking!! and a little scary because I couldn't see the road, just the edge of a cliff with a hugggggeee fall if the bus made a wrong move. We zigzagged through the mountains for awhile, through a few different villages and beautiful streams and foresty areas and then we drove through desert land.. and eventually made it back to Lima where we were greeted by cold, humid weather, creepy taxi drivers and car horns. Home, sweet home.
Classes have been good this week so far.. We're talking a lot about the UN in my International Relations class so that's interesting and I've kind of been enjoying my readings for my Spanish class.. and understanding a lot more! I love Spanish :) :) so living here makes me happyyyyyy! And after skyping Greg and Sierra for 2.5 hours and talking to Greg in Spanish for maybe like 1/3 of the time I'm noticing major improvements... This is a good feeling considering it's only been a month. Already, it feels hard to transition back to english just to write in my blog.. in fact I am probably using horrible sentence structure.. ANYWAYS..
I should tell you all about the worst Combi experience EVER!!!!!!!! On my way home from La Catolica tonight.. I got on a Combi that was already too crowded, but I didn't want to wait longer. I stood for a good 20 minutes hunched over because I'm taller than a lot of Peruvians hence I don't fit in the combis so well, while trying to hold on to my backpack like it was my life, to avoid getting robbed in a crowded combi. This was incredibly uncomfortable, especially the way the drivers here zigzag through traffic and speed up just to stop just in time to avoid a major accident (I swear living here will make me a horrible driver). Anyways, a seat eventually opened up and I hopped to it in front of like 2 other men standing on the combi. I sat there as more people crowded on.. Soon enough I was crammed with my head against the class, 3 butts in my face and another man hunched over me coughing in my hair... THIS IS THE COMBI EXPERIENCE. for an hourrrrrr... welcome to my world. YOU ALL BETTER APPRECIATE SEPTA AND PITTSBURGH TRAFFIC, OR ELSE!!!!! I kind of wanted to cry a little bit and then I thought about how ridiculously awesome it is that I'm going to survive this experience and look back at it and laugh one day, so I embraced it.
I'm having so many "Oh, Perú" moments.
Anyways, today marks one month since I arrived. THAT TIME FLEW BY! I'm nearly 1/4 finished with my program.. sometimes I think a semester is too short. I love this experience, despite my horrible impression of Lima.. but then sometimes I think I still have 3.5 months ahead of me... and I miss Temple. But I know if I were there, I'd rather be here.. so again, I embrace it. I just miss all of my amazing friends in Philadelphia!!!!
I've received three letter so far (Thanks Kelly, Sierra & Stef!!!) I love getting mail so you should all feel free to send me letters!!! I will reply.. eventually. Ask me for my address :)
I've also done a lot of skyping.. which is kind of distracting because this is "study" abroad and I have a lot of work to do, too.. but I enjoy it :) So let me know when!
Plans for the rest of the week are..... Tomorrow morning: run along Pacific Coast to Parque del Amor. Lunch. La Maquina (my fav café here) and then class. Tomorrow night I'm going to Sargeanto Pimienta in Barranco for live music!! (If all goes according to plan) anddd Saturday I'm going to see some pre-incan ruins. You know, no big deal.
Perú is loco.
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