Sorry for the lack of posts..internet is not the greatest here
Overall I spent around 5 days in Cuzco, 2 before my trek and 3 after. I mostly took it easy and walked around the historic center, indulging in a relaxing 30 sole/hour long massage including hot rocks, reflexology, ect. I ate great food including lomo saltado, which is marinated steak with caramelized onions and peppers over fries with rice on the side accompanied with a Creole soup that was outstanding. Another meal consisted of mixed ceviche which was delicious and even included a mini pisco sour (the main alcoholic mixed drink of Peru) for a whopping 20 soles!
This woman was selling belts, but looked like a good camera strap, so she modified it for me!
Creole soup, Lomo Saltado, and ice cream! Delicious..
Mixe ceviche plate (not pictured is the soup before and pisco sour)
Yay for fake bills from ATM. Always keep your receipt is what I learned..
I also knew I had to try the traditional cuy (guinea pig) and so I took a day trip to a small town named Tipón where they are famous for it. They also had ruins which I attempted to visit, but since you had to buy a ticket for multiple ruins, I turned around and headed back down the hill. On my way down I came across a zoo that was more in my budget. Although I saw some amazing animals, it was really sad seeing all the animals cooped up; I just wanted to free everything! There were beautiful birds in cages barely 8 feet tall. There were cute little monkeys that were literally reaching their arms out through the fence and grabbing my fingers. I have to say though, I was able to get within a foot of pumas which was my ultimate highlight (the difference between North American and South American zoos). They were so cute and curious, just hanging out taking cat naps, occasionally coming up to me when I went down for my bag.
View from the zoo, not bad
After the zoo I got my cuy. The meat itself was delicious, but scarce amidst the many bones and insides..but what made it most difficult to eat was the smell. I cannot describe it, but since smell is so connected with taste it almost ruined it for me. Oh well, I tried it and got an a awesome selfie, so it was worth the 35 soles for the photo and experience alone!
Another day I decided to walk up to the Jesus statue to get a nice view of the city. I guess I chose the only gray day with thunderstorms and a decent amount of rain, but it actually turned out to be one of my highlights of all of Peru. After just arriving to the top and removing my poncho (first time ever using it) I noticed this one tourist photographer had an interesting lens, turned out to be a fisheye! My favorite lens. Not only that but he was using a d90 (my previous camera) and had the same fisheye I had for it, and I also happened to have my same-branded fisheye on my gh4! We started talking and talked for a good hour straight! We talked about photography, where I have been, where he has been, my college and my studies, his photos and why he uses the lens, and more! I showed him some of my photos from my trip, he showed me some of his photos that he has been taking and we talked about composition, lighting, contrast. I was able to carry a legit conversation with him understanding everything, and best of all I was able to show him a new angle for photographing tourists at the spot where he shoots every day! How cool to not only geek out in another language, but to bring a new perspective to someone who makes their living at that spot. Nothing makes me more happy than to pass on knowledge or to give something of value that makes another's life better. I have been listening to TED talks and people seem to have the same philosophy, that true happiness is knowing that you make a difference in the world. It always has stoked me out to stoke people out, and if I can one person at a time it's a solid start. I definitely look up to my mother who is helping lead the world in making it a better place through sustaining our planet and making our lives healthier and less toxic.
Here is a photo of Victor and roughly the new angle that I showed him, including Plaza de Armas (the main plaza on the left side of the photo) AND the Jesus statue! I think it would work well on a sunny day with a nice group.
Later that day I was getting ready to head to Bolivia when my debit card got stuck in an ATM (it was my fault) on a Saturday, meaning I would have to wait another 2 days in Cuzco to retrieve the card. Well thanks to the best support team back home aka my father, he was able to cancel my card and get me money instantly through western union, so I was only delayed a day (actually could have not even been delayed but I stayed the night not knowing how on top of it he was). Thank you dad for always being there for me no questions asked and for being supportive and believing in me of everything I put my mind to.
It's been good times Peru, from relaxing at the beach to doing the hardest trek of my life to eating well to making a difference in people's lives. Off to Bolivia where I send my last 10 days before heading home. This has been an absolutely amazing adventure and has been worth every cent and I look forward to making the fullest of my last days in Bolivia.
"Buildering"
Inner city ruins
A beautiful place to come and relax on the grass and people watch
