On Tuesday we had class and then we had to be in Miraflores by 2:15. Without traffic it doesn't take too long but we took a taxi anyways. We were going on a double decker tour bus to central Lima. It was about 3 hours long. It happened to be the hottest of days then but I love the sun so it was fine by me. We eventually got to the St. Fransisco church where we got to go under to see the catacombs. Once we got off the bus, tons of venders harassed us to buy their stuff. There was anything from hand painted pictures, to little llama figurines. Being the pushover that I am, I bought plenty. Once we got in the church, we weren't allowed to take any pictures. I don't know if I was fascinated or freaked out by the fact that dead people were surrounding me. The bones were organized and I was sure we had all been possessed.Then we rode back and went to get food. Marki, Abby and I went to Pizza Hut for some good ol American pizza. That will be a frequent visit of mine because a whole meal only cost $3. We got a cab to go home but it was miserable. I will never again complain about the traffic in Omaha. It was so bad. What was supposed to be 20 minutes, took like an hour and 15 minutes. That trip took a lot out of me so I went straight to bed.
Wedensday: Class is the same ol thing. That night 7 of us girls planned to travel to Huaraz. A town about 8 hours away where we could hike. We got on the bus at 10:30. Trying to sleep was impossible. This girl (old enough to know better) cried bloody murder for at least 3 hours of our trip. It was so awful. We wanted to ask when they were retuning to Lima so we would never have to get on the same bus with them again. Eventually we arrived and went to our hostal. It was more than we bargained for. We met Emilio the sweetest owner. He gave us huge private rooms and awesome hospitality. We call him dad. He would tell us how much we should spend on taxis, where to eat, and gave us towels! He was so accommodating. Some people took naps while some of us went to get breakfast. I have already spent way too much money on this trip(so sorry mom) but everything is so cheap I feel I can justify it. In Huaraz, most things you bargain for. I immediately got an Alpaca sweater for 40 soles (about $12) and then bought name brand things for about the same. I just can't stop buying everything because it's so cheap. There was a lady in the town square who walked around with a llama. It was a donation where you volunteer money to take a picture. Out of all the girls, the llama spit in my face(hence my title). So I payed one sol to get spit on!
Yay me.Taxis here cost 6-15 soles which is extremely cheap because we usually split it with 4 girls. Huaraz is actually a lot bigger than any of us imagined. We hiked three different trails and thankfully they had a horse that could take me to the top. Thank the lord. The first trail was freezing towards the top. We walked in sleet for awhile but the views were breath taking! The second day was 10 times more grueling than the first. It was to go see Laguna 69 (a lagoon with the bluest water). It truly was beautiful but the trip was way harder than I thought. We started the day off by getting on a bus at 5:30 am. We rode for about 2 and a half hours on a very bumpy ride.
We got to a restaurant to eat breakfast. Found a puppy there and named it Pato.
Then we had about an hour left to go. We stopped at the beautiful lake that was clear as day. Little did I know, that lake looked pretty similar to Laguna 69. Then we started out hike. It took us 4 hours. We scaled 3 mountains. This hike would be hard for someone in shape, so you can imagine my chip eating self dying. Each time we conquered a mountain, I would think "oh we have got to be here" I COULDNT BE MORE WRONG. I can honestly say that was the hardest thing I have ever done both mentally and physically. I could tell my dad was pushing me not to be a little wimp and just finish it. There were times I thought I was going to pass out, lose air, and not get to see what I worked so hard on. We did make it. This four hours includes like 80 breaks to catch our breath too. We didn't spend as much time at the lake as I would have wanted.
Partially because this break was absolutely necessary and it could've lasted days if it were up to me.
*Note: when a tour guide says 15 minutes left, he really means 45. After we ate lunch, we made our way down. I was proud of myself for making it but my legs didn't agree.
At some point, one gave out and I tripped and fell, smashing my knee against a rock and bruising my thigh and my ego. I'm gonna look really nice for spring break now(; On the way back, we passed by our fair share of domesticated cows.
They were cute but scary up close. Finally we got on the bus and I read on the way back. Our trip up and down scared the crap out of me. We passed over bridges equipped for a 3 year olds weight and rode so close to the edge. Never have I been so happy to see my bed. But we had to get right back up in the morning for our last hike. That hike was not nearly as bad as I thought. We did not know where we were going on Sunday but just got on the bus anyways.
We ended up going into the mountains for 3 hours and stopped at some Ruins. It was a nice cool down from the hell we endured the day before. We met so many people on this little trip from all around the world. The girl who sat next to me was from Hungary but lived in London. The day before we met someone who was from Canada. When you hear someone who speaks English,you feed off of that like they are the only people that understand. Even though I came to speak Spanish, English is a glorious thing.
I won't be posting for about a week and a half because we have spring break in Mancora! My ultimate goal is to just take pictures with all the wildlife. But shoutout to my mom and boyfriend for always pushing me to do things I never thought imaginable! I love you both. Until next time fam😁
Beautiful!!! You go girl!
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