Monday, June 4th
This was the day in which I was* supposed to leave for Peru.
What happened over the weekend was that I had recently moved from Lubbock to
Houston and with half my stuff in moving boxes, I couldn’t find my passport for
the life of me. There was hope to still make the flight while the same day as
requesting a passport though.
In Houston, you can get an emergency passport the day of. So
I went to the place early that morning, and I was supposed to get my passport
at 2:30, yet instead, I got it 3:30. My flight left at 4:30… sooo, I missed my
flight: L
That lead to 3 days of being on standby. But the good thing about that was that
I got to spend more time with the family. That was much needed before this really
big trip. So if anything out of darkness comes light explains my first couple
days.
Paps, my bro, myself, and my baby that I sold for this trip
Thursday, June 7th
The trip starts with being on standby for 3 hours. After a
maybe yes, maybe no situation from the TACA Airlines manager, I was finally
given the “Yes, there’s space, but run!” thirty minutes before it took off. The
difference was that I needed to stop in San Salvador for the night. This was
interesting since that was the place I was destined to be within a matter of
time. So, I was confirmed and ticket and off I was! I ran through the airport
(this I was used to)… but more so this time I sprinted.
Note of advice.. if you are middle eastern, shave every inch of hair under your sideburns if you plan on sprinting through an airport…. And ready for anything today, I was prepared J
Note of advice.. if you are middle eastern, shave every inch of hair under your sideburns if you plan on sprinting through an airport…. And ready for anything today, I was prepared J
So I quickly messaged my contact in El Salvador explaining
to him the situation. Thank God for the Skype app! I told him the time I was
going to land and he gave me his daughter’s and mom’s numbers. With a brief message
to Phil who was waiting for me in Peru describing my expected time of arrival
time in Cuzco, and a quick call letting my parents know I hope to see them in
San Salvador… I was off. The trip begin with me sweating hysterically on the
plane and not knowing what will happen once I get there.
So I landed and walked out the airport in El Salvador, not
knowing what to expect. Not knowing where a public phone is while everyone is
screaming at me “Hello Mr! Mr! Mr! TAXI!?!? IT’S SAFE!” I had no idea where I
was going, I just hoped to find a payphone pronto. As I was walking, I heard
someone yell ‘Allah’u’abha”, which is how Baha’is greet each other… meaning God
is Most Glorious. I then felt safe. Phewwww
At that moment my experience in El Salvador started. I
joined this family that was literally guardian angels. They were at the airport
within only 2 ½ hours of notice, when they had no need to whatsoever. They are
the kind of warming family that within a day or two, it already seems like
you’ve known them for months.
Oh ya… and rough Spanish. I definitely remember having a
hard time trying to explain everything… not like it’s changed much anymore, but
still… my Spanish was pretty harsh if that paints the picture any better.
Friday, June 8th
So, the family had shown me around quite a bit. El Salvador is an amazingly
interesting country. It has both extremes right nearby. The highway driving is
quite unbelievable and the scenery is always pleasant and chanigng. A lot of
stuff surprised me about this country. For those who don’t know, they use the
American dollar, but things are roughly the same price! I was totally not
expecting that. I still can’t believe that. Kind of makes sense why the U.S. is
a bit materialistic… well, because things are so cheap, and well… we can afford
to be. I’m not saying that I agree with it, but I’m just beginning to understand
the nature of the beast.
This is the Boqueron Volcano that was to be my future
The latter half of the day I was traveling to Lima from El
Salvador. I did notice two sketchy kids who were following me in the airport.
On their second encounter, I noticed they had walked into the same small little
Souvenir Shop as I did in the airport, nearly 1 minute after me. They were
chilling on the 3rd floor, so for them to have left their group of
people and be in the same small souvenir store as me, on the second floor, shortly
after didn’t make sense… especially because El Salvadorian teenagers don’t find
El Salvadorian souvenir shops of much interest. Note* those who spend time at
transportation stations are most likely up to no good. Anyhow, I was getting
ready t o purchase a coin holder for $3, when I thought ahead of time for once
‘Maybe pulling my wallet out in front of suspicious people isn’t the best idea
right now.’ So I burned time in the small 12 ft. X 6 ft. store to see what they
were doing. I noticed they weren’t doing a thing, as if they were waiting for
something. So I dropped the coin holder and left the shop in the direction for
police after 4 minutes
…They left the same store immediately after I did. Close call number 1… Check.
