Day One: Lima

We made it!!! After our hard work planning and organizing, we have finally arrived in Peru. Our flight left JFK airport at 11.30 pm on the 21st of May. We arrived in the Peruvian capital of Lima the following morning at 6 am. Although the flight was exhausting, we were determined not to let our fatigue get the best of us.

Our 10 day trip started off with a little bit of tourism. How could we pass up such once in a lifetime opportunities as Lima, Cusco, and Machu Picchu tours?? We couldn't!!

On our first day in Peru, and our only day in Lima, we started off with a quick breakfast and then began our guided tour around this beautiful city. Our first visit was the Larco museum (see photo below), a private museum that has a large assortment of pottery, paintings, and jewelry. We were impressed to see how many pieces they had, and not surprised that many of them were influenced by the Incas. The Incas typically used their pottery as ceremonial, not functional, vessels. The Incan pottery depicted day-to-day life, allowing archaeologists and other scholars to use it to hypothesize about what Incan life was like. The day-to-day depictions were very thorough; the most interesting exhibit was of "erotic" pottery that demonstrated the importance of sexuality in Incan culture.

Our second stop on the tour was the Saint Francis Monastery (see the courtyard below). It was interesting to see the different architecture and decorations that were influenced by the religion and culture of the Spanish conquistadors . We also had the chance to pass by the presidential palace, which is in the historical part of the city and faces a large and lively central square, and a few of us were able to take a quick photo with the presidentail guards. Later in the afternoon, we explored one of the native Indian markets and were really able to see local artisams with their crafts.

A happy surprise during the trip has been the very comfy and welcoming accomodations. Because it is a community service trip, we are trying to lower our expenses by staying in Hostels, but have been fortunate enough to have comfortable beds, warm showers, and very friendly neighbors. Our hostel has a beautiful view of the pacific ocean (see below), and we've met other young people from different countries such as Australia, England and many others who have decided to travel across South America.

Being a small group makes it easier to get to know one another even better and creates a unique sort of intimacy. After travelling for so long and walking through a four hour tour, we are all extremely tired. But we all feel like sleeping is not a priority on the trip because we want to take advantage of all the opportunities we can in the one day that we have in Lima. This means a hot meal, the good company of our old and new friends, and a toast to Peru!

-Raisa