This past weekend, my roommate and I traveled to the land of mountains, amazing dairy products, and legendary Inca baths where famous kings and royalty once dipped their toes while planning their next attack... or something like that.
The journey lasted about six hours by bus. We pulled into the station around 4:30 am (the overnight bus left at 10pm) and thanks to connecting with past volunteers from the orphanage, we were offered free housing in a church.
We passed out for a few more hours and then made a plan for the day to head to the Plaza de Armas (center of town-each town has one), climb the steps to Santa Apolonia (where the Spaniards ambushed Incan Emperor Atahualpa in 1532) and bathe ourselves in the famous hot springs. The altitude of 9,000 feet made its presence known right away-- I almost needed an inhaler after climbing a few stairs!
Stephanie and I in the Plaza de Armas
What is a day in Peru if you DON'T see a jester on stilts?!
The steps leading up to Santa Apolonia (white church with white cross above it)= HOLY out of breath.
Almost there!
Looking down
The Plaza de Armas from above (zoomed in with the cam)
So much more green here than in Trujillo!
I made it! (representing in my Cards gear!)
It started to rain at the top of the hill so we took shelter in a micro and headed for the baths. We splurged $6 for a massage and entrance into the Incan baths aka mildly-warm pool.
The entrance to the Inca baths
The scalding-hot water from the volcano- this is what I THOUGHT I was going to submerge myself in.
I was a bit disappointed at this public lukewarm pool. All the Peruvians thought it was lap swim and swim lesson time instead of soak-and-relax time.
This might have been one of the best ice cream cones I've ever had.(We were smart and went back the next day!) It was made with manjar blanco, a sweet milky cream made famous in Cajamarca. It is similar to dulce de leche and not too far off from sweetened condensed milk.
One of the markets
A moto taxi
Beautiful churches in the Plaza
We randomly attended a children's music concert. The streets were jam-packed with adorable kids in different native dress and we just had to attend. Yes, we were the only gringas in the entire enormous auditorium.
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