…They left the same store immediately after I did. Close call number 1… Check.
Saturday, June 9th 2012
I arrived in Lima at 1:00 am and my friend Phillipe was already in Cuzco. Unfortunately, 3-4 days of my trip was cut so I had to improvise. I bought the next plane ticket to Cuzco… not going to lie, I’ve always wanted to go to the airport and buy the next flight out. Check that off my bucket list.
With the flight leaving at 6:00 am, I was at Phillipe’s hostel within 2 hours. It is always interesting landing in a country when traveling by yourself… but I now understand the vast difference between traveling in South America versus Europe. Europe is built for travelers, and South America feels like it’s built to deceive travelers in a sense. I texted Phil to tell him I was at his hostel and sleeping in the lounge, and within 30 minutes I heard the heavy footsteps and deep breathing from someone rush towards me from 40 ft. away… With an accelerating crescendo of “Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!” I didn’t have to look up to know who was at my side
“Finally!!!” Phil said
Yup… Finally I could really enjoy this trip.
So I started the trip as any adventurous trip should, with minimal sleep and the hunger to explore. In a hurry, went to the San Pedro market where you can buy fresh delicious smoothies for only $1.50.. can you say “Thank you, come again?” This place was your typical foreign fresh market for the most part. It had full-on pigs that you could buy, and stuff that would continue to surprise the usual American traveler. The cool thing about the market is that it you got a good taste of the local Cruzcaneans. They were everywhere! Their culture was rich, and unlike Lima who has conformed to a Latin American metropolitan city, Cuzco keeps their culture and the customs strong and apparent.
In Cuzco, June is the month of festival, so that meant
parades, bands, people dancing and playing instruments all over the street from
morning to past dark. So not only was I walking in an amazing city where it
reminded me a bit of Old Istanbul mixed with a latin/ indigenous culture, but I
got to see the city live & vibrant! I did a lot of first day stuff like ATM
hunting, talking to travel guides to set up trips, and of course, trying to
haggle when I felt necessary to prove my middle- eastern roots legitimate. Day
1 in Cuzco was nice and long. T was filled with sight- seeing, yoga, meeting
new people, culture shopping, eating, and planning out a big trip that was
ahead. That night, Phil and I called it an early night. We were to wake up at
5:00 am to leave Cuzco for our trekking trip. 5:00 am seemed unreasonably early
to wake up for traveling… but little de we know how early we were to wake up
this whole trip.
That all lead to the Salkantay Trek.
The Trek
So a little background about this trek and the possible
routes you can take to visit Machu Pichu.
1.
Train: From Cuzco to Aguas Calientes (probably
the most touristic city in all of Latin America). From there you can go to
Machu Pichu in the morning like everyone else.
2.
Inca Trail: 3 day hike (including Machu Pichu)
in which you walk many of the same footsteps the Incans did. You must book
quite in advance. The scenery is pretty cool, but it is so crowded because of
its popular name. 500 people a day make that trek, so you’re going to see a lot
of people.
3.
Salkantay Trey: 5 day hike (including Machu
Pichu) The walk is ~80 km in five days and you enjoy all different types of
weather. In fact, one day you are spending the first half of the day walking
among ice- capped mountains and the last half of the day walking through
tropical rain forests. Plus, it’s not as packed with people so you have several
hours a day in complete isolation walking throughout the Andes. Definitely
worth every dollar.
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| There's no question about these smoothies... definitely not using any concentrate nor syrup |
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| Outside my hostel in Cuzco |
Given those 3 options… you can easily assume why I picked
the Salkantay trip. To go into detail about trip, it was a bit strenuous and
well, you just had to be there appreciate nature’s beauty. The pictures capture
only a faint image of the colors of I saw, and they do not show the feeling of
walking 8 hours incline to finally reach that panoramic view you’ve been
waiting to see all day. It’s what makes every drop of sweat worth it and what
makes you keep going. With all the beauty in the trail, the Incan history was a
bit easier to understand.
You see, the Incans were prevalent in South America. All the
way from South Chile and Argentina through Bolivia, Peru, up to Ecuador with a
pinch of Colombia. The Incans were hard workers (if the Machu Pichu doesn’t
already prove that). Their roots lay deep and their traditions stay strong. For
example, if you go to Cuzco, you still feel and see their tradition there. Most
Latin American countries have adapted to a more Spaniard way of living after
the Conquistadors’ presence. … but not Cuzco. The people there are people of
tradition and value it strongly. Women walk up to 30 km a day (19.2 miles
equivalent) up and down the mountains with babies on their back rapped in a
colorful blanket. They make the route daily to sell their crops in the town.
