Monday, September 28, 2015

Day 12: Getting Home Part 2

Hotel San Jose treated us to a great breakfast this morning, stocked with eggs, pastries, and a fruit bar!


We packed up what we had taken out from the night before and got ready for check out. 
After having to make a lengthy call to United Airlines to ensure that all of our ticketing information was correct for our flights later that evening, we decided to fit in some last minute sightseeing to the Temple of the Sun. We took advantage of being outdoors in the cool winter weather since we were heading back to the triple digit temperatures of Texas the next day.



This time around, we had much better luck with our flight from Cusco to Lima. Once in Lima, we had a fairly long layover where we were able to enjoy a meal from a few of our favorite American restaurants: McDonald's and Panda Express!


While the airline attendants boarded us onto the plane much later than expected, we were finally on the plane that would be heading back to Houston! Our time in Peru has been a life changing experience, and we gained friends in each other and all the people at Milhouse and Niños.


 The trip has helped us to better appreciate not only the Peruvian culture, but our own lives here in America. We look forward to another service abroad trip next summer and can't wait to see where we go next! Until next year, adios! 

Day 11: Our journey back to Texas... or so we thought

The morning started off with lots of packing and trying to fit all of our new souvenirs into our suitcases. It was definitely quite a challenge!

After a week of wanting to try a local Peruvian delicacy, we went for lunch at typical Peruvian restaurant. While our main meals consisted of wonderful grilled items, we decided to also order one Cuy, or guinea pig for the table. It was an experience we didn't necessarily enjoy but definitely will remember.

We were then able to fit in a quick nap back at the hostel before having to say our goodbyes to all of the staff at Milhouse! Milhouse was such a wonderful place to stay, and it now feels like our home away from home. We are looking forward to coming back in the near future for more adventures and fun!




After loading the bus in the middle of the street with record-setting speed, we headed for the airport!



Minutes before we were supposed to board our 5 pm flight, we got tragic news that our flight to Lima had been cancelled and that no more flights were leaving till the next morning. We sprinted down to the baggage claim to get our luggage and ran into the line that would hopefully book us a flight as soon as possible. Once in line, we then got news that our flight from Lima to Houston was also cancelled, leaving us stranded in Peru for another day.


Four hours later, we finally got new plane tickets and a hotel for the night. By that point, we were all exhausted, hungry, and just wanted to rest. We ate a late dinner and turned in early. While we were hoping to be back in America by that point, we were thankful to have a nice place to stay.
Hopefully our luck will be better tomorrow as we attempt to get back home again!

Day 10: A Surprise Day with the Kids

After another peaceful morning at Starbucks, we set aside a plan for the day, full of sight seeing and getting to explore different parts of Cusco. As we were walking out, we were pleasantly surprised when most of the kids at Niños showed up at our doorstep at the hostel to spend the day with us!



We first took them to the chocolate museum, where we each exceeded our quota of chocolate and sugar for the day. The kids had a blast with the chocolate fondue and loved trying all of the different types of sweets they had.






After a bit of relaxing in the Plaza de Armas, enjoying the beautiful weather, we decided to take them out for pizza for lunch! We shared some more laughs and really enjoyed getting to see them for a whole other day.


With some kids getting tired and others still wanting to play, we decided to head back to the hostel for the afternoon. There, we played some ping pong and then watched a few movies in the theatre room upstairs!

After the sun started to set, we walked them to the bus stop where they would get a ride back home. It was inspiring and heart-warming to see them all walking in a group and watching out for each other in in the crowded streets of Cusco. After another round of tough goodbyes were exchanged, we parted ways in hopes of keeping touch in the near future.

We spent our last night in Cusco having a wonderful peruvian meal that ended with a fabulous tres leches cake. The staff at Milhouse even decided to throw a going away party in our honor, which was so sweet of them. Over the past week, we had gotten to know them all so well, and we were all very sad to be leaving them tomorrow. We enjoyed the listening to the live music and dancing the night away!

Stay tuned for our very eventful trip back home to Texas!



