almost there....

It was finally time to leave Huaraz, I had been there for about a week and was getting a little stir crazy there. One week is too much time to spend in 1 city! I took an overnight bus to Trujillo, the first charming town that I have seen outside of Cusco in Peru, went to Chan Chan, walked around the square, and then got another overnight bus to Chachapoyas! After an exhausting two days of travel, I was in the cloud forest to see 2 things: Kuelap and Golca. Kuelap are some large, pre-Inca ruins that are on par with Macchu Picchu. They were discovered earlier than Macchu Picchu, but haven't been restored as much as MP. The architecture isn't nearly as meticulous as MP, but there is a lot of interesting history there, and with the lack of restoration, the ruins were a bit overgrown by trees. It looks like you are discovering it and no one has been there yet! An archeological site that is on a 3000 meter summit, has 3 different levels, used as a fortress, and housed warriors and shamans is definitely worth seeing. It was very cool, and a great way to end the "ruin" aspect of my travels.

The next day, I went to Golca, the 3rd highest waterfall in the world following Angel Falls in Venezuela and another one in Africa. It's two-tiered and 771 meters!

After about 10 days straight of hiking and traveling, I decided on some beach time. I went up to Mancora for some R&R at a backpackers resort and hung out poolside for a few days. No hiking, no culture, just relaxing and hanging out with fellow travelers and celebrating St. Patty's day with green slushies. Obviously, it's a world-wide holiday.

I then realized I had been in Peru for nearly 7 weeks, and was only planning on being there for about 5 or 6. I also realized, I had a flight out of Quito, Ecuador 10 days later and was still not in the country of my departure. oops... time to get moving.

Vicabamba was my first stop in Ecuador. It's a beautiful town that's known for it's long living residence. Considering how beautiful and peaceful the town is, it's no surprise. I hung out there for 2 days and did some easy hikes in the surrounding areas. Nothing too exciting, but very pretty.

Now, I am in Cuenca, a very charming city about 10 hours south of Quito. I met up with 1 girl I met in Mancora, and 2 friends from Bariloche (who I also saw in Mancora). Tonight, we are on our way to Quito where we will see the Old Town, straddle the equator, and then on Monday morning I fly back to the states!

Pictures to come soon....