Video slideshow

Here is just a few of the many pics from my trip. I love watching this because it brings back all the great memories. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!

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Final thoughts on my trip

So it's been a month since I've returned from my trip, and I definitely haven't stopped missing it. The journey home was pretty hectic because I got many delays in my flights and I was getting very tired. Seeing my friends and family again was nice, but I honestly felt a little bit of a culture shock returning back to Canada. I had gotten accustomed to the way of life in Cusco and I felt so at home there. Everyone I met touched my heart so much and I can never forget them. If it wasn't for all of these great people the trip definitely would not have been as good as it was. Thank god for facebook and e-mails now that allows you to stay connected to everyone. I really hope that I can see them again sometime in the future.

I think I definitely miss the kids from the center. They were just so greatful for everything and appreciated any bit of love that you show them. I constantly find myself thinking about them, hoping that they are healthy and safe. I got such a huge amount of satisfaction in knowing that I have helped them, even in the smallest way. They taught me so much about how to be thankful for what we are given and how blessed we are to have these opportunities like we do in Canada. Anytime I want to go out and buy something frivolous, I can now think back to my experience and then I remember the things that really matter in life.

Traveling has now become a major part in my life. I cannot wait till I am able to travel again. Who knows where I will end up, I just know that life is too short and I want to experience the world. My independence and confidence has grown so much since being on my own in Peru. I feel like I can tackle any challenges that come my way. I've grown so much as a person and I was so happy to be able to tell my story about this trip to so many of you who were very interested in my journey. Everyone was so welcoming to me when I came back and they were all looking forward to seeing my souvenirs and pictures. I never get tired of telling my experiences or giving people any information about things to do and see in Cusco, so don't be afraid to ask!!

Rainforest Adventures

Again, a very long delay in this post..but now my days are full of updating everyone in person finally about my trip as well as showing off the way too many pictures that I have developed. It makes me very teary to look at all of them, wishing I could go back right now...but you have heard pretty much all about my trip except the final few days that were spent trekking in the jungle. It was such a different experience than Cusco and it was fascinating to see all the wildlife and greenery.

The day started off pretty rough as I decided to go out dancing the night before. I ran into one of the friends from rafting and we ended up talking until about 3:30 in the morning (we had to be gone by 5:30 from the hotel!!). But, I managed to roll myself out of bed on time mind you and waited for the bus. However they seem to run constantly on Peruvian time and were about 40 minutes late. However, we were picke dup in our own private van which was really nice, only though its about a 6 hour drive the first day. The roads were the scariest thing I had ever been on. You are driving right near the edge of the mountains, getting stuck in slippery mud from the rain, and doing some of the sharpest turns on the constantly curvy road that whole time. I definitely think our van had no shocks either because I felt every vibration and bump from this road....needless to say on an upset stomach from the night before and being exhausted, it was not a good combination. I think I had the driver stop too many times for pee breaks on the side of the road (made me feel very classy.lol).

Anyways, once we finally hit the cloud forest (not the Amazon rainforest yet, just a part of Manu national Park), we started to drive more slowly and were on the lookout for any birds. I did enjoy once we finally saw one, but for me birdwatching is just too slow. I hate the searching for the birds and constant stopping. Our guide also is a huge bird fanatic and goes on to explain about them for 30 minutes each. But it was very beautiful, especially getting to stop on the edge and enjoy a picnic lunch with this fantastic view. The first day was basically driving to the camp, and enjoying any thing we were lucky enough to see. The campsite was a great little cabin with our own beds and nice mosquito nets (thankfully!!)even had a little kitten on site to play with. The food was once again fantastic, and being so tired, we went to bed very early.

