I have honestly never fallen in love with a country the way I have done with Peru. I was there for less than two weeks, but it was the best experience of my life, and a memory forever etched onto my heart.
I'm already planning returning soon, because it's a country with a staggering amount of culture, history, natural beauty and excitement to offer- not somewhere I'll forget any day soon.
After much faffing around at the airport with flights being delayed (Avianca I'm sending some major negative vibes your way...) I, along with 17 others from my university arrived in Cusco, previously the capital of the Incan empire. This was only the starting point of my trip to Peru, and my expectations of it weren't particularly high, but I was so pleasantly surprised.
Flying in to Cusco, I had my nose pressed against the window, gazing out at the seemingly endless expanse of the Andean mountain. I probably resembled what the child next to me shooting daggers would have looked like had it been sitting there... But ya know it was really small and probably wouldn't have remembered it, but I definitely will.
The city emerged pretty much out of nowhere and took up what seemed like the whole valley. It was much more bustling than I expected, and what struck me most was the vibrancy and colour which characterised the city, and the whole of Peru.
We spent an afternoon exploring the markets and shops, trying Peruvian food (I can definitely recommend empañadas *swoons into my plate*) and getting a feel for the place. There's probably not much there to keep you occupied for more than a few days, but it's a useful base to visit much of Peru's gems.
The next morning dawned not so bright but definitely early (no more 4am starts pls I can't take it), as we reached our first campsite to began the Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu.
I've never seen anywhere so beautiful or remote as the Andes, for four days we had no phone signal and barely saw another soul. It was weird at first but so liberating to be free from all of the pressures dictating our daily life, especially when we were rewarded with the sight of millions of stars and the Milky Way at night with the sky being so clear from the lack of pollution.
Many people go to Peru with the aim of seeing Machu Picchu, which is undeniably incredible (more on that later), but for me the highlight of the trip was what I experienced along the way.
I've never really been a camping girl, more a double bed with sheets with a nice high thread count thank you, but if all campsites looked like this I could probably get used to it.
On our trek we walked up streams, edged along narrow cliff top paths with sheer drops (deliberately missed out those photos for the family because they probs would have had a coronary from the danger lol), walked through jungle and cloud forrest, saw glaciers, lakes and furry caterpillars, and just the most amazing sights nature had to offer.
It's known as a touristy destination, but there's so much natural beauty it'll blow you away.
We trekked to the top of Salkantay mountain, and at 4600m above sea level, this was the highest point of the trip. Considering the highest point in the UK is around 1300m, it was pretty crazy to realise what we'd achieved, walking for hours a day, and facing the challenges of altitude.
But this challenge was for a truly amazing cause, as to take part on the trip, we fundraised as much money as we could for the small, but amazing charity Aids Orphan. It helps children who have lost their families to AIDS, and offers mental and physical support to some of the most neglected and impoverished people out there.
So although at times we struggled with the difficulties of altitude and walking, we knew that with every step we took we had helped some of the people who needed it the most.
If you're interested in taking part in a similar event for this charity, their website here explains it all.
But we made the most of being out here and had some extra experiences which I'll never forget- like zip lining thousands of metres in the air at 60km/h upside down (soz mum it was safe I promise), visiting a coffee plantation, and visiting a natural hot springs. Seeing the sunset over the Andes from what was essential a large, natural bath after days of walking definitely goes down as one of my top ten moments in life.
After enduring the seemingly endless steps up to Machu Picchu by the light of our head torches, we made it to our end goal- Machu Picchu. It was tough, but seeing the sunrise over the beautiful ruins and surrounding mountains was worth every step.
It took my breath away how amazing the area was, just how the Incans managed to build a city like this, without technology, and at the peak of a mountain is a mystery. But I'm so glad they did, because wandering around the ruins and taking in the history of it was almost moving in how staggering it was.
It's been an enduring fixture on my bucket list, and I urge you to add it, and Peru in general onto yours. I wish I could articulate more fluently how special it was, but I hope this might have inspired you to consider Peru as a holiday or travelling destination.
Brb, off to go moon over pictures again....
Honor xxx
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