I'm currently chilling in the airport in Lima, Peru killing time during a 10 hour layover before I finally head home. It's crazy to think that after 3 months and 5 countries, I'll be home in the USA tomorrow.
The end of my trip was solid. After saying goodbye to the guys I had been traveling with, I stayed in Cuzco for another 4 days, for the most part checking out more Incan ruins. The day after seeing Machu Picchu, I took a day to relax, strolling around the city and checking out a cathedral or two. The city of Cuzco is probably the most charming of the cities I visited in Peru. It has a handful of nice plazas and churches, sporting some pleasant colonial architecture. It also had a good nightlife. Saturday night I ended up at a bar/club called Mama Africa. I spent the next two days seeing all sorts of Incan ruins on a tour of sites near the city and throughout the "Sacred Valley." They were cool but it got old after a while, constantly riding around on a bus then hopping off to see similar looking ruins. My last day in Cusco was my favorite. I did a 4-wheeler ATV tour that ended up being just me with the guide. I basically got to drive around at 50 MPH on dirt roads in the shade of the Andes for 4 hours, avoiding herds of farm animals and stopping to see a couple of unique Incan sites, including a salt mine still in use. That night I took an overnight bus out to Arequipa.
Unfortunately some 24-stomach bug kicked in while I was on the bus, so after a miserable night, I was happy to be greeted at the bus station by my Davidson friend, Andrea, who is from Arequipa. Last year, she did a 1-year exchange at Davidson and I had gotten to know her at the Spanish table and other Spanish-related events. I was excited to spend the last part of my trip staying with her and her family in Arequipa. Unfortunately, I was still unable to stomach any food and spent about 22 of the next 24 hours in bed sleeping. Fortunately, I was completely fine the next day, even getting in my first solid workout in 4 weeks at her gym there.
In addition to hanging out with Andrea and her friends and family, I did some more sightseeing. Walking around the city, I saw a couple more cathedrals and an enormous old convent called Santa Catalina. Andrea and I also did a bus city tour, which included stops at Alpaca World and cool viewpoints around the city, where you could appreciate the 3 enormous volcanoes right next to it. Only one is still active, but it hasn't erupted since the 15th century. If it does though, I'd say Arequipa is screwed. My last full day, I did a day trip to Colca Canyon. After leaving Arequipa at 3 AM, we spent the day driving to and through the canyon, stopping at various points, including one where we saw some condors (enormous birds) up close. We also stopped at some "hot springs," which were a complete bust. It was basically just a heated pool, less impressive even than my experience with Sarah at the springs in Mendoza. I got back from that adventure around 5:30 PM, and spent the rest of the evening hanging out with Andrea, going to the gym, and packing. This morning, I flew out of Arequipa to Lima, from which I will fly direct to Atlanta tonight.
Just because my trip has basically come to an end, it doesn't mean this incredible blog has quite yet. Once I get home, I'll write a quick summary post with some pictures from my all of my adventures (since I'll actually be able to upload them at home).
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