The long road home...

Ok Debra...you can do this. You have written for 6 months straight...here we go.

Well, the last 8 days since I left Arequipa have been a whirlwind to say the least. But I just ate my very last Lomo Saltado (the most delicious dish in Peru...) and I think I am now ready to write about my last travel adventure (at least in this chapter...)
I basically have spent the last week working my way up from Arequipa to Lima to fly home.

So last Friday night, I boarded a bus in Arequipa. I said a very tearful goodbye to my host family in the terminal and climbed aboard Peru's Finest: Cruz del Sur bus line. Seriously...Northwest could learn a thing or two from these people.

Seats recline. TV screens like every 2 feet. Good snacks. All good. But there are a few things that Cruz del Sur lacks:

1. Heat (I have never been so freaking cold in my entire life)
2. Movies that were released post 1985 (we watched Explorers...Ethan Hawke when he was like 9 battling green aliens...oh...and in Spanish)
3. Oh, right...hire drivers that can drive!

So in reference to number 3, this ride was supposed to be about 9 hours give or take. About 3 hours into the ride as I was drifing off in my freezing seat, we hit something. At first I thought we just blew a tire or hit a speed bump (seriously, my frame of reference is so screwed up). I honestly almost just turned over and went back to sleep.

But then, I realized we were not moving again. Nope. Turns out...we hit...a TRUCK. Yep. Double decker bus meets truck. Not pretty.

So rather than press on to Cusco as planned, we turned back around to Arequipa! And this time, we were moving at a snail's pace. So at about 3:30 am...we rolled BACK into Arequipa. Dragged our half frozen asses into a NEW bus and again, headed to Cusco. Not exactly an ideal way to start a week long trip.

In any case, I arrived in Cusco, got my bag and started putting on my best "I look lost. Are you looking to pick up someone named Debra?" face and roamed around the terminal. I didn't have high hopes. It's not like these people who were going to pick me up can exactly check the flight schedule to see when I was supposed to come in.

But I just plopped down and waited. I honestly am not sure I was completely conscious at this point. After about 20 minutes...I was found. Hooray!

We headed to the hostal and was told that I had missed the tour I was supposed to take that morning but do not worry, there was another in about 2 hours. I did my best to stay awake, freshen up a bit, de-thaw and and I was off to the Land of the Tourists.

Now before this 6-month trip, I was a classic tourist. I liked hop-on hop-off bus rides. I liked iteneraries. Not so much anymore. As soon as I stepped on the bus and was surrounded by a Florida woman who didn't stop complaining and a family of like 6 kids, I was ready to be back in Arequipa.

But I put on my tourist hat and we were off. Church. Church. Ruin. Ruin. Debra had a bit of ADD during the tour but apparently, we saw some super famous ruins: Sacsayhuaman (pronounced Sexy Woman...not kidding) and went to a very stylish Alpaca outlet store.Needless to say...I then promply lost consciousness for like 11 hours.

I woke up the next day ready to HIKE. This whole trip was planned and included in my program so I had nothing to do with the planning. I pretty much had a 7 minute meeting about it about 2 hours before I left so I knew very little about what was going to happen.

But I was told that I had a full day of hiking Machu Pichu on Sunday. So I strapped on my hiking gear. Packed up my water, my snacks, my bandaids...I was ready.

So I got in the car with some other travellers and we were off. I looked at their gear and it just didn't look really "up to the task." Whatever...we'll see how it goes.

About 2 hours into the ride, I asked, "so do you know when we start hiking?"

"Hiking?? We aren't hiking! We are driving all the way to the bottom of Machu Picchu!"

Ok...so apparently the Arequipa people were misinformed. So with my hiking boots on and bandaids in hand, I was on a 9.5 hour car ride to Aguas Calientes at the base of Machu Picchu. The ride was beautiful...and terrifying! We were basically hanging off the edge of a cliff for the majority of it and when we had to pass another car, we had to drive on these cliffs in REVERSE. Basically I almost died several times but I would have died in good views.
Anyway, we arrived in Aguas Calientes in one piece and had to take a quick 40 minute train ride in. On the way, I had to use the train bathroom. So there I was and I looked up out the bathroom window...and caught my first glimpses of Macchu Pichu...I will NEVER forget that moment!

