#updatemytrip

After a long time, I'm reaching out to you again. After my volunteer position in Ollantaytambo, I met my father, his wife, and my brother in Cusco. We spent a week together in Cusco. Of course, during this time, we also visited one of the Seven Wonders of the World, 'Machu Picchu'. The attraction in Peru that is both overpriced and overcrowded with tourists. 'Machu Picchu', for those who don't know, is a ruins city that was built and inhabited by the Inca people on a mountain before the 15th century, before the Spanish conquered Peru. The Cusco region has many other ruins from the Inca civilization and other pre-Inca civilizations. I was very impressed by the Inca palace in the city of Cusco, located on a mountain above the city. Walls and buildings were built with huge stones. How on earth did the Incas transport and work with such large stones?! There are various theories, but researchers know that the stones were transported over several kilometers. Or were the Incas aliens after all?! Nobody really knows :D. After a week with interesting discoveries and a great time with my father and brother, it was time to fly back to Lima at the end of the week. However, on Saturday, July 21, 2018, my flight from Cusco to Lima was unexpectedly canceled and postponed for two days due to bad weather conditions. Unfortunately, I only found out about this news at the airport when I was already going through security and wondering why my flight wasn't showing up on the departure screen after waiting for almost 2 hours. My family was lucky because they had already traveled a few hours earlier with another airline, but they also had to endure a 3-hour delay. My flight was rescheduled for the following Monday morning at 7 am, and I had to spend two more days in Cusco without receiving any compensation. The costs of accommodation were not covered either. Of course, I kept all the receipts that I incurred during those two days to submit them with a complaint letter to the airline (Vivir-Air). Finally, on Monday, I arrived in Lima exhausted but with a 3-hour delay. From Tuesday to Wednesday, my father, his wife, my brother, and I rented a car to drive to a desert region (Ika) in Peru. There, we could admire beautiful sand dunes, just like in a picture book.

On the weekend of July 29, I continued to the mountains of Lima, to San Pedro de Casta, as I had a new volunteer position in the tourist area. However, after a week there, I decided to leave the project early because I didn't feel completely comfortable and didn't want to work as a volunteer anymore. Nevertheless, I used the last Saturday and Sunday to stay in the mountains with my brother, who traveled from Lima just for that, to climb the mountain 'Marcahuasi' and spend a night there. The mountain is located at an altitude of 4100 meters, so the ascent was quite challenging (5 km uphill), especially with our heavy backpacks containing food, sleeping bags, and tents. Once we reached the top, we looked for a quiet spot, as many other people had the same idea. We settled by a lagoon where no one else pitched their tent. The silence up there on the mountain was incredible. You couldn't even hear the wind. It's indescribable. We could also see the stars very clearly... as the sun set, it quickly became colder. At night, it was so cold that the temperature dropped to freezing point (my water bottle was frozen the next day :D). It was extremely cold, and we couldn't really sleep. It was a very uncomfortable night for both of us. I had never slept in a tent at such low temperatures before, and I probably won't do it again anytime soon.

Since Sunday, I am back in Lima with my brother. However, this week will be my last week in Peru because I am leaving for Colombia next Sunday. I will be flying to the Caribbean part of Colombia to meet my friend David. We haven't seen each other for over two months, since we last met in Spain, so we have a lot to catch up on. I'm excited that our paths are crossing again. Even though it will only be 10 days, I'm really looking forward to it. It will be an absolute dream come true for me, as I have never set foot in the Caribbean before. Dream beaches, music, and of course, lots of fiesta (party) await me :)

Cusco City Center: (El centro de Cusco)

Inca Palace of Cusco: (El palacio de las inkas)

- How on earth did this large stone get there in the middle?!

(¿Cómo pusieron esta enorme piedra en medio?)

- View of Cusco from the Inca Palace

(La vista de Cusco desde el palacio de las inkas)

Other excursions in the Cusco region: (otros excursiones en la región de Cusco)

- Inca Terraces; the Incas practiced agriculture here, especially growing corn and quinoa.

(Inka terrazas; las inkas practicaban agricultura aquí, especialmente el cultivo de maíz y quinua.)

- This maize, for example, is still being produced today and is popular in many Peruvian dishes. There are more than 80 different varieties of corn. Also, very popular is the national drink Chicha Morada, made from a purple corn called Chicha Morada. It's delicious! It's my absolute favorite drink here.

(Este maíz, por ejemplo, todavía se produce y es popular en muchos platos peruanos. Hay más de 80 variedades diferentes de maíz. También, muy popular es la bebida nacional Chicha Morada, hecha de un maíz morado llamado Chicha Morada. ¡Es deliciosa! Es mi bebida favorita aquí en Perú.)

(Una ciudad de una civilización que existió antes de las Inkas)

Machu Picchu

- The tourist town 'Aguas Caliente' that was built specifically for Machu Picchu.

(La ciudad turística 'Aguas Caliente' que fue construida específicamente para Machu Picchu)

Desert of Ika, 4 hours away from Lima: (El desierto de Ika, a 4 horas de Lima)

Volunteer position near San Pedro de Casta and the Marcahuasi mountain: (Mi posición de voluntario cerca de San Pedro de Casta y la montaña Marcahuasi)

-A typical road in Peru
(Un camino típico en Perú - a menudo)

The Marcahuasi mountain at 4100 meters (La montaña Marcahuasi a 4100 metros.)