The next day was more driving again, but we finally made it to the actual rainforest. You could definitely tell that you arrived because the humidity level skyrocketed. We drove through a small town which was very unusual to see in the middle of nowhere, but they were having a celebration so we had to do a detour through a backroad. This was a bad idea in our big van, and we got stuck in the soft dirt. Well needless to say, the kids around us thought that was hilarious and soon a large crowd gathered to help us silly gringos by pushing us out. We also got to stop at a colca farm where we got to see the actual plant as well as play with another plant who had seeds that you could crush and use like paint. I definitely enjoyed making funny war-paintings on our faces as well as our guides. The amazon was completely gorgeous and I loved seeing all the different types of vegetation. We even got to go rafting once again. This time was very different as there was only four of us and just wearing lifejackets. They said the rapids would be very small, however I really felt like they were sooo big. It was very exhilarating, especially when we could stop and swim in the river. I just kept thinking how lucky I was to be swimming in the Amazon!! After rafting, we took a small boat ride to our campsite, ate and got ready for a night-walk through the jungle. This was very different than what I am used to. We had large rubber boots, our flashlights and thats it as we made our way through the jungle. We had many experiences like eating termites, seeing poisonous snakes and spiders and getting stuck in mud numerous times.

The 3rd day we were up bright and early to go to a clay lick area where we were hopefully to see many birds feeding off of the nutrients. Although we saw many maccaws flying off in a distance, they never came close to us unfortunately. This day was our zip-lining day which is now one of the funnest things I think you can do. We had a little bit of a hike to get to the spot, especially felt difficult with all your gear. We had 4 different stages of the zip-lining, and they were so fast and great views. Our guide took some great pictures of us. The rest of the day was just more exploring and hiking. We got to know our guide very well, and we became very close with him. He definitely made the trip more exciting.

The next day it was time to leave, so we boarded the van once again, but this time we were very crowded. And then a family needed to get into the town with us, so we had people piled on top of each other. I had a little 7 yr old adorable girl sitting on me for a majority of the time. This ride felt a lot more scary. A heavy fog rolled in, and worse when we drove by the spot that a couple days ago a truck rolled over the edge, killing all of the passengers. We had met some people from the UK though and it became very funny when anyone needed to use the bathroom on the side of the road and we all had to pile out and find hidden spots on the road. The drive seemed to take soooo long, but we were eager to go out dancing and drinking with our guide once we were back in Cusco. We met up at our new favourite club where there is live Peruvian music and then great salsa after. I know nothing about dancing like this, but in Peru there are always men willing to teach you :).

The rainforest adventure was truly great. There is lots more that I could talk about from this trip, but I can't possibly fit it all in. It made you feel like Indiana Jones, exploring the unknown. It was very exciting and informative.

Rafting in Urubamba river!

First off, sorry for the long delay in posts...I was gone to the jungle and then had massive complications and delays for my flights back home. But I am back home now and ready to reflect and finish my blogs about the amazing experience I had.

I had a few free days after the Inca trail because of all the strikes and having to come home early from the trail. This was really nice because it gave me a chance to see everyone from the family house again. I can't get over how close we all became in such a short time. Its these people that I find myself worried about missing the most. If it wasn't for them, I know that my trip would not have been as amazing as it was. So I was really happy that we got to spend some more time with them.

The next day though was the beginning of our 2 day rafting adventure. I had never been before, but like everything else on this trip, I was really excited to try something new. They pick you up from the hotel and it is about an hour's ride to the river and their camp. We met a group of 3 young guys from Toronto and ended up being on the same raft as them for the day. They were really awsome and it was great to meet people so close to where you live. You begin by getting fully dressed in a wetsuit, rain jacket, lifevest and helmet. It felt really weird to walk around in a wetsuit (again which I had never worn before). You receive a quick 10 min safety talk about the basic comands and then have a brief training session in the water and then your off! There were six of us in the raft; Carrie and I, the 3 Canadiann boys and then a shy lady from Costa Rica (I think). We couldn't have asked for a better crew and the guide was awsome. I quickly discovered that I loved rafting so much! Once you get the hang of rowing together and at a strong pace, you get to really enjoy the rapids. Some were getting pretty hardcore (still only class 3 and 4) but it was enough to get your adrenaline pumping. No one fell out although I thought we were pretty close to at some points. The sun felt soo hot beating down on us that we asked if we could just flip the boat for fun. Then we really felt the coldness of the water (the river comes from a glacier in the mountains so it was freeeeeezing). It felt good though. After about 2 hours of rafting we were back at the camp for lunch and then on our way home. We connected so well with the Canadian guys and another man we met from Italy that we all decided to meet up for supper and drinks after. They were really great to spend time with, and I just hope that I can see them again in the future.

