Visiting Peru by Eric Leon

While studying in South America in Santiago de Chile, we traveled around the continent as well as within Chile.  The study abroad program organized by the College of Charleston included a week-long excursion to Peru at the beginning of October, consisting of Cusco, Ollantaytambo, Aguas Calientes and Lima. This was by far one of my favorite trips I have taken so far and also where I came to learn so much history and witnessed many ruins left behind by natives to the region. In Ollantaytambo we saw incan ruins and hiked up to the mountaintop to unbelievable views.  From Ollanytambo to Aguas Calientes we traveled by train, were our ride consisted of beautiful sceneries. We witnessed many of the historic sites where these natives constructed their cities in Ollantaytambo, and in Aguas Calientes we had the opportunity to travel to Machu Picchu by bus. We walked the terraces formed along the mountains, constructed for the purpose of vegetation during this time period. The mountains surrounding Machu Picchu hide this unbelievable site that, until today, has yet to have a concrete comprehension as to who constructed it and how it was constructed.  We still don’t know who inhabited the area, and why this area was used. In Lima we got to see big city on the coast, where the waters have the best waves for surfers. We also had a variety of good food, mainly being a wide range of ceviche. There was also a great nightlife in Lima, and in many of the cities we walked through there were nice markets with lots of llama and alpaca skinned articles of clothing to choose from. This was an unforgettable moment to see this wonder of the world and some major cities in Peru and I am grateful to the program for including this trip. I have to say that the program organized the trip very well, and we got to see and learn so much more than expected. 

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