My trip to Peru is winding down and there have been some unexpected surprises and downsides to this mostly independent travel. Yesterday we were surprised that our planned afternoon tour of the Southern Valley (outisde of Cusco) turned out to be a private tour and not a group tour. This made the afternoon unexpectedly delightful, the sites we visited were empty and with our knowledgeable guide we had all of our questions answered and I learned a ton...I can't wait to get back and share some of the info with my students.
As great as yesterday was, we were without Internet access (thus the late post) and today has been full of waiting around, rearranged hotels and little inconveniences. I met this lovely woman this afternoon in the lobby of our hotel and she summed up independent travel well, she said "Part of the fun is not knowing if your plans are going to work out." I can agree with her, but for someone like me that likes to plan out every little detail, this uncertainty also brings unneeded stress.
Next week I will be sharing some of the photos I took and giving more detail about the lovely country of Peru. Theis trip has taught me that I need to speak up when I suspect something is wrong, I kept thinking Jen would say something and she was waiting for me. We kept laughing that we need to use our words to communicate what we want. I found that I was less shy in using my little bit of Spanish, although it is sad how little I know. Finally, with all international travel it is essential that you incorporate patience and build in extra time, so that when the unexpected things happen (and they always happen) it doesn't ruin your trip.