May 13th, 2018 - Tabitha Wyant

Every day is a new exciting adventure it feels like. I know they say we are still in the honeymoon stage but, today we got to see the ruins of Ollantaytambo. First the breath-taking Machu Picchu, then seeing the ruins of where Incas once stood. I know my pictures of Machu Picchu did not do it justice, and I know my pictures for ruins won’t either. It was just so incredible to see the quality of the buildings that were still standing and how massive some of the rocks were that they were using to build. They had a great view of the mountains and the valleys there. They even had water fountains still working to this day. To me that is a crazy thought. It was placed so strategically, that it is sometimes upsetting to know that the Spanish came into the area and took over. To try and understand the sadness and terror that the Incas must have felt when fighting the Spanish… there are no words. The Spanish were more advanced than the Incas as they had weapons, armor, and horses that the Incas had never seen before. They must have felt like they were fighting gods. It is hard to not feel a sadness when you think about what happened, even though it was many years ago. I know I felt something, whether it be amazement, or sadness, there is an energy there. Being surrounded by the beautiful mountains really makes me think of growing up in Pennsylvania but, we did not have snowcapped mountains in the summer like Peru does.

When riding the bus back to Cusco it is always difficult not to look out the window and just take everything in. Seeing all the new things, making new friends, and listening to their music will be forever one of my favorite memories. It was an experience where everything was new to me. Having experiences like those makes me grateful to be on this trip. Just looking around and realizing you are in a different place with all of these new people steals my breath away sometimes. It is hard to process everything in one day. It does not feel real. I hope everyone on this trip is having similar experiences as me. I wish everyone could have these experiences. It is nothing like I have felt before. I cannot find the words to describe the ruins I saw today other than the Incas who were there were all in great shape, and it was beautiful to see the history in the ruins.

Today is Mother’s Day and as much as I miss my own mom, it was fun to celebrate it with our homestay mom! Yolanda is one of the greatest people, she is patient with me as I do not know much Spanish. She is around for every dinner and always tries to have a conversation with me in the mornings.