It’s a hard knock life for these people.
But as I walked the streets of Cuzco and throughout the Andes I couldn’t help but thinking “Why?” Yes, I’m aware, “why” is the benevolent word that led me to study engineering… But why do they put themselves through this? Why do some kids walk 4-8 hours a day for school!? It then occurred to me why when we were doing an Incan spiritual ritual as we hit our highest point on the Salkantay trip.
My tour guide explained to us that the Incans believed in the mountains. They were people who believed the Earth to be God given and they were thankful for what it offered. They were amazed by great big ice- capped mountains and the natural beauty and food was what they were thankful for. So when I think why do these women put themselves through this… well, maybe they prefer to walk the mountains daily because the mountains are their home and they are inspired by them daily just as much as your hippy Coloradan. They know what’s out there but they’re history is so rich that they rather live it the way they have for centuries rather than to conform. It’s one of those things that you’ve got to take yourselves out of your shoes to understand. It’s like trying to explain what a fobia is to a person who doesn’t really fear. You have to take yourself out of your shoes to understand them.
But as I walked the streets of Cuzco and throughout the Andes I couldn’t help but thinking “Why?” Yes, I’m aware, “why” is the benevolent word that led me to study engineering… But why do they put themselves through this? Why do some kids walk 4-8 hours a day for school!? It then occurred to me why when we were doing an Incan spiritual ritual as we hit our highest point on the Salkantay trip.
My tour guide explained to us that the Incans believed in the mountains. They were people who believed the Earth to be God given and they were thankful for what it offered. They were amazed by great big ice- capped mountains and the natural beauty and food was what they were thankful for. So when I think why do these women put themselves through this… well, maybe they prefer to walk the mountains daily because the mountains are their home and they are inspired by them daily just as much as your hippy Coloradan. They know what’s out there but they’re history is so rich that they rather live it the way they have for centuries rather than to conform. It’s one of those things that you’ve got to take yourselves out of your shoes to understand. It’s like trying to explain what a fobia is to a person who doesn’t really fear. You have to take yourself out of your shoes to understand them.
The whole five day trip was unbelievable. Quite diverse to
be frank. In the group of 13 people there were two Texans (Phil and I), two
Dutch, five Israelites, four Spaniards, one English person, and one Russian.
The tour was in English too… hahaha…. Tough luck for the Spaniards. Who would
have ever thought the Spaniard would have language problems in Peru!?
With 80km to walk… you can imagine how quickly we got to
know each other. One awesome camping past is was playing cards… and so we lived
to it just about every chance we got. The first night was terribly cold as we
camped right outside a snow- capped mountain, about an hour away from its base.
Dinner was always a plus too, and every dinner started with a bowl of soup and
ended with a cup of tea… clutch. Our tent was nice and comfortable, but it was
freezing, so extra body heat is always a plus.
Every morning, we were woken up to a cup of tea being served
while in our tents… talk about feeling spoiled but grateful. The first hour of
the hike is usually the most painful because it’s a wake-up check and it warms
you up. But I tell you what, views of waterfalls, bridges, panoramic sites were
all so abundant that it was easy to be up and running by 5:00 am.
Day 2 was the remarkable 25 km hike where we were freezing the first half of the day, but then had to layer down the last half as we entered the tropical climate. Peru has a very interesting ecosystem if the pictures don't portray it enough.
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| Starting the treck |
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| The panorama views you long to see for |
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| Made it to quite a bit of snow by night |
Day 2 was the remarkable 25 km hike where we were freezing the first half of the day, but then had to layer down the last half as we entered the tropical climate. Peru has a very interesting ecosystem if the pictures don't portray it enough.
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| 4:45 am The wake-up view outside the tents |
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| 7:30 am. Phil headed towards Salkantay |
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| About 9:30 am... reaching a height of 15,253 ft. |
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| 4:15 pm... making our way to the forest |
Day 3 was a bit of a shorter day. With only a 6 hour hike,
we were able to enjoy the last half of the day at a hot spring. This was also
the first time in three days my body had touched water… yes, this was my shower
and I cleaned my clothes there. So ya… groovy. Getting to places within South/
Central America is always an adventure too. With a van full of people, we had
about 5 people stacked on top of the van. I can guarantee you it was not a comfortable
ride for them.
Day 4 was a longggg hike. It was our final hike for Aguas Calientes. Lucky for us, an Incan trail was reopened three days before. What this meant for us was more walking but we got to enjoy the feeling of retracing many footsteps the Incans made and built! You look at the steps and you just wonder how ancient they were, how many people it took to carve one step and move it, and how many Incans walked that same route.
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| I'll take tropical weather over the cold any day |
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| One of the many waterfalls throughout |
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| Half the group under the water |
After monkey business and what not, we finally made it to
Aguas Calientes… what is probably the most touristic city in Latin America .
This city thrived off Machu Pichu and so it was an interesting little place for travelers. Phil and I decided to make the trek to Aguas Calientes on our own because we wanted to watch the Netherlands vs. Germany soccer game and most of the rest of the group went ahead. We took advantage of freedom from the group so we went at a fast pace. It was fun to do stuff the group wouldn’t like walking through tunnels in pitch black darkness and skipping across train tracks on a bridge nearly 30 feet high. Eventually, we made it to Aguas Calientes, and the exhilarating feeling quickly came about because that whole 4 days of hiking was a big build up for the following day. The group had a nice dinner together and bailed early because tomorrow was the reason just about everyone wanted to go to Peru.
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| ... literally, monkey business |
This city thrived off Machu Pichu and so it was an interesting little place for travelers. Phil and I decided to make the trek to Aguas Calientes on our own because we wanted to watch the Netherlands vs. Germany soccer game and most of the rest of the group went ahead. We took advantage of freedom from the group so we went at a fast pace. It was fun to do stuff the group wouldn’t like walking through tunnels in pitch black darkness and skipping across train tracks on a bridge nearly 30 feet high. Eventually, we made it to Aguas Calientes, and the exhilarating feeling quickly came about because that whole 4 days of hiking was a big build up for the following day. The group had a nice dinner together and bailed early because tomorrow was the reason just about everyone wanted to go to Peru.
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| Buena Vista! |
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| The restaurant we were at was literally in someone's house. It's interesting to think what these people see every day. They have travelers come in and out of their house daily while they do their daily routine with their kids. |
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| Can't say I was the most relaxed person in the world at this point |
Day 5: Finally!
Wake up call: 3:30 am. Hurriedly, Phil and I made it out of the door on time. We headed to the bus to meet the rest of the group and everybody waited for a bus anxiously. You can walk the route, but it’s 1.5 hours of steep incline and you simply lose energy for the actually day of hiking throughout Machu Pichu.
Wake up call: 3:30 am. Hurriedly, Phil and I made it out of the door on time. We headed to the bus to meet the rest of the group and everybody waited for a bus anxiously. You can walk the route, but it’s 1.5 hours of steep incline and you simply lose energy for the actually day of hiking throughout Machu Pichu.
My group made was one of the first ones through the gate. It
was unbelievable. We got to see the whole structure before the flood of people
entered and overpopulated our imagination. So there is something quite
remarkable about this place. It’s like the perfect person, not only is it
stunningly beautiful and unique on the outside, but the inside always keeps you
curious and surprised.
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| Being there just felt right is all I can say |
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| So if you look at what appears to be a fault line by Phil's right arm, it's in fact a path along the cliff that raps around the mountain. It's blocked off to the public but you think about how many Incans made that path, and then in harsh weathers with heavy winds, how many people it took to build it, step by step, and how did they even find it. I bet a lot of people dedicated a good part of their life for that healthy inch on my picture |
The thing about the Machu Pichu is that a Yale University
professor discovered it nearly 100 years ago by searching for the lost city. He
was unsuccessful with his first trip, but finally he found it… and lo, and
behold there was this hidden treasure. Now, if you google Machu Pichu you will
come upon pictures that you think were photoshopped, as I thought, but this
place is so amazing that it needs no photoshop at all to demonstrate its
beauty. As you walk around you are just in awe to see such incredible architecture,
engineering infrastructure, and art combined in the midst of mountains, rivers,
and cliffs. The Incans found the most beautiful isolated place around and they
stuck a village on top of it to make it look even more beautiful. But Why?
The inside beauty of this place is that we really are not
certain about. No records were left over to explain why they built it, who exactly
lived there, what the community was like and why it was abandoned. This mystical
city is a place based off theories, where imaginations run wild and anything
seems possible. The second engineering question that kept me on my feet was
how?
