Peru

While exploring the ancient city of Petra in Jordan, I met an Australian traveler named Alex. We became close friends and decided to continue our adventures together, spending several weeks making our way across South America. Peru was the final stop on our journey.

We based ourselves in Cusco before taking the scenic train to Machu Picchu. Walking through the ruins of the ancient Incan city, perched high in the Andes Mountains, it was impossible not to be amazed by what its builders accomplished centuries ago. It also marked the third of the New Seven Wonders of the World we had visited together in less than a month, after Petra and Christ the Redeemer in Brazil. Once we returned to Cusco, we wandered the city’s charming cobblestone streets before heading out for dinner, where we ordered alpaca carpaccio, a fittingly unusual way to end our time in the country.