My mom made it back home safe and sound. We had a really great time, and the week went super fast! It was fun to watch my mom react to the country that, by now, I have gotten completely used to. Amongst the things she noted, "Wow, like ten minutes after I wash my hands, there is dirt under my fingernails again. And I haven't even touched anything!" VERY true. My mom also got a taste of how Peru really functions when our train back from Machu Picchu bypassed the town where all the passengers were supposed to get off because "Oh, they closed down most of the roads in town, so we can't go there anymore." Except nobody said anything about the change of plans until all of us from the train had been standing around outside some random maintenance building in the middle of nowhere, luggage and all, for at least ten minutes. There was much confusion (especially for those lacking Spanish), but luckily, as always, everything got sorted out in its own time and travelers got another lesson in patience.

I haven't gotten a chance to write about Machu Picchu yet, but as one could guess, it was amazing! It even met my extremely high standards for landmarks/historic sites, so that says something! Machu Picchu is definitely out there, and it took quite a few different modes of transportation to reach our destination... plane, taxi, train, bus, and finally foot. Without a doubt, vale la pena (worth it)! Being amongst the ruins really makes you ponder how on earth the Inca people constructed the city, how long it took them, where they got all the rocks, how all the rocks fit together so perfectly, etc. Not knowing the answers makes me a little frustrated to be honest, but there isn't exactly a lot I can do to change that! Thus, I just enjoyed walking around, appreciating the ingenuity of the Incas, and taking in the view of the surroundings. The cloud forests caused by the more tropical climate made the mountains around Machu Picchu some of the most beautiful that I have ever seen. My mom and I arrived at the ruins around six in the morning, which was perfect timing to watch the clouds lift over the next hour.

One of my favorite moments of the day was sitting on the terraced hillside, which the Inca used to grow crops, enjoying the serenity when I heard a mother pleading with her son, age six or so, "Look honey, look at the llamas!" To which the young boy replied in an aggravated six year old voice, "STUPID llamas, STUPID rocks, STUPID mountains!" It was hilarious. I guess they should've just gone to Disneyland. At least my mom and I got a good laugh!

The city of Cusco was also very cool. We toured the cathedral (very baroque and gaudy, I loved it!), shopped in the markets, and people watched in the plaza (my favorite are the children in traditional clothes carrying their baby llamas, too cute, just make sure to tip them when you take photos!).

I only have about five more weeks of school, and seven weeks of Peru, left. Yet, I feel like I just got here!

Miss you all!

A circular rainbow around the sun. It was really cool!

Cathedral in Cusco.

San Blas district, Cusco.

Cute people and their llamas.

Mom and a cute girl.

Flag of Cusco.

Mom, she was really sick from the altitude, but she still looks happy.

Cusco from the balcony of our hotel.

Llama walking through Machu Picchu door.

More llamas!

It looks like we were photoshopped in, right?

Panoramic.

Mom in front of Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu, its even bigger than it looks!

The three windows. It has some astrological significance... just like every Inca building!

The clouds lifting in the morning.

Wayna Picchu is the mountain in the background.

The ruins.

Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo). Only reachable by train!

Lake Titicaca from Taquile Island.

Mom's treat after trekking up 580 steps at a 4000 meter altitude.

Taquile Island.

Man knitting on Taquile. Only the men knit on this island!

Woman preparing wool.

A school on Taquile Island.

The Floating Islands.

Uros women on a reed boat.

Uros girl.

Uros woman and child. I love how their outfits match!

Uros women on their reed island.

Mom and I. We rode on the boat in the background.

Textile woven by the Uros people.

Islas Flotantes (Flotating Islands). Everything is built from Totora reeds.

I am currently sitting at a computer on the top floor of a hotel in Puno, Peru, overlooking Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world, which makes sense after seeing how close the clouds are! Today, my mom and I took a boat tour through the islands on the lake. We went to three different islands, two islas flotantes (floating islands) which are inhabited by the indiginous Uros people and Isla Taquile, a huge island with absolutely NO flat land; we were constantly climbing up or down steep stairs or pathways. Very tiring at this altitude (about 13,000 feet)!

The floating islands of the Uros people are very small, about 15 or 20 habitants each (5 families). There are 40 different islands however, and they are pretty close to one another, so it makes for an interesting little community. The Uros people are direct descendents of the Inca people who lived in Peru around the 15th century. They still speak a native language called Aymara, but luckily they also speak Spanish. Today, they live on the islands, weaving textiles, fishing, and constructing and maintaining their islands, homes, and boats. (My mom and I got to ride in one of the traditional boats!) These people live entirely around their connection to Lake Titicaca´s totora reeds. They eat and make medicine from the reeds, build their homes, boats, and even construct their islands from the reeds with a special method using ropes and rock anchors. Walking on the surface of islands is really different, the reeds are springy and soft, anything other than flat shoes or bare feet would definitely not work! The Uros people wear really beautiful, colorful clothing. I took a ton of pictures, and will post them as soon as I get back to Lima. The weirdest thing I saw on the islands was a flock of flamingos. I later learned that the Uros people drink the blood of flamingos to cure headaches. Thanks, but I´ll stick to Advil.

