Puerto Maldonado, Cuzco, and Puno in one week: Ready, set, go…

Tomorrow, August 4, I will have officially been in Peru for one month! I cannot believe how quickly time has flown by. I only have two more weeks until I start classes at PUCP (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú), and until then I am busy with language classes and a few more excursions in and around Lima with the entire Holy Cross group.
Late last night we arrived back from our final orientation trip. As a group, we visited Puerto Maldonado, Cuzco, and Puno. It was an incredible week and I cannot believe how much we did in only seven days.

La Plaza de Armas in Cuzco

Our trip began in Puerto Maldonado, which is in the jungle in southern Peru. For a few days, we stayed in bungalows, two hours down a river from the actual city of Puerto Maldonado. Here we did excursions in the rain forest, I ate my first termite and suri (a type of worm), went fishing, and swam in Madre de Dios, the river we were staying on. The wildlife was amazing and it is incredible how much biodiversity exists in Peru.
After our stay in Puerto Maldonado, we headed west to Cuzco. Although it is hard to pick favorites, I will admit I really loved Cuzco. It is touristy, but for obvious reasons—it was the capital of the Incan Empire and offers endless ruins, including the most famous: Machu Picchu. Luckily the schedule committed and entire day to Machu Picchu. It is one of the Seven New Wonders of the world and is one of the most beautiful places I have been in my life. Machu Picchu is in the middle of nowhere and it is clear why the Incans chose this special location. As a group, we took a train and a bus to get to Machu Picchu, but I am hoping I will have time to do the Inca Trail later this year, which is a four-day hike from the bottom of the mountain to Machu Picchu.

Me in front of Machu Picchu

Our final two days were spent in Puno. Like Cuzco, Puno is also in the mountainous region of Peru. Our first day we went to Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. First, we visited the Floating Islands, which are made of layers of reed, and literally float on the water. The people were incredibly kind and there rich history is still alive. There house and boats are amazing and made from nothing but reeds, nylon string, and hard work. After visiting the floating islands, we took a boat two hours east to Taquile. On Taquile we were able to witness celebrations of San Santiago and have lunch in a local restaurant where I had trucha, a local fish from Lake Titicaca. It was one of my favorite meals thus far and, believe it or not, it rivaled some of my favorite fish restaurants in Boston and Cape Cod! We were on Lake Titicaca for hours and still only covered a small corner. It is hard to believe how big this lake really is. At times on the boat, I felt like we were on the ocean!
Unfortunately, I have Spanish homework to do…but hopefully it will all pays off in two weeks when I start my classes at the University. In the next couple of days, I will be busy narrowing down the classes I want to take this semester. Although I am slightly nervous to start classes and the challenges classes will bring, I am positive this semester will be incredible and unlike anything I have done before.
Ciao, Peter

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