Too Many Updates

Well, what a crazy week it's been.

Only about 10 minutes after welcoming my dad to Peru, some idiot smashed in the window to our cab and my backpack (with my laptop, camera, cellphone, and passport inside) was ripped from my hands and whisked into an awaiting getaway car. Thankfully none of us were hurt, just pretty shaken up. And also quite confused.

There was nothing we could really do to, so we continued on to our hotel to sleep for a few hours before our flight to Cuzco the next morning. We figured I'd still be able to get on the flight using a copy of my passport. Wrong.

7 hours, one police report, 3 trips to the embassy, $135 US dollars and a new passport later, we returned to the airport. Only to miss the check-in for our flight by less than 5 minutes. Figures.Thankfully, Peruvian Airlines was amazing and let us switch our flight to the next day, no charge. We seriously owe them a huge thank you.

After spending the night at Julio's, and successfully boarding our flight, we finally made it to Cuzco. We spent 4 days and 3 (very cold) nights exploring the city, the surrounding ruins, and - finally!- Machu Picchu. It was a truly amazing experience and I'm really glad I got to experience it with my dad. Seeing a history teacher in his element was really funny (sorry dad!) and it was adorable how excited he was.

There is way too much to write about in one post, and in addition I've agreed with Julio that I will be breaking a down the trip to Cuzco into 5 separate blog posts on the Karikuy site. They will come out every few days over the next week or two. So I'll post the links here.

In addition, the program's been winding down, and I have to start thinking about replacing my stolen stuff,  so I've decided to cut the trip short. I'm getting on a plane in a few hours and I'll be home tomorrow morning. It's been a wonderful trip, and I'm sad to leave, but at the same time I'm excited to come home in time for the last month of summer. Barring any more passport issues (crossing my fingers), I'll see everyone tomorrow morning!

Chau!
   *Kate*

Going to Be MIA for a Week!

I'm am super overdue for updates on photos from my last two trips, as well as posts for this past weekend's visit to Huaraz. But this will have to wait because I am going to Cuzco and Machu Picchu with my dad for this week!!!


On my way to the airport to pick him up in a bit, and tomorrow morning we are flying to Cuzco for 6 days of archaeology, hiking, and delicious Peruvian food. I'm very excited, and it's sure to be a great time. 


Photos and lots of blog posts upon my return next Wednesday night!


Chau!
   *Kate*

NEW LAYOUT!!!

Cajamarca: A Love Affair. Part II

To be released on the Karikuy site on Saturday!


http://www.karikuy.org/blog/2011/07/07/cajamarca-a-love-affair-part-2

Cajamarca: A Love Affair. Part I

"After spending some time in the desert, I was ready to move on and experience the mountains that Peru is so famous for. Taking Julio’s advice, I booked a daytime bus for Sunday (rather than an overnight) on Transportes Linea from Trujillo to Cajamarca so that I could witness the beautiful scenery. It was truly remarkable; stunning mountains as far as the eye can see, small towns perched on the hillsides, and beautiful lakes. This is what I had been waiting for. Arriving in Cajamarca at night, without hotel reservations, was not as distressing as I had initially foreseen. Instructing my taxi driver to drop me off in the Plaza de Armas, I stepped out of the car onto a street lined with more hostels, hotels, and tourism agencies than I could count. Even at night, the view was beautiful!" [Continue reading...]

Trujillo

So, as some of you know, I recently spent about 5 days traveling through the north of Peru. I started in a desert city at the foot of the Andes called Trujillo, and then moved on to the highland city of  Cajamarca. I had a blast, but there is way too much to write about in one post. In exchange for taking some weekdays off of work to travel, I agreed to write about my experiences in a series of posts on the Karikuy blog site. Out of simplicity, I will link each of them here! :)


Trujillo: An Archaeologists Dream
    

"Having stayed put in Lima these past 4 weeks, I decided it was about time to see some other parts of the country. Not that Lima isn’t full of things to see (even if I lived here a year I doubt I’d be able to see everything), I just felt like I needed to experience other regions of this beautiful country in order to fully appreciate it and all it has to offer."

Continue reading...

Anyone Want Some Raw Fish?

 Okay, so we didn't exactly eat raw fish. Well...kind of.

Last week Julio finally brought us to one of his favorite local places to get grub - an amazingly well-hidden but wonderful Cevicheria. For those of you who don't know about Ceviche, it's a popular dish in Peru, and in many other South American countries, comprised of raw fish in lime juice. The acidity of the lime juice technically "cooks" the fish, so it's safe to eat, and other added spices make it quite tasty! As someone who doesn't really enjoy a lot of fish, it was pretty good!

While the Ceviche was pretty delicious, I could not get over the huge tentacles poking out of the pile, so I opted for something a little more tame. I shared a platter of calamari with the group, and then opted for a shrimp pasta.

The pasta was so good, I didn't want to finish it for fear of never tasting anything as delicious ever again. But my housemates did convince me to finish it and I managed to leave the lunch table only having shed a tear or two (I kid). 

All in all, a delicious lunch. I'm hoping we make a repeat visit to this amazing eatery sometime soon!

Chau!

 *Kate*