Peru was the shit. While the month was packed with adventures outside of Cusco, the city itself was equally impressive. I met some truly amazing people, saw beautiful works of architecture, watched parades of dancing day after day in the main square, cheered on Peru during Copa America, and drank more than a fair share of pisco sours.
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Amazon adventures
The Amazon rainforest, covering much of northwestern Brazil and extending into Colombia, Peru and other South American countries, is the world’s largest tropical rainforest, famed for its immense biodiversity. It’s crisscrossed with thousands of rivers, the most exceptional being the powerful Amazon. River towns, with 19th-century architecture dating to rubber-boom days, include Brazil’s Manaus and Belém, and Peru’s Iquitos and Puerto Maldonado.
Read MoreMachu Picchu
Machu Picchu is an Incan citadel set high in the Andes Mountains in Peru, above the Urubamba River valley. Built in the 15th century and later abandoned, it’s renowned for its sophisticated dry-stone walls that fuse huge blocks without the use of mortar, intriguing buildings that play on astronomical alignments, and panoramic views. Its exact former use remains a mystery.
Read MoreVinicunca Mountain
Vinicunca Mountain, also known as Rainbow Mountain, is a spectacular sight to see. It's a challenging day hike, with a round trip distance of 9.5 miles. It's not the distance that makes it a challenge, though, it's the altitude. Starting at an elevation of 14,189 ft, and ending at 16,466 ft, breathing is a serious challenge, and you tire extremely fast. This is the first and only time I was thankful that I have an injured knee - I was able to ride a horse the whole way.
Read MoreMy apartment in Cusco, Peru
During our stay in Cusco, we resided in R House. It was a really nice place with very friendly staff. Apartments had three or four people per unit, but we each had our own in-suite bathroom. Aside from being about a 20 to 25 minute walk to the city center, it was a fairly ideal place to live.
Read MoreMonth 4: Cusco, Peru
Cusco, a city in the Peruvian Andes, was once capital of the Inca empire, and is now known for its archaeological remains and Spanish colonial architecture. Set at an altitude of 3,400m, it's the gateway to further Inca sites in the Urubamba (Sacred) Valley and the Inca Trail, a multiday trek that ends at the mountain citadel of Machu Picchu.
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