The next day rafting was the same river, just different people. We thought that more were doing the 2 days but it was just us. It felt nice though to feel experienced and have everyone ask you questions about what it is like and what to do. We also shared a lot of insight about our Inca trail to others which was fun to hear their amazement that we finished in 1 day less than normal. This day rafting the rapids felt a lot more rough so it was more work to control the boat, but that made it exciting. The guide asked if I wanted to try to be the guide and give commands and steer. I said yes, but quickly realized how hard it really is. On my way back to my seat we hit a big rock and I fell out! I went through like a second of panic, but reacted quick enough to grab onto the rope. That is very frightening especially when you can feel the rocks on your legs and the water trying to pull you under. It was a fun experience though to go through, and it just makes me want to go rafting even more.

Both days were absoluetly amazing and I think i have found a new passion in life. I really want to start rafting more in Canada. There was a man who would take pictures for everyone and then you just buy the CD so if anyone has me on facebook they can check them out because they are pretty sweet. That felt like the perfect way to end my time in Cusco, and we were done early enough to go and see everyone again (I swear I feel like I have done my goodbyes like 4 times already). I'm already trying to figure out my next raftign adventure. Class 5 rapids here I come!!!

the inca trail

This weekend was probably one of the most eventful few days of my life. Carrie and I had signed up for the famous Inca Trail (a 42km major hike ending at the miraculous Machu Picchu). We did not know what to expect but we wanted a challenge so we figured we´d go for it. Only after it was all paid for did we do more research and find out how challenging it was actually going to be. Everyone kept saying that if you were reasonably fit, you shouldnt have a problem. And they were right, except although I´d consider myself fairly fit, I did not prepare to have a high fever, flu, cold and stomach issues all throughout the hike! It was definitely the best and worst thing I have ever done in my life, although I think it would take a lot to convince me to do it again.
The first day started off very exciting, we were pumped up to begin this adventure and couldnt wait to get going. We had one guide for the two of us but were going to walk with another group for campsites, food, etc. We were then told that there was a farmer strike going on and that the day that we were to return from Machu Picchu, there would not be any buses going. So now we had to condense the 4 day hike into 3 days, which meant almost double the walking on the second day! So alright, I was getting a little bit paranoid and wondering how I was going to be that day. But I didnt want that to spoil the sights of the first walk. 1st day wasn´t bad at all. There was only one steep uphill walk and it was for about 15min. Everything else was pretty flat and just really nice to look at. I could feel a sore throat coming on but didn´t want to think anything of it. That days walking was maybe 5hours or so. The first night camping was absolutely gorgeous. I had never seen that many stars out with no clouds before. If I wasn´t so tired I could have laid down and looked at them forever. But we had to be off at 6am the next day for our massive day of walking (over 25km). The food they give you though is absolutely amazing. It is all fresh, very plentiful and great staff working there.