The second island we went to was also very interesting. Taquile Island is inhabited by more pre-Inca indiginous people, and LOTS of sheep. These people are actually closer descendents of the Inca, still speaking the native Quechua language, which is the second national language of Peru. The population of this islands is also very famous for their beautiful textiles, however it is only the men who knit! My mom and I enjoyed watching some performances of traditional dances and music, and we even got to join in on the wedding celebration dance! Afterwards, we were served a delicious meal of soup made from the crops of the island and trout freshly caught from the lake that morning. One of the best things was that it cost nearly nothing compared to what it would have cost at Bonefish in the US :) However, the people of the island earn a lot of money from the visiting tourists, it is their main income.

I will post pictures soon. We are now headed for Cusco via an overnight bus. Our next stop is Aguas Calientes, the town 20 minutes away from Machu Picchu! We are very excited.

Despite some bad storms in Atlanta causing flight delays and cancellations, my mom still made it in to Lima safe and sound, and more or less on time, late Friday night. I showed her around some of the city today, where she experienced the crazy traffic and learned to love the pretty decent Peruvian Nuevo Sol to American dollar exchange rate. Thus, we had a great time shopping in all of the markets!

Tomorrow we are heading to Cuzco to begin our journey, later to the city of Puno and Lake Titicaca, and finally back towards the Cuzco region and Machu Picchu as a grand finale. Our taxi is picking us up at 4 o'clock AM tomorrow morning in order for us to catch our early flight. With that, I am going to go get some sleep!

Today is a holiday in Peru, some battle between Peru and Chile in a war a long time ago. All I know is that I don't have classes today, and that made me super happy! Today, I am planning on going to the Museo de la Nación (National Muesem), which is only a few blocks away from my house. The huge mueseum holds tons of Peru's history, which there is a lot of! I am going mostly to see the terrorism exhibit. In the last couple decades, the 80's and especially the 90's, there was a lot of terrorism and political unrest here in Peru. A lot of the problems stemmed from a terrorist group called the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path). The social problems weren't all that long ago, and thus it is still a huge topic of discussion for Peruvians today. I don't know tons about it, I have only heard some stories from a few friends that are old enough to remember, and my host parents. It is a really interesting topic though, and I am excited to learn more. If you are interested, there are Wikipedia pages on el Sendero Luminoso, and Alberto Fujimori (the ex-presidente of Peru that is now in jail for tons of stuff that happened in the time of all the terrorism).

I had a great time travelling to the beach in Máncora. It was every bit as sunny and gorgeous as I had hoped. I layed on the beach, went surfing, ate ceviche (a traditional Peruvian dish of raw fish, lime juice, potatoes, and corn). Peruvians are SUPER proud of their ceviche. It was delicious, so I can see why! A lot of Peruvians gave me a hard time for not trying it sooner.

Beautiful Hibiscus.

Relo and I. He taught me how to surf. I thought surfing was going to be one of those "one time just for the experience" things, but I actually really enjoyed it! I am planning on continuing to surf in Lima.

My friend Jacqui and I enjoying the sunset. Those are fishing boats on the horizon. Fishing is a huge industry along the coast of Peru.

There were tons of horses on the beach. I thought that only happened in the movies!

The hostel we stayed at was owned by a surf instructor. Everybody really knows how to relax in this town. In fact, thats all they really seem to do. Relax, surf, have a drink or two, and then surf some more. It was great for the weekend, but I can't imagine actually living like that every single day. A little too relaxed for me, and probably for most Americans! I had no complaints about all the hammocks though :)

Some cute little crabs. This was actually right before they started fighting...

I have always heard that the sun near the equator is a lot stronger. Well, it is. I went through a TON of sunscreen! The first day I forgot to put sunscreen on the top of my feet... after that nasty burn, I did not forget to sunscreen one square millimeter of my skin for the rest of the weekend! Also, the hand sanitizing wipes came in handy way more than once on the beach, Aunt Lee :) As did the snacks! You're the best, thanks!

I have a few midterms this coming week, I am not too worried though. Maybe I should be? I have never taken a Peruvian midterm, but for right now I am just happy to live in my blissful ignorance! Although, I have lots of time to study this weekend, so that's what I'll do. In one week from today my mother will be en route to Lima. I am still really excited! She is bringing me Mini Wheats, my favorite cereal that I haven't had in months :) Thanks Mom.

One last thing, I went to the supermarket this morning and it was decked out in Christmas trees, oranaments, lights, penguins, snowmen, the whole nine yards. Is this happening yet in the U.S.? I didn't know anybody could be quicker to start promoting the holidays than Wal*Mart, Macy's, etc. I guess Peru doesn't have Thanksgiving merchandise to sell, maybe thats it. It just struck me as funny! It is only the beginning of October! Not to mention, it is sort of bizarre to be entering into spring/summer and the holiday season at the same time. Those two seasons don't go together in my world!

Lots of love to everyone! I miss you all.