Blog by Max

So we're camping out. In the Andes. In the middle of winter. The Peruvian experience has been amazing so far, so much so that there are very few adjectives that properly describe it. In the last day, we left the relative comfort of our homestay families to venture into the mountains. The trek was nothing less than spectacular, with breathtaking views at virtually every turn. As I looked out over the valley from 10,000+ feet, Kanye West lyrics came to my mind, "can we get much higher?" Unfortunately, for my aching knee, we could, but we were rewarded at the end with a fantastic view of the mountains and the Pumamarca Incan ruins at our campsite. At 4 o'clock, we went to explore the ruins and hear some fascinating stories from our guide Adolfo, and returned for a 2 hour dinner full of storytelling and some hardcore bonding. Afterwards, we went outside to be awed by the clearest and fullest night sky I had ever seen. We lay on the grass, gazing into the cosmos, struggling to grasp exactly where we were and what was happening. At 9, we slept, in preparation for our long hike down in the morning. - Max