Lunahuana, and life in Lima

Ahh! I've become such a horrible blogger since I moved to Lima. It's hard to keep up when I'm super busy with work, dance, and my social life. I'm still in the same apartment in Miraflores (the 1 bedroom) and it feels good to be in one place for more than 3 months (well, almost 3 months at the end of December). I've really settled in, I bought a bike, and I've been enjoying Lima more, now that the weather has gotten a bit better. It's crazy how much of an effect the sun can have on your day. I notice that I'm much more energetic, happy, and positive I am when it's nice out. When it's grey, I feel tired, sluggish, and I'm usually pretty crabby :( good thing Gerardo has lots of patience for me! 

Anyway, besides work and getting used to making sales, I've also been assistance teaching a Jazz class in Chorrillos. It's awesome because I don't have to pay to take class now! The only downside is the teacher, Diana, is leaving to start her own dance company and won't be with D1 Escuela de Dance next year :( I'm so bummed. I've also been taking a Contemporary class which has really allowed me to let go and relax. I get super tense at work, and contemporary is really out of my element, but allows me to use my technique which is nice. It feels good to start getting back in shape again, although i have a LONG way to go.

Some other highlights of the last few months were my trips to Lunahuana and then my recent trip to Ica and Huachachina with Daloma, Spencer, and Kat, my coworkers. 

Lunahuana

The weekend after Thanksgiving, I had my mind made up to get out of the city and go anywhere. I mean ANYWHERE. Once you are stuck in a city of 10 million people and listen to noise constantly everyday (especially when you're from a small town like Groton, as I am) you start to go a little crazy without some peace and relaxation. So, on a Friday night we packed our bags and got on the next Soyuz bus in the direction of Ica, a city 5 hours from Lima. I had heard Lunahuana was a nice relaxing place, with a rushing river, good food, white water rafting, and SUNSHINE so I figured why not? The only downside was I wasn't really sure how to get there, and all I had was my handy-dandy Lonely Planet book which ended up being all we needed. By the time we got to the Soyuz bus station and got on a bus (the ones that go towards Ica leave literally every 10-15 minutes, and cost less than $15) it was around 8:30pm.

Luckily, we woke up just before the bus stopped in Cañete and grogily stumbled off. I took out my book again and saw that to get to Lunahuana, we had to take a combi (a ghetto mini-van type of public transportation) to Imperial, 10 minutes away, and from there another combi to Lunahuana, another hour away. As we looked around the deserted bus stop of Canete, where hardly anyone got off the bus, we realized we probably missed the cut-off time for combis (it was now almost 11:30pm). We talked to the nearest taxi and negotiated for him to take us to Lunahuana for about $25. Not too bad for a 1 1/2 hour ride through the Andes at midnight. He even gave us a history lesson on the way. I was so happy that I could see the stars for once, and the moon shining down on the Andes mountains. This is the Peru I know and love, and tend to forget about while living in Lima. 

Once we arrived to Lunahuana, it was completely dead, so we took the recommendation of the driver and stayed in a hostal near the main plaza (it was also in my Lonely Planet book so I knew it had to be okay.. haha). The room cost about $15, but was one of the dirtier hostels I had ever stayed in. No toilet seat (squatting  required), no shower curtain, and a rock hard bed. Oh well, we were exhausted anyway so we passed out early. Upon waking up, there was construction going on right outside the building and it felt like they were going to saw right into our room. Needless to say this was NOT how I wanted to spend my "relaxing-weekend-get-away-from-the-huge-city-of-Lima-that-is-full-of-construction-and-noise-everyday". 

We came out of the hostel and walked around until we found an alternative. It was a nicer hotel, definitely a bit more expensive (expensive for Peru is nothing like it is in the states, but still). It had direct access to the river where you could swim, beautiful grounds, a nice (clean) pool, and beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. It was definitely worth the splurge (and by splurge, I think I spent like $100, tops). I was in heaven. Tranquility (besides the sound of the river, which was fine by me), and beautiful views. Ahhhh. I think I transformed into a different person. After lounging around a bit and getting breakfast, we walked around and decided to do some white-water rafting. I think the rafting cost about $10 each, and we didn't sign any waivers... hm... The rapids were pretty slow but it was still a fun experience. 

After taking an afternoon nap, I was dying to do a horseback riding activity so we went back to the same agency and did ride throughout the town and into the surrounding mountains. The ride was fun, and we even got to run the horses a bit which was something I hadn't done in so long. We rode through some pretty poor areas though and it was a good time for some reflection. That is one thing that I am learning so much from living in Peru: really appreciating what I have and being grateful. 

That night we went to a restaurant recommended by my manager, Ric, and we had some of the best "chupe de camarones" which is crawfish soup. It is creamy and delicious, and the crawfish are fresh out of the river! The restaurant was a bit far out of Lunhuana so we had to take a taxi out there, and on the way back there were no taxis so we walked about 25 minutes before we hitchhiked with a car going by... We also bought some homemade pisco infused with peach which was also delicious ! 

The next day we relaxed by the pool and negotiated for a late check-out so we could relax the whole day. I sunbathed and swam for most of it. After trying cuy (guinea pig) for lunch, we packed up our stuff and took a combi, stuffed with over 15 people, back to Imperial. From there we took another combi to the Soyuz bus station in Canete, and then took the next big bus back to Lima. I was not happy to be back in Lima but I was very refreshed from a nice weekend away from the big city, and a tan (and a million bug bites) to prove it. 

No time to write about my trip to Ica & Huachachina now, but more to come later :)