How did these people manage to build their villages? How
long did it take them to make every stoned wall as perfect as they made them?
How did they even manage to move them without the use of a wheel. Yes, that’s
right. The wheel with a historically invented record of ~3,500 BC Slovenia,
never made it to the Incans in the time of Machu Pichu, several millenniums
after. Machu Pichu has been reasoned to come of existence to escape the
conquistadors. No one knows for certain, but nevertheless, we are talking about
~1500 AD and still no wheel!!! Another question that keeps everyone wondering
is Why was it abandoned???
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| It's hard not to admire the archaeological and civil engineering collaboration to make this place |
The day went by really fast. For about 2.5 hours of it,
Phil, Ronnie, Adam, the 4 Spaniards and I picked a nice resting place to eat
food and play cards, and just enjoy the view. So we played, and played, and
played for hours. It was amazing to relax and look back and see such an amazing
view. You just wonder… what in the world did the Incans think of this place?
Was it as normal as the skyscrapers of Houston are to me, or did they admire
its beauty daily?
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| Panorama... great invention |
That night was followed with a nice lunch, more cards, and a
long bus ride back. Though it was Phil and my last night together and some
salsa or a discoteca would have been nice, we were dead and headed straight for
the hostel for sleep.
Friday, June 15th
I was supposed to head back with Phil this day for Cuzco. Phil had to leave that very day back for the states and start big- boy work on Monday, and I was yet to travel Peru solo until the 18th. But because my trip was shortened, I still wanted to see a lot more of Cuzco that I never got to see much of. Cuzco, by far, was on of the most interesting cities I have ever been to. So I talked to TACA and I was able to push back my flight for a very small fee.
I was supposed to head back with Phil this day for Cuzco. Phil had to leave that very day back for the states and start big- boy work on Monday, and I was yet to travel Peru solo until the 18th. But because my trip was shortened, I still wanted to see a lot more of Cuzco that I never got to see much of. Cuzco, by far, was on of the most interesting cities I have ever been to. So I talked to TACA and I was able to push back my flight for a very small fee.
After I got done dealing with TACA, I was able to enjoy the
city. I roamed throughout the city for a while by myself. It is an interesting
place and it felt very safe. I finally made it back to the hostel to see if
there were any other travelers who felt like cruising. To my luck, there was an
older traveler there who had been there already 3 weeks and knew all the whole
in the wall places. He showed me a place where I bought a hefty Peruvian dish
for nearly $2, and another place where these people had their own farm where
they produced their own coffee… and boy was that potent.
I just spent the afternoon walking around the city, enjoying the live music, dancing, and parades at such a clutch time of the year. That night I attempted* to salsa dance for a bit with some friends from the hiking trip and that just about concluded the day in Cuzco.
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| 1 of the 3 plazas in Cuzco |
I just spent the afternoon walking around the city, enjoying the live music, dancing, and parades at such a clutch time of the year. That night I attempted* to salsa dance for a bit with some friends from the hiking trip and that just about concluded the day in Cuzco.
Saturday, June 16th
I woke up that morning to make my last final round throughout the city. To my luck, I met up with Adam and Ronnie (from the Salcantay trip) and we cruised around the city. We made our final stop in the San Pedro Market and I was off to go. It’s awkwardly sad saying by to some people that you meet while traveling. Sometimes, people you connect with the people so well, and you just never know if you’ll see them again. Lucky for me, they live in Israel, and Israel is most certainly somewhere I will be in the next 5 years again. They were a great couple and I am sure I will see them again.
I woke up that morning to make my last final round throughout the city. To my luck, I met up with Adam and Ronnie (from the Salcantay trip) and we cruised around the city. We made our final stop in the San Pedro Market and I was off to go. It’s awkwardly sad saying by to some people that you meet while traveling. Sometimes, people you connect with the people so well, and you just never know if you’ll see them again. Lucky for me, they live in Israel, and Israel is most certainly somewhere I will be in the next 5 years again. They were a great couple and I am sure I will see them again.
That night I made it to Lima. A kind of a sad part of this
trip was that a TACA airline worker went through my bag and stole my phone. I
couldn’t believe it, but I am 100% sure of it. I knew exactly where it was and
from Cuzco to Lima, it was no more. All I can say is that I was about to start
doing service, and this was good test of detachment to make sure I was in line.