The second day was the worst day in my life. This is when I started being really really sick (I don´t think I ever had felt that bad before in my life, perfect timing eh?). Anyways, the first 5 hours were straight uphill. I couldnt believe how much my sickness was affecting my walking. I was sooo behind everyone else that I was getting really upset. But it is so hard to walk when you are in pain and extremely weak. The guide was awsome about taking his time with me and he never left my side once. After the intense struggle to make it to the top and dealing with the embarassment of having so many people pass you, I finally reached the top of the hill! This whole incline was from 3000m to 4200m above sealevel so you really noticed that there was a change in the pressure and it was difficult to breathe. After reaching the top you get to make your way all the way down again on these steep stairs. The porters (people who carry all your things for you) were literally running down the mountain whilst carrying over 40 extra pounds; I was amazed. It took me a long time to get down, and you definitely started to feel the weight of your backpack by now and all the impact on your knees and ankles made you really sore. At the bottom is where we would have made camp for the night, but because of the 3 day hike it was only the lunch spot. I arrived about 3 hours behind everyone! I was really embarassed but so sick that it was the last thing on my mind. After only a quick 15 min rest (how fair is it that the healthy people got 3 hours and I get 15min???) we had to walk up another hill to about 3900m! Wow was I feeling the sickness now, I didn´t know if I was going to be able to make it. But something inside me just kept pushing me and I slowly put one foot in front of the other. Once at the top of that hill, you probably guessed, you get to walk allllll the way down again! My legs were shattered by this point and I definitely couldnt see the rest of the group by now. I thought we were almost done but then we hit the jungle part of the hike and had maybe 2hours of walking to the final campsite. This whole day took me about 12hours of straight walking. Mind you, I took many small breaks to catch my breath, a few pictures, etc. The views were outstanding, but I found it hard to enjoy when you were so tired. I fell asleep right away after dinner, hoping to feel better the next day.
The 3rd day I was feeling better, but still had a massive head cold and was really weak from the days before. We had to be walking at 3:30am again straight downhill. I was so sick that the guide had to literally hold my hand the entire time and drag me down the hill so I wouldnt fall and collapse! After the hill though we had breakfast and I finally got to brush my teeth (did I forget to mention that this whole time we were sweating and walking we didnt shower and had no time to cleanse ourselves? ew). After eating I felt a little bit better and was able to keep up with the group for most of the time. Then more uphills started happening and my body was telling me it was time to stop. The final moment of the hike is these really steep stairs that at the end of them is the ¨Sungate, which overlooks Machu Picchu from afar. As soon as I arrived at the top, all my sickness just went away! I was so happy to finally make it after all this time. It was a gorgeous view from there, but we still had about a 40min walk to actually reach Machu Picchu. By this time though I was so sore, tired and exhausted that I found it hard to enjoy this amazing view. Mind you I still thought it was absolutely amazing, but I was just ready to stop walking. The highlight for me was that I was able to the take the very same picture that I have as a poster myself with me in it! I can´t wait to have both of them up by each other as a reminder of what I went through. We had a quick hour long tour of the ruins, and got to appreciate the true immensity of it. It was a breathtaking site, although water there was ridiculously expensive.
Here is my final thoughts on the Inca Trail. Looking back I loved having the opportunity to challenge myself in such a major way and I definitely felt very proud when I was finished. The climatic ending was also a great thing to push yourself forward. However, because it was shortened to three days, that was all you could focus on and I feel the final result was a bit ruined because of how tired you were. I definitely would recommend doing it, but only to people who feel they are in really good shape or don´t mind feeling like you are about to die! It was amazing to see the mountains though and some Inca sites along the way. It was a crazy hike, and now I am paying the price by barely being able to walk. It was a once in a lifetime experience however, and I can now say that I SURVIVED THE INCA TRAIL!!!

Last Day with the kids

Well Friday was suposed to be my final day volunteering, but I decided to buy a tourist ticket and then go see some of the local Inca Ruins that day. So thursday was my final day, yet I did not know it. I was a little disappointed that I could not say goodbye to these kids that I have become sooo attached to. However, it was a very interesting day. It started off by me spending most of the morning trying to comfort this one little girl who was very upset about being left by her mother. I was holding her in my lap when all of a sudden she started throwing up everywhere. Needless to say I was happy I was in shorts and could wash my legs off. Then, some of the other volunteers were taking their group to the pool for a fun day of swimming and they asked if I wanted to come along. I didn´t have my bathing suit, but figured I´d come just to help out with the changing of the clothes, etc. The pool was surprisingly nice, and there was a shallow end for the kids to walk in. They all just swam in their underwear, and I think none of them had seen a pool before! They were really shy and scared at first, but as soon as the first kid jumped in, they all were hooked. As you may have guessed, I ended up getting soaked in my clothes, and had to take a taxi home while he was getting angry at me for wetting his seat. I was really happy that we could give those kids a chance to have some fun and experience something new. I just wish I could say goodbye to everyone, but I did manage to leave my monetary donation for the project with another volunteer. We think we are going to buy a dvd player and tv and some educational movies, toothbrushes and toothpast for everyone to implement proper hygiene, and more things like clean towels, etc because everything was very dirty there.

So my final thoughts on the two weeks volunteering. Well, it definitely went by sooo fast. It seems like I was just starting there. Of all the projects offered at Maximo Nivel, they all have something different and special to offer to the people of Peru. There are so many great choices that I recommend doing any of them. It made me feel really good to be giving my time to these children, who were so happy just to have some attention and love. The supervisors do a great job, and I respect them so much for their patience, but there are just too many kids. I was happy to be there to individually give the children some attention and help them to work on their shyness. I was afraid for the language barrier and didn´t know what to expect, but it went well. I learned enough to be able to give the basic commands to the kids and sign language always came in handy with the older workers. Peru is such an amazing place, that I think everyone should take the time to come here. The people impress me so much with their hard work, strength, passion for life and pride in their culture. I would definitely have volunteered for longer if given the chance.

Field trip to the park

On tuesday (this post is a little late, just got internet back!) along with two other volunteers, we arranged to take all the children at the center to the park for a fun day out. It cost each of us 10$ to have a bus be able to take all the kids. The hardest part was getting all the kids organized and helping them walk down the really steep steps, and maneuver through the town in a funny little parade. I was carrying two young children, which was so heavy and on slippery cobblestone. When we arrived at the park, it was such an amazing place. It was all fenced in so it was safe, and had tons of crazy slides, swings, teeter-totters, and fun spinning vehicles. There was even cages with bunnies and birds. I don’t think any of them had been there before, and they started screaming and clapping as soon as they saw where we were heading. It was a very good day though. The kids had a blast doing all the different activities, and we had a nice picnic lunch and snack. I spent a lot of the day with Antony who is really shy and scared about the rides, but after a while I couldn’t get him off, I was so proud of him. He always is the one to stand back in the distance and watch. I’m still sad though about the condition of all the children. Their clothes were very very dirty, shoes were falling apart, the kids were not changed, and one even had diarrhea and still wasn’t helped. I was talking around to people that volunteer there as well and most of the parent’s of the children here were seen begging on the street. I’m thinking now that I am going to use my donation money to buy clothes and shoes for them, however I am not sure how I am going to do that. The other volunteers from Holland said they would come with me and help figure out sizes. We also ran into a group of school kids who were really excited when they heard that we were from Canada. One asked Carrie if we are near Hollywood.lol..They just got so excited and wanted to show off their English and ask questions about if we came on a boat, how old I am, etc. I practiced my Spanish and asked them their ages and birthdays. And I tried to teach them goodbye…one boy just kept saying “Good very much bye”. I got to meet all the kids at the center, and the babies are super cute there. I got to help out by giving them some of the vitamins I brought and had lots of kids fall asleep on me. I unfortunately had to miss my Spanish lesson, but got to buy a lot more souvenirs (I can’t stop myself...I just love this culture). I already know that I want to return to Cusco, fluent in Spanish and hopefully can bring my family or friends to show them this amazing place.my time is almost done here and I’m so excited that I still have so much more to see outside of Cusco city.