So we had one night in Aguas Calientes and we were up at 3:30a.m. to start our climb at 4:00. This was the hike part. ..and I was ready!
We climbed STRAIGHT up stairs for about 1.5 hours. It was hard but not nearly as hard as some other hikes I've done and I actually started to feel like a pro-hiker (ok...I mean, not a pro....but I really have come a long way since the says on Volcano Pecaya in Guatemala)

Our guide (who left us...not much of a guide) assured us it was a straight shot. But...we got lost.
Luckily for us, we got a new guide...a four-legged one! He guided us all the way up...and only on 3 good legs...thanks buddy!
At just a few minutes before 6, we arrived at the top...and it really was amazing. I was half -expecting to be underwhelmed just because there is SO much hype about it. But the hype is very well deserved. It is incredible...
After about 2 more hours of touring and hiking, I found a nice little mummies cave to seek some shade and hang out and just take the moment in for about an hour or so. It really was a time I will not soon forget.
(I promise that my pants are not actually this short...)

I went back down Machu Picchu in the afternoon and hung out in Aguas Calientes for the rest of the day. I was booked on the 10 hour bus ride back down but somehow doing the winding roads on a cliff at NIGHT, in the RAIN did not appeal.

So (dad...you will be proud), I bought a train ticket outta there and back to Cusco...money very well spent.

The next day was basically another travel day...hung out in Cusco for the morning. Left on a 2:00p.m. bus and got to Nasca at 5:00am..yes...13 hours. Seriously people, is this for real?

I arrived at the dodgy station in the dark...again...no one to greet me. But within about 10 minutes, the friendliest man in all of Nasca named Fernando met me with open arms. He took me to his hostal (which I think is pretty much his house...with a bunch of rooms) and I had about an hour nap before starting the day.

Nasca is famous for one thing and one thing only...the Nasca Lines. Ever seen the movie Signs with Mel Gibson with the crop signs? It's kind of like that but the signs are like 3000 times bigger and they are from the Incas.

So how do you see these amazing wonders of the world?? In a TEENY TINY plane of course!
So I got in the smallest plane I've ever gotten in in my life (4 people in total including the pilot) and we were off to see the Nasca lines.

The pictures do this NO justice whatsoever... Seriously...Google guys. Google.
But the ride was awesome. Our pilot Raul did not move on from a symbol until all of us had seen it. Even if it meant doing virtual 360s until we were all on the verge of losing our breakfasts.

So like I said, the only thing to do in Nasca are the Nasca lines. But that doesn't stop tours from trying to make money by taking you other places. So basically I spent the rest of the day being dragged around (again, half in a coma) to see skeletons buried places, a dry dessert, a guy who made phallic pottery and some overly excited gold miner dude. It was all quite thrilling.
Next day, off again to Paracas. This time only a 5-hour ride (remember when I used to think that 5 hours to Madison was long? Not anymore...) I got in in the late afternoon and this was my cab...
I decided to check out the beach...and found my own little nirvana: Me, the beach, a sunset, a good book, a beer and french fries. I was a happy girl.
Early the next morning, it was off to see the Ballastras Islands. After the Galapagos, it is hard to impress this girl but I'm telling you, these were amazing! We had about a 3 hour boat ride with sea lions, birds, waves and just unbelievable sights of these islands formed purely of volcanic rock. Sooo cool...
Guess what?? It was back on the bus but this time, for the last time. Off to Lima. Cruz del Sur even treated us with a movie from this century and the ride flew by.

Got to Lima...surprise, surprise...no one there. No big deal. Just wait...these people show up, right? Well...not this time. No one came.

Again, no problem. Just get in a cab. Tell the guy your hostel name. Well, three taxis later and no one knew of this hostel. One guy was willing to ride me around to look for it though.

After about an hour in the cab, I had had enough...just take me to ANY hotel with a bed. So he did...Percy came through and found me a somewhat dodgy, but more than acceptable hotel.

Let's just say I was a bit irratable when I arrived. Probably had nothing to do with the fact that I hadn't really slept in like a week and was just abandoned...nah. I actually went to check my email in the hotel's lobby and when a traveller tried to make small talk with me, I nearly lunged at his neck in frustration. Clearly, I was in no shape to be entering the outside world.

So I did what any good, tired, frustrated, hungry, American girl would do....order Domino's!

Yep...within 30 minutes of near melt-down, I was eating a pepperoni pizza and cinnastix in bed watching Dr. Phil...ahh...
The week had it's ups and downs but so many more ups than downs. It was a week of more long bus travels, more death defying experiences, more sweaty hikes, more unexpected turns...and more time to realize just how incredible this entire journey has been...

xoxo,
Debra

P.S...next (and probably last!) blog to come from stateside!