Arequipa is incredibly homely. I don't know if it has to do with leaving the natural "garua" (the continual grayness that the Humboldt current casts over Lima) of the big city, but I can't really remember seeing brighter nights than in Arequipa.
"estrellas brillantísimas por aca! nada de polución de luz, montañas pasando por el fondo. es bacan de verdad!!" (Bright stars here! No light polution, mountains in the background. it's seriously sweet!), tweet
It's a great tourist destination for those who enjoy the outdoors (as about 1 out of 4 people I saw were definitely not Peruvian). There were plenty of opportunities to go hiking, rock climbing, bird watching, mountain biking & rafting!
Also, even though I had to wait for a tour bus to pick me up at 2am (and they didn't show up till 3:10!!!), the tour of the Colca Canyon was worth it. After all this bullshit happening in Arizona recently, I thought the only thing they had was the deepest canyon in the world; well, they don't, so the Grand Canyon state officially sucks. We also got to sneak a peak at some condors. They were pretty far away, except for when they flew right over us and my camera was dead :-/ It was a long day, but I'm glad I got to see the world's deepest canyon!
"Lots of bussing. Condors and canyon was worth it, saw some snow, meet some folks, but I'm deadddd.", tweet
Puno is an adorable little city on the edge of Lake Titicaca (which I thought was the highest lake in the world, but is the highest navigatable lake in the world). The streets are narrow, littered with delicious restaurants that start at a mere 2 soles per meal and I heard Quechua & Aymara everywhere. I visited the floating islands (Uros) and also a natural one (Taquile), as well. It was interesting to see a population so disconnected from another that (I feel like) is already so disconnected.
"Titicaca feels like an ocean. There are 60 islands, only 35 are natural; the rest float from reeds/roots, originally to escape Inca attacks!", tweet
The people seemed to always be smiling. I don't know if that had to do with the elevation, the lake, or the higher concentration of indigenous people, but it was very relaxing to see everyone so content. Their graffiti also reflected this happiness & love, as I saw "te amo" everywhere!
Even the Puneños at the hostel I stayed at were great. One of them randomly saw me at the bus station, as I stared so tourist-like at my Lonely Planet, then told me about a cheap, comfortable & well-located place to stay. He took me there and gave me a room that was supposed to be for 3 (with cable TV, internet, personal bathroom with hot water) for only $8/night! One night when I was shmoking and playing with my iPhone on the patio, the only hostel employee asked me what it was I was doing. I showed him CubeRunner... an hour later of playing & smoking, I think I changed his life.
"Smoked out with the hostel manager and showed him CubeRunner. He was AMAZED. High score: 101. Sweetness!", tweet
They even got me set up in a great hostel in Cuzco, plus a discounted bus ticket there (which I made sure was cheaper than I could find anywhere else). Great town, great people.
Cuzco was pretty much the pinnacle of my trip. If you google "Peru", a ridiculous amount of the results pertain to Cuzco or Machu Picchu. It was quite touristy, but I was OK with that. I liked that it took a little navigating about the city to find a cheaper place to eat or more exclusive clothing. The only thing I didn't like was the struggle to speak Spanish. A large percentage of them speak English, so when I approached them, even if I started in Spanish, they responded in English. We would both continue to speak in our second languages until one of us pulled the other completely into the other tongue; sometimes, the whole conversation would be in both languages and we would never settle on one. I was frustrated because English/Spanglish is something I do (and like to do) in the US, but I went to Perú to live my life in a second language.
The town itself is gorgeous. The scenery reminds me so much of the inland northwest: deep canyons covered in pine, lots of rock & rivers, & a fairly dry climate. As we got closer to Aguas Calientes, the town where you start the hike up to the Machu Picchu, it started to get a little more moist, bright jungle flowers began to appear and the shades of green became deeper. Still, on the train to Machu Picchu, I felt like I was on I-90 headed to Missoula.
"it is really weird how much the interior of Perú is like the NW. i love it. i love both!", tweet
Machu Picchu was... amazing. It's location, precision & beauty are things that just need to be seen to really appreciate. I started the hike at 3:30am, hooking up with these Australians who were passing people left and right on the trail. I didn't have a light, and they were quick, so I just went for it. At the top, they said "Man I'm surprised you could keep up! Most can't." They then saw me with their headlamp; I looked like I had just dipped in the pool, and they were without a drop of sweat on their bodies. I said "I'm glad I ran cross country and didn't play football". I felt good up there, and was about the 120th person to make it. Even though the whole ordeal was a little pricey, it made the whole experience that much more awesome.
"Lonnng & expensive couple days. The bus, train, hike and and early rising were all worth it tho. This is the longest I've been off twitter!!", tweet
I also took the second hike up to Wayna Picchu, the peak that looks down onto Machu Picchu. Only the first 400 to arrive at the site get this privilege, so even though I was tired, I was glad to make the hike! It ended up being one of the coolest smoke spots I've ever been to.
In all, limeños, arequipeños, puneños & cuzqueños: gracias por todo! Me ha encantado tu país, y tengo ganas de volver muy pronto :-)
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