Experiences of Studying Abroad in Peru - Part Two

This is the second part of my blog about my study abroad experience in Peru. If you didn’t catch the first one, make sure to read through it, there is plenty of exciting information in that one!

After our visit to Machu Picchu, we only spent a few more days in Cusco. We were finishing up our final exams, but we were also looking forward to another wonderful excursion in Peru. Prior to our end in Cusco, we traveled to Puerto Maldonado, which is situated in the Amazon Basin, very close to the border of Brazil.

We flew to the town, which has a little runway, situated in the middle of nowhere. I was a bit nervous when we landed; I was wondering to myself whether or not our plane would fit on the tarmac! As soon as the crew opened the door of the plane, I could feel the instant surge of heat and humidity in the plane. From then on, we were in constant high humidity, and our clothes were damp the whole trip.

After our arrival, we then took a two-hour boat ride up the Tambopata River to a lodge. The Tambopata is one of the main tributaries to the Amazon River, the largest river in the world. We arrived at the Tambopata EcoLodge and discovered there was no electricity, and we had to sleep underneath bug nets. We saw all kinds of wildlife; monkeys, macaws, tarantulas, caimans (South American alligators), snakes of all sorts, and even piranhas!

The view from our lodge looking down the Tambopata River at 6 am

A family of Capybaras, the largest rodents in the world!

After I ended my study abroad experience in Peru, I decided to travel to the southern coast of Ecuador to visit some family members of mine who currently live there. My second cousin is a retired engineer and now does missionary work in Ecuador. I flew from Cusco to Guayaquil, Ecuador, the most populated city in the country. We stayed in Guayaquil for a few days, and toured around the city. After spending a few days there, we traveled to my cousin’s house on the Pacific Coast, in a little town called Ballenita, translated to “Little Whale”, which is where Humpback whales travel to each year to give birth to their calves. I even had the opportunity to go whale watching, in which we saw at least 30 whales during the few hours we were on the water! We only did a little bit of travelling after that, in which we went north to a town called Montañita (Little Mountain). Each year, they have world class surfing competitions, in which some of the biggest stars in surfboarding travel there each year to participate. Here are some of the photos of my short travel in Ecuador.

A photo of me on the coast at Ballenita

Small town of Puerto Lopez – some of the prettiest water I’ve ever seen!

Looking back, I had an incredible experience in Peru and Ecuador. If you have ever thought of studying abroad, I would highly recommend it, it certainly was a very enjoyable experience!