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Hola amigos! Bringing you this blog post is Alison Gu, and I recount our adventures beginning from July 28. Enjoy! July 28: Today we got up at what seems to be a normal time for us, 645, to have breakfast at the hostel. Then we were out by 730 and at the bus station at 8, and leaving cusco for good at 8 30. It was a bit weird to many, and emotional for some. The bus was swanky as swank, and the 6 hours wasn't as bad because of the luxurious and massive seats. When… Read more

First and foremost, to all the worried moms and dads - there are no broken bones, missing appendages, or casualties; just smiling faces, conquered fears, and countless great memories! Over the three day rafting trip, the group rafted down the Apurimac River. We were split into three teams, each with one raft and a guide. There was another raft for all of the cargo, as well as two safety kayakers. The first day was all about the basics. We learned all of the commands an… Read more

Never would I have expected to have twelve new, instant friends after only a week in this exciting new country, but alas, something has just clicked with these people from all over the US (and Canada, I have to give some credit to our very special Canadian friend, Allison). Even though she works in mysterious foreign ways, (with more energy and positivity than I every thought humanly possible), she is another part of this incredible group that will be together for … Read more

Before arriving to Peru I took the road laws for granted. Actually, I never had to consider why anyone would be in any lane but the right. But surprises are the beauty of traveling, and the first taxi experience in Lima will totally change your perspective on driving. On every street the taxi drivers appear to be jockeying for space, coming within inches of eachother every other second. And how do these drivers magically move around without too big of a pile up? Well, in… Read more

The time in the trip had arrived that most of us had been waiting for - the inca jungle trek! The trek we´d be taking was an alternative to the one that hourdes of tourists come to trek day after day. As apposed to dealing with 500 people, we only had to contend with a dozen or so. The first part started out with a cool descent of nearly 8,000 feet by bicycle. At the top of the mountain it was cold and cloudy, but our rapid descent brought us into the thick of the jungle… Read more

These are just three of the many new things that I have discovered during my first week in Peru. Ceviche is a delicious national food composed of a type of fish served mixed in with vegetables and plenty of lime juice to create an overwhelming flavor. The coca plant, which may carry a bad connotation in the US given that it can be turned into cocaine (which we have been told is an arduous and expensive process out of the capabilities of most Peruvians), is an everyday no… Read more

My twenty-minute walk to school this morning from my homestay in Santiago, an area of Cusco to the south of the main plaza, was eerily calm. Due to the country-wide transporation strike, "Paro," a protest of rising gas prices, among other complaints, I didn´t have to constantly guard my toes from speeding taxis, which swarm the city´s narrow, cobblestone streets with what seems like no sense of caution or pedestrians. Still, though, the city retains its constant buzz of … Read more

After arriving late Saturday, little did the group know their day would start by exploring catacombs, and end with paragliding and eating octopus ceviche. But such are the adventures when you´re traveling in Peru. The group is getting along well, and have been learning as much from each other as they have from Peru. Through out the trip we´ll be composing a group guidebook for future Peru adventures. Each participant has been assigned a section of the book, and will… Read more