Peru Pt. 3: Lake Titicaca, home stay with a family and floating islands!

Allie and Nelson dressed as locals on the Uros Islands.

Hola! We traveled 8 hours by bus from Cusco to Puno, a small town right next to Lake Titicaca. We spent 2 days exploring the islands on this large lake. The Uros Islands (floating islands made of reeds), Amantani Island (where we stayed with a local family for a night), and Taquile Island. We had a great time and gained a new perspective for the way these Peruvians live. We were thankful for a hot shower and running water when we left but we were so glad we took the opportunity to step into a whole new world in order to better appreciate our own. Next up will be Arequipa, Lima, and our Peru Summary!

Peru Pt. 2: Machu Picchu- disclaimer pictures DON'T do it justice!!

Allie and Nelson with the classic view of Machu Picchu. Behind the morning clouds is Huayna Picchu which we later hiked to the summit.

Everyone we spoke with about our travels to Machu Picchu stressed how beautiful and breathtaking this place was, but once we got there we realized that words or pictures did this place NO justice. Machu Picchu was built in the 1400's by the Inca empire, it was built as an estate for the Inca emperor. Located 50 miles northwest of Cusco, situated on a mountain ridge high above the Urubamba river. The site was abandoned 100 years later during the conquest of the Spanish. The advanced empire was slowly phased out by multiple factors including diseases brought by the Spanish.  In 1911 the site was rediscovered by an American archeologist Hiram Bingham. This site is located 8,040 ft above sea level. The city sits between two mountains Machu Picchu (old peak) & Huayna Picchu (young peak). The peak of Huayna Picchu is 8,920 ft above sea level, making it a perfect place to view the entire city of Machu Picchu as you can see in our pictures. The site is truly an archeological marvel. We were taken back by the natural beauty of the surrounding mountains, the ingenuity of the Incan people and the peacefulness of the entire site. Enjoy our pictures of this truly amazing and unbelievable site! Next up is our home stay with a local family on Amantani Island in the middle of Lake Titicaca! Another truly unique experience!

Peru Pt. 1: Cusco- Our culture shock experience

Allie and Nelson at Inca ruins outside of Cusco, Peru

When we arrived in Cusco, Peru we were amazed at what we saw. There were so many people, a fairly large city, and we experienced some culture shock! Women carrying their children on their backs, people walking sheep down the road, and alpacas staring you in the face. It was quite the experience. Its a beautiful city rich in pride and history (and tour companies). We visited old churches built by the Spanish when they conquered Cusco and the Incas in the 1500s. They would tear down the Inca temples and build Catholic churches in their place often leaving the original Inca foundation. We flew high over the Andes, tried homemade ceviche, alpaca, and coca leaf tea, and visited some nearby ruins. Enjoy the pictures! Next to come, a whole post dedicated to Machu Picchu! (too many pictures to fit it in here!)

Argentina: The Summary

Argentina, from what we saw was beautiful. Man-made beauty. Buenos Aires was much larger of a city than we had anticipated but definitely had the European charm that everyone had talked about.

Days in Argentina: 13 (1 in Colonia, Uruguay)

The People:
For the most part we found Argentinians extremely friendly. We had many instances where taxi drivers went out of their way to have a pleasant conversation, give us pointers on where to go, and give a tutorial on spotting counterfit money! The servers we ran into were more than happy to help us understand menus. Even the people on the street helped to steer us in the right direction when we were lost. The people speak Spanish but it has a unique dialect where “ll” is pronounced “sh” and they use “vos”. People seem to work to live, not live to work. They are in no hurry whatsoever. We found ourselves walking very fast with no where to be (must be our nature when in a big city). We had to slow ourselves down and learn to stroll. Many people will visit a café, alone or with a friend, and sit and talk for hours, or read the paper over a coffee or beer. The check will only be brought to you when you ask for it. The servers are even more hands off than in Brazil. We found this annoying at first but learned to appreciate the hands off service, very different from the US. Eating late is the norm. People eat dinner no earlier than 10pm. It is not uncommon to find a whole family with young toddlers out to dinner around midnight. Argentinians seem to be very family conscious. On Sundays there were many adult children out walking with their parents. We also found several ads promoting children to spend time with their grandparents.

Buenos Aires Pt. 2: Tango, Uruguay day trip, a Futbol championship celebration, and amazing PIZZA!

Nelson and Allie living it up on a moto in Colonia, Urugay! Notice Nelson's chin strap vs. Allie's! 

Greetings from South America! Its still summer and we are loving our time here! If this picture does not capture that, nothing will!!! We found out real good pizza does exist south of the equator! We took a day trip to Colonia, Uruguay and we got much more out of it than a stamp in the passport. It was beautiful and romantic! We watched old couples dance tango at Confiteria Ideal, a charming romantic old dance hall/cafe. We joined in the celebration of La Boca winning the championship. Enjoy these pictures! They don't do justice to our enjoyment! So much fun! Next up, expect an Argentina summary and on to Peru where we will check out Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca!