Drew just left yesterday and we had a great 2 week visit together! I have tons of pictures and lots of stories so I'm going to do this in a few parts to make it a little bit easier...
I went with two of my friends to pick Drew up from the airport 2 Tuesdays ago - I was sooo excited! It had been almost 3 whole months since we had since each other in February. I think he was a little overwhelmed with all of the traffic and honking and crazy advertisements at first, but as soon as we got to Kusi Wasi he felt right at home. He also probably felt safer knowing he was one of the tallest men in the whole country.
Drew with my Peruvian friend Pablito (in my sweatshirt) - Pablito isn't slouching
So excited!
On Wednesday we went to Miraflores, the nicest district in Lima, for a nice lunch on the ocean and a walk along the coast (making a stop at Parque del Amor of course). We had to come home early because Wednesday night was my birthday celebration at Kusi Wasi! Margarita made tacos, my favorite, and got a special cake with strawberries (per my request).
Drew, Margarita, and me
My Kusi Wasi family :) Thanks for the bday party!
Early on Thursday morning we left with 5 of my friends - Lenka, David, Kris, Kalli, and Rebecca, for the airport. We took the quick hour long flight to Cusco and went to the hostel I had booked, Incama hostel. After enjoying some free mate de coca (tea made from coca leaves) to adjust to the altitude, we went out exploring. Cusco is a very cute town in the middle of the Andes with cobblestone streets and little girls trying to sell you bracelets at every corner. There were also a lot of women dressed up in traditional Peruvian clothes holding a baby lamb and offering pictures for 1 sol. AND almost everybody asking if you wanted massages! "Massage miss? Very cheap! Maybe later?" I must have said "no gracias" about 100 times a day.
Fountain the Plaza de Armas
Cute little girl playing with pigeons
Me with the lamb!
There was a Machu Picchu package organized through our hostel that Drew and I were very interested in - it seemed like a very good price and booking it would mean not organizing anything on our own. We took up the offer and so did Kris, just because the three of us didn't want to waste time in beautiful Cusco running around to travel agencies trying to save a little bit of money. To us, it was worth the extra money to have it all taken care of! However, that meant the three of us were separated from the other four for a majority of the trip. We still had fun during the nights, though! Our favorite bar we found in Cusco was called Paddy's, an Irish bar near our hostel with a fun vibe. I was there on Thursday night at midnight when I turned 21! If you would have asked me a few years ago where I'd be when I would turn 21, there is no way I would have said in an Irish bar in Cusco, Peru. But hey, life is full of surprises and I couldn't have been happier!
Paddy's Pub
Cusqueñas for the 21st bday!
On both Friday and Saturday Drew, Kris, and I went on tours to the archeological sites around Cusco. We bought a tourist ticket that allowed us entry into all of the places for 70 soles, or about 25 dollars. It was totally worth it!
Cusco
The first site we went to (after visiting 2 gorgeous churches) was called Sacsayhuamán, but we pronounced it as "sexy woman" - probably the most impressive Incan ruins next to Machu Picchu. We couldn't believe how massive the stones were that the Incans had to haul around! One major thing about Incan construction is that they used absolutely no mortar, yet the stones fit perfectly together - you couldn't have put a thin sheet of paper between the rocks if you tried!
at sexy woman
HUGE ROCKS!
View of Cusco - "Viva El Peru"
Another Incan site
Pretty clouds
We stopped at an alpaca clothing factory after the Friday tour....
After Friday's tour we went out to eat at a cute pizza place called Chez Maggy's with a wood fire oven. There was an Andean folk band playing and when Kris told them it was my birthday they sang to me! I get to check that one off the bucket list... After dinner all 7 of us went to The Muse, another cute place with big comfy couches and pillows and another live band. This was just 2 guys instead of a whole crew, but they still sang me happy birthday, too! I don't think I've ever had such a variety of Happy Birthday songs sang to me on one day. So special.
We had to wake up early on Saturday morning to start our more extensive tour. After stopping at a market with artesian crafts, we headed to Pisac, another one of my favorite Incan ruin sites. There were huge agricultural terraces used by the Incans - the soil at different heights is best for growing different crops, so they used terraces instead of just a flat field.
Alpacas and Llamas at a market (Saturday morning)
Woman weaving a tapestry
Kris and I in the Andes
Urubamba River - the river that runs through the Sacred Valley
Drew and I at Pisac
So many different levels!
All of those little holes in the mountainside were tombs that the Incans would put the dead
Another impressive Incan wall
:)
All three of us at Pisac
After exploring around Pisac a bit, we went to a place in Urubamba for lunch. It was a nice break from all of the guide's information! Speaking of the guide, she spoke both English and Spanish, and it made me realize how great my Spanish is getting. She would be talking and I'd be thinking "wait, she just said this exact same thing" - and then I realized it was just in the other language. I used to hear Spanish and translate it into English in my head, but I don't have to do that anymore - I automatically understand the Spanish. A success!
Ollantaytambo was next, another Incan site in the mountains. This one also had lots of terraces!
Ollantaytambo
steep terraces
Incan stones
Drew and I at Ollantaytambo
There is a face in the rocks (facing towards the left) that the sun would directly shine upon every summer solstice.
While the rest of our tour bus returned to Cusco after Ollantaytambo, we stayed there because that's where the train station is that connects to Aguas Calientes, the small town at the base of Machu Picchu. We found a group of travelers from DC who were also waiting for the train, so we had some drinks and appetizers with them while discussing our travels and Peru. Three of them were nurses and I was delighted to hear that they never have a problem taking off work to travel! We finally boarded the train in Ollantaytambo around 7:30 and started getting extra excited for Machu Picchu the next morning :)
Drew's first train ride! (On the way to Aguas Calientes)
TO BE CONTINUED...
