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Fourth of July

July 4th finally came, and even though Peruvians weren't celebrating it, we certainly were! We got off of work, so instead of laying around the house all day we went to Chan Chan, capital of the Chimu empire. It was incredible! Walking around listening to a guide tell us about this culture was worth seeing/hearing. Some awesome pictures from our tour...











That night we had a cookout at Nourish International's Hospedaje. Professor Billman grilled hamburgers and we had guacamole, fresh vegetables, and french fries (I ate a TON of french fries while in Peru). It was all delicious, and afterwards we all went down to the beach and lit fireworks. They were mildly successful... as successful as on can imagine Peruvian fireworks are. The archaeology students had a bonfire going so we joined them in making smores and hanging out. We played a huge game of capture the flag... and if you've never played capture the flag on a wide, open beach, it's hard! It comes down to who is the fastest because there isn't anything you can hide behind. Not to mention running on sand slows you down quite a bit. Still, we had a good time and a fun day of honoring our country's independence.

 
**Thinking back, I feel like we should have at least sang the national anthem or something...

Vacation in Peru!

A few weeks before we said goodbye to Peru, our group got the chance to visit Cajamarca. The 8 hour bus ride there was terrifying because most of it consisted of winding through mountainsides on a double decker bus that was extremely top heavy. We made it safely though, and the hotel, San Vicente, was amazing. We stayed in a glorified tree house carved in the side of a hill overlooking the city.





View from our hotel


The first full day we were in Cajamarca, Magdalena, Justine, Ellie, and I didn't waste any time.. we went straight to the hot springs. It wasn't too expensive, and we were given a room with what was basically a huge bath. So we pretty much just took a bath together in our swim suits for 30 minutes in water that is apparently really great for your skin. After that experience, we went shopping around the town. Cajamarca is fairly large with many little shops to explore and alleys with craft stalls set up. I managed to pick up gifts for friends and family that day.


Hot springs!

I made an interesting note in my journal about our trip that the constellations looked enormous from our hotel. Staying in Huanchaco, we hadn't been able to see stars because of light pollution, but in Cajamarca the sky was beautiful and clear. If you're in Peru, definitely take a trip to this gorgeous city.



Our room (we had to use large, heavy blankets because the temperature dropped at night.. unlike in Huanchaco where it was warm all day/night)


Or bus ride back after 3 days in Cajamarca was brutal because sickness decided to set in. Good thing we went on the trip when we did.