Day 9: We Conquered Machu Picchu

After no more than 4 hours of sleep, we were up and ready to start climbing Machu Picchu. We could sense the nerves and excitement in the air--there was no turning back now! The majority of our group chose the adventurous route of hiking, while the rest enjoyed a relaxing bus ride up to the top. So at about 4:15 am, those of us who chose to hike started our trek to the base of the mountain. With our backpacks on, a flashlight in hand, and our ticket and passport in the other, we walked along the river to the entrance. There, we were met with approximately 100 other hikers who were waiting to enter Machu Picchu as well.


At exactly 5 am, the bridge was opened and we started our hike up of over 2,000 stairs. 
It took us a while to get into the groove of the hike, as it was difficult to climb the steep and uneven steps with absolutely zero sunlight. The trek was as mentally challenging as it was physically. With breaks every now and then, we were pushing through our exhaustion, trying to ignore our burning lungs and thighs!

About 45 minutes into the hike, the sun started to grace us with its presence. We could see the top of the mountain, which was when we started climbing even faster. During the entire hike, we encouraged each other to keep pushing through!


After an hour and eight minutes of climbing the steps, we made it to the top! Juan was waiting for us on the final step and greeted each of us with a smile and a huge pat on the back. We were so thrilled to have accomplished this huge journey together. Being able to say that we have climbed Machu Picchu was definitely something to be proud of!



After a short wait, we entered the ruins with Vincent, who was able to explain the history behind the mountain. There are no words to describe the beauty and mystery of Machu Picchu. An hour later, we were able to take a snack break, admiring the view at the same time. We then did a little exploring on our own, taking pictures every chance we could. We found a few spots to sit and enjoy the peace and serenity that comes with being on top of a mountain. Looking down, we could see the bridge that we crossed before starting our hike. All the way from the top of the mountain, the bridge looked like nothing more than the size of an ant.



















 





About five hours later, we started to make our way back to Aguas Calientes, where we enjoyed a much needed lunch. Those that hiked up the mountain were starting to feel the muscles in our legs and back grow stiffer and stiffer as time went on. We were grateful for the train and bus ride back to Cusco late that afternoon, where we could rest and take a nap.

The people at Milhouse welcomed us back to Cusco with a great dinner that evening! We turned in early that evening to catch up on our lack of sleep from the night before. While we were sore and tired, we were beaming with joy and happiness for getting to see one of the seven wonders of the world!

Day 8: The Journey Through the Sacred Valley

While we were sad that our days with the kids were behind us, we were also very excited to finally be making our journey through the Sacred Valley where we would end with a trek to Machu Picchu. It was an early morning for us, as we had a long day of traveling ahead of us. As we started our trip through the Sacred Valley, our first stop was at the Ccochahuasi Animal Sanctuary.


 The shelter was full of exotic Peruvian animals that were being cared for under the supervision of the workers at the sanctuary. We were blessed with the opportunity to take pictures with baby llamas, alpacas, and even condors!






The next stop on our journey through the valley was the Pisaq archaeological sites where we met one of our tour guides. We did a small hike through the area to learn about the ancient way of life here in Peru. The terraces were remarkable!








After the archaeological sites, we went to the Pisaq market, which was one of the top places we wanted to visit. We had heard about this market the entire week and couldn't wait to do our shopping. Once we got there, our tour guide gave us a meeting spot and time and let us run free through the market! Bless his heart, we can only imagine what he was thinking when our group of girls became giddy with joy after viewing all of the shops in store for us. We paired up with a buddy and went our separate ways, trying to see as much of the market during our time there.



Our last bus leg of our trip was to Ollantaytambo, which was a very small village where we would take a train to Aguas Calientes.


The train ride was a gorgeous hour and a half ride through the valley. We spent the train ride enjoying the view, playing card games, and doing word puzzles. It had been a long day of traveling, but we were all full of excitement still because every minute on the train brought us closer to Machu Picchu!


Once in Aguas Calientes, we were able to rest for a bit inside our hostel before heading to dinner with Juan and Vincent, our tour guide.









 We enjoyed a nice three-course meal, as Juan and Vincent prepared us for our hike up Machu Picchu early the next morning. We started to get really nervous about our hike when Juan and Vincent walked us through what to expect. After all, we were going to be making the hike up the mountain by ourselves, because our guides were taking the bus up!

We turned in early that night, because we had to be up at around 3:30 to prepare for our hike. Stay tuned to see our journey up over 2,000 steps to get to the top of the mountain!