Hello everyone and happy July 4th! It’s Ali with the weekly update! In celebration of America, much to the locals disapproval, we have been parading around town in American flag short shorts and will be watching Wonder Woman later tonight.
This past weekend was surely an exciting one as a majority of the group traveled to Cusco to tour the city, explore the vast markets, and splurge on peanut butter. However, it seems that almost too much fun was had as on the groups return to Pisac the whole group fell victim to a nasty sickness. I am glad to say that after a few days of rest, everyone seems to be back to normal.
While the group was getting sick in Cusco, Kirsty and I ventured to the town of Aguas Calientes to visit Machu Picchu since this is our last week in Peru. The adventure to Machu Picchu was nothing short of exciting. After getting on the wrong bus, we were comforted by an adorable “fresh pupper” and a nice bus driver who directed us to the correct bus to catch. Upon our arrival to Aguas Calientes we quickly realized that we would be needing ponchos for the weekend since it was pouring rain. Mind you, it is the dry season in Peru. So, after finding the classiest 100% alpaca fur ponchos in town, we hiked to a nearby waterfall and walked around the town.
The next day, Kirsty and I woke up at 4 am to get in line for the 5:30 bus that would take us up to Machu Picchu. The light rain and overcast sky did not put a damper on our excitement. Once we finally arrived at the top of the mountain around 6 am we were greeted by our tour guide as well as a complete covering of the mountain in a very thick fog. We did however manage to get the iconic Machu Picchu pic, although Machu Picchu is hidden by clouds. Luckily, after a few hours the sky began to clear and we were finally able to see the city. After our tour, we hiked to the Sun Gate and gazed at the ruins from a new perspective. Then, we headed to the old Inca Bridge were we got a jaw dropping view of the mountains as well as the sudden drop that met the edge of the trail. Needless to say, we stayed on the safe side of the path.
After exploring the ancient city for a little while longer, we began our descent back to town. After an hour of hiking we made it back to our hostel where sat exhausted until dinner time. Then, we made our way to the train station to head back to Pisac. Overall, it was an amazing weekend and even with the clouds, Machu Picchu was breathtaking.
Now, back in Pisac, big things are happening! Most importantly, the STRIVE Center finally moved from our rented building to the Pisac Museum. This morning, we moved all of our belongings from the old building and placed it all in a beautiful open courtyard in the town’s museum. Our classes are now outside which is a fun new change that we as well as the kids seem to really enjoy.
That’s all for today! Thanks for keeping up with our adventures 🙂
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