Cusco, Peru & Machu Picchu

Cusco, Peru was an amazing city! I only wished I had more time to spend there. (Of course that's kind of how I feel about my entire trip!) The architecture was so amazing and the cobblestone streets were so cool. Some of the streets were only one car wide and I couldn't believe people would drive down the streets. Cusco is one of the highest cities in the world, sitting at 11,000 ft. above sea-level, but surprisingly I felt no horrible effects of the altitude. I was too excited to be there. I loved the sight of it from the minute I got there. I spent one day exploring the center of the city like the Plaza de Armas (in the photos above) and was lucky enough to be staying in a hostel just across the street from one of the biggest markets in the city! Needless to say, I spent a lot of time there browsing through the fresh fruits, bread and jewelry. My second full day consisted of a horseback tour that didn't go exactly as planned, but I did get to summit a huge mountain and see Cusco from above. Plus I hadn't ridden a horse in quite some time, so it was an adventure for sure. Although I didn't get to see everything I wanted to (due in part to this tour) all my bad feelings went away the next morning when I arrived at MACHU PICCHU!!

Machu Picchu was the most incredible sight I have ever seen and totally worth everything I had gone through to get there. Next time, I'm going to definitely extend the stay and travel by the whole Inca Trail, but I'm glad I got to see the city. It's just unreal. The whole thing was constructed almost completely with stones and there are llamas and giant chinchillas running about, not even caring about the massive groups of people visiting their home. Our tour guide was incredible at telling us the history and explaining all aspects of the village and I had a great time. I even met another girl traveling alone from Canada so we had a good time together. The city outside of Machu Picchu called Aguas Calientes was super cute as well. It's very small, but is lined with restaurants, hotels, markets and even has hot springs! A definite place I'd recommend spending more time in.

Here's me rocking my UW hat and just happened to run into a WSU Cougar on the mountain. What are the chances!? We had to take a picture because it was just too great. All in all, the small amount of Peru I saw, I definitely loved it and can't wait to go back and see more!

Back In Seattle

So I've been back in the states for a little over a week now. It has been an amazing time, but very bittersweet. I miss South America so much and am already thinking of my next great adventure! Lots happened in the last few weeks of my travels and I'm a little behind on my blogging, so here goes my attempt to catch up. Enjoy!

Stay Tuned...

I promise I'm not gone. I'm just enjoying my last few days here in Chile and will update when I'm back home in Seattle!

Up: Una Aventura de Altura

Today, my host mom and I went to see "Up: Una Aventura de Altura" at the local theater and it was super cute! At first I was a little apprehensive seeing a movie in Spanish. I was worried that I might not understand it, but I actually was very impressed that I understood what the characters were saying. I'm getting good at this Spanish stuff! And there are parts where there isn't a lot of talking, so it would have been enjoyable even if I didn't know what was going on. It is a very cute story and I think the fact that it was in Spanish actually added to the cuteness. Our favorite character was the rotweiller dog because he was just like Polo (the dog we live with)! The dogs were absolutely hilarious, but all the characters were great. Definitely a must see!

Chilean Delicacy #68,490

DEEEEELICIOUS! This dish is called "Lomo a lo Pobre" (Steak for the Poor) and it is sooooo good. It consists of a good piece of steak, sauteed onions and a fried egg all on top of a giant pile of french fries. Who wouldn't love this!? I have enjoyed this a couple times here, but it was especially delicious the morning after a good night of partying. Mmm! It's definitely a dish I'm bringing back to the states with me. Can't wait to eat it again!

Zapallar

This weekend I went to Zapallar to celebrate the 4th of July. The town was super beautiful!!! I only wish the weather was nicer so I could appreciate it more. It reminded me a lot of Hawaii, just smaller scale of course. But we had a nice weekend, enjoyed some empanadas, good music and of course some big beers! It was quite the fiesta and nice to get a group together.

Happy 4th of July Weekend!

Happy 4th of July weekend everyone!!! I'm headed to Zapallar: "The Hamptons of Chile" this weekend to spend time with others from the program to celebrate our holiday! It wont be the same celebrating in a different country and will be sad to be away from Lake Union and the best fireworks show ever. But it will be a hell of a lot better than last year where I was working at a horrible job. But maybe not better than the year before where I was working, but still able to take the amazing photos above. Anyways, whatever you're doing, make it fun and awesome!!!