I had to leave a week early unfortunately, but for the first week I was there I did enjoy the trip. The hike to Machu Picchu was much more than I bargained for, but being in shape got me through it. The city of Cusco was delightful and I enjoyed the hotel and surrounding area. The food choices were awesome and well-planned. The hike days sometimes got boring in the afternoon when camp was set up and there wasn't much to do, but we had a good group to keep company with. I was there had been more to look at on the hike and less of the actual hiking part. By the time we arrived to Machu Picchu, everybody was so exhausted that we only stayed about 2 hours walking around. We were ready for some sort of civilization again! Anyways, the best part of the trip was definitely our tour guide, Carlos. He was from the area, knew it extremely well, was informative at all times, but most importantly was always concerned about having a good time and taking things at our own pace. Carlos never rushed things, and understood that this was a vacation for everybody involved. His humor and randomness also kept things interesting, and if nothing else Carlos always provided a good laugh, even when some of us weren't in much of a laughing mood. I would highly recommend Carlos again, and if I happen to be down there on my own in the future, I'll want to meet up with Carlos.

| August 2800