Hola everyone!
It´s Erika, writing from our hotel in Chiclayo where we will be leaving from in less than twelve hours for the incredible city of Cuzco. Despite a few mosquito bites and some bruises from the extremely bumpy truck ride through the mountains we are all healthy, happy and none the worse for wear. The past few days have been full of some emotional and physical challenges as we lived in the relatively poor village of Tallapampa, so we were all glad of the break that today offered. (We had nothing planned and were able to spend the day hanging out in Chiclayo). The highlight of today for a few of us was partaking in the Peruvian delicacy of "cuy" at a local restaurant. For those who want to know, "cuy" or "guinea pig" in English is very difficult to eat and was far too expensive for the amount of meat we got but it was definitely a worthwhile experience! Tonight we also visited the Chiclayo market which is known for its witch doctors and fortune tellers. However, by the time we had arrived those booths had already been closed- so that will be an experience which will have to wait for our next trip to Peru.
Tomorrow morning we have a 9:00 flight to Cuzco, complete with 4 hour layover in Lima so we should arrive sometime in the afternoon. At approximately 12,000 feet above sea level we are all anticipating encountering at least some symptoms of altitude sickness (ie. dizziness, headache, nausea, increased heart rate etc.). However, we are all ready to support each other and are eager for this final leg of our trip.
Until we write again, stay well and keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We are having an incredible time and can´t wait to tell you all about it when we get back home.
Hasta Luego! :)
Erika