That afternoon, I walked throughout Miraflores, where my
Family Backpackers Hostel was. I highly recommend it. Very cheap, very
accommodating, and the person there is to bend his back for you. Once again, I
called it an earlier night and I was off to an early morning.
Sunday, June 17th
I woke up that morning and I knew the first thing that I wanted to do after I told my dad Happy Father’s Day… I wanted to go surfing. Surfing in Peru is pretty cheap for an hour + worth of lessons, a wetsuit, and a board. I made my way with two other travelers in the hostel. Quickly, I found a decent spot and within my second try I was up and surfing. They handed me a huge board and I know that made it a lot easier, but it was an awesome feeling seeing that last wake, timing it out, paddling, and riding it all on my own. I knew I’ve wanted to go surfing for a while and now I understand why so many people are hooked on it. Truly, that won’t be my last time.
I woke up that morning and I knew the first thing that I wanted to do after I told my dad Happy Father’s Day… I wanted to go surfing. Surfing in Peru is pretty cheap for an hour + worth of lessons, a wetsuit, and a board. I made my way with two other travelers in the hostel. Quickly, I found a decent spot and within my second try I was up and surfing. They handed me a huge board and I know that made it a lot easier, but it was an awesome feeling seeing that last wake, timing it out, paddling, and riding it all on my own. I knew I’ve wanted to go surfing for a while and now I understand why so many people are hooked on it. Truly, that won’t be my last time.
After we surfed, I was feeling like getting some good food, and
so one of the other travelers and I went out got some food. It was delicious,
but halfway through the meal, we found out it was beef heart… hahaha. I don’t
think Miranda liked the thought of eating a heart all too much, but that wasn’t
my first.
We killed time as we walked along the Pacific coast to
Barranco and back. This part of Peru is
the very touristy part and I definitely recommend tourists to go there…
Barranco more than Miraflores.
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| Lima Beach right off Miraflores |
Miranda had to leave the night, but I was lucky enough to
have a local show me around Lima quite a bit.
Luckily, my Peruvian friend, Diego, was kind of enough to give me a whole run down of what- to- do in Peru and who- to- see. He put me in contact with one of his friends to guide me around town. That night, we went to Plaza de Armas, the big Cathedral right by, and a cool salsa bar that was fool of locals. I tell you, sometimes I feel like I have no idea how to dance… that night was one of them. The person that showed me around was a very sweet person and she literally bended her back to make sure I got to see as much as possible. She was not someone who had a lot of free time either. This act of humbleness with strangers is not something that is so common in the US, but I was definitely looking to learn from it. There’s a lot to learn from when traveling, you just have to open your eyes and see it.
Luckily, my Peruvian friend, Diego, was kind of enough to give me a whole run down of what- to- do in Peru and who- to- see. He put me in contact with one of his friends to guide me around town. That night, we went to Plaza de Armas, the big Cathedral right by, and a cool salsa bar that was fool of locals. I tell you, sometimes I feel like I have no idea how to dance… that night was one of them. The person that showed me around was a very sweet person and she literally bended her back to make sure I got to see as much as possible. She was not someone who had a lot of free time either. This act of humbleness with strangers is not something that is so common in the US, but I was definitely looking to learn from it. There’s a lot to learn from when traveling, you just have to open your eyes and see it.
That night, I made it back around 1:00 am or so, and that
concluded my Peru trip. As exciting as Peru was, I was very, very anxious to
start my new life in El Salvador. Peru was an amazing country, and I am 100% I
will be back to travel one day.
I thought about this a while, and it finally occurred to me
that this might have been one of my last backpacking trips I will ever have. It’s a weird feeling. I don’t ever want to think my life will be set or that
everything is all in order, but the reality is that I will only get so much
vacation time, and well, there is so much in this world to
see that it is a bit overwhelming. But my backpacking across
countries days may be over. I don’t by any means mean my traveling days will be
over, but I simply mean that extended period of time traveling where meals of just bread and
avocado times where the cheapest hostel in
town sounds like the best hostel are over. All said, I created a meme to satire my last experience of backpacking across countries.
Peru, there are many countries I am still drooling to see, but I guarantee you I will be back. I still need to visit the amazon jungle, I still need to surf down sand dunes, and I still need to sleep midst the the lake on floating islands of Lake Titicaca. The country has it all and I only hit about 30% of it.
