As I mentioned previously, this weekend I went with my program group to Lunahuana, a small town about 3 hours outside of Lima. It was wonderful to get out of the city for a while. I didn't realize how much I missed small-town pace of life until I was heading back to the city. We did a lot of fun things (and new things for me!) so bear with me, this will be a long post. 
In the main plaza of the town
Entering the Lunahuana valley. The mountains were gorgeous. 
Rio Canete which we would soon know personally... 
...by rafting down it! It was my first time white-water rafting and I really enjoyed it. We paddled when the guide said Adelante and stopped when he said Alto! And no one fell off :)
My delicious lunch: local trout, called trucha in Spanish. Complete with head and fins.
After lunch we went to see some Inca ruins called Inkawasi. We also walked up that hill behind to see some on the other side which were actually a prison and execution area. Nice.
Afterward we went to a winery where they make their wine the old-fashioned way...
...by stomping the grapes by foot. No machines.
Always a sunset :)
Chupe de camarones, aka crayfish. Personally, too much work for too little meat. Plus I mostly like my food without its head.
We went on a hike to see more ruins. (Before breakfast, mind you) This involved crossing a river on a little platform. I thought it was fun. (The river crossing, not the hiking before breakfast)
The ruins were a small town that was wiped out by a flash flood/landslide coming down from the mountain above. Included in the ruins was a mummy. She was a young woman from the 16th or 17th century.
Later we went biking. Truth: this was my second-least favorite part of the weekend (first prize goes to mosquitoes which have made my legs a lovely red polka dot pattern...sarcasm) They were sketchy bikes...brakes questionable and gears unguarded. The gear on mine ate my pants hem. At least it was only my pants, other people's got their legs!
Next up: Cuatrimoto aka Four-wheeling. Also a first for me and very fun. It took a little getting used to (i.e. how not to stall your atv) but overall a good trip, complete with the random appearance of ...
...goats! and cows! This heard was clearly accustomed to loud ATVs because they were not interested in moving for us. On the plus side, going goat speed gives one good practice going 'suavemente' on the ATV.
In the main plaza of the town 
Entering the Lunahuana valley. The mountains were gorgeous. 
Rio Canete which we would soon know personally... 
...by rafting down it! It was my first time white-water rafting and I really enjoyed it. We paddled when the guide said Adelante and stopped when he said Alto! And no one fell off :) 
My delicious lunch: local trout, called trucha in Spanish. Complete with head and fins. 
After lunch we went to see some Inca ruins called Inkawasi. We also walked up that hill behind to see some on the other side which were actually a prison and execution area. Nice. 
Afterward we went to a winery where they make their wine the old-fashioned way... 
...by stomping the grapes by foot. No machines. 
Always a sunset :) 
Chupe de camarones, aka crayfish. Personally, too much work for too little meat. Plus I mostly like my food without its head. 
We went on a hike to see more ruins. (Before breakfast, mind you) This involved crossing a river on a little platform. I thought it was fun. (The river crossing, not the hiking before breakfast) 
The ruins were a small town that was wiped out by a flash flood/landslide coming down from the mountain above. Included in the ruins was a mummy. She was a young woman from the 16th or 17th century. 
Later we went biking. Truth: this was my second-least favorite part of the weekend (first prize goes to mosquitoes which have made my legs a lovely red polka dot pattern...sarcasm) They were sketchy bikes...brakes questionable and gears unguarded. The gear on mine ate my pants hem. At least it was only my pants, other people's got their legs! 
Next up: Cuatrimoto aka Four-wheeling. Also a first for me and very fun. It took a little getting used to (i.e. how not to stall your atv) but overall a good trip, complete with the random appearance of ... 
...goats! and cows! This heard was clearly accustomed to loud ATVs because they were not interested in moving for us. On the plus side, going goat speed gives one good practice going 'suavemente' on the ATV. Overall an excellent trip. Now I have a few days of classes and then I'm off to Arequipa!
If you want to see more pictures, check out facebook. This public link should take you there even if you don't have an account:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=346637&id=526235521&l=3582513520
Hasta la proxima
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