Hello! I hope you are doing good!! I am in Mancora, Peru, a small surf town in the North of Peru. We got to Peru two days ago, after spending about 3.5 weeks in Colombia, 2 weeks in Ecuador, and 14 hours on 3 different buses. I am traveling with my friends Ashley and Jason and I love Peru so far. Everyone is really friendly and the food is delicious, lots of ceviche, grilled meat, fried plantanes, and a good amount of Italian food. Today we went to a natural hot spring\mud bath about an hour moto-taxi ride from the coast, a moto taxi is a mini motorcycle with an extra bench and seats attached with a small roof. This is my first stop in Peru! We will see if it can top Colombia (Colombia is one of the best places I have ever been).

I began my trip about 6 weeks ago in Bogota, Colombia, and went to a small town called Villa De Leyva to do some hiking, then went on to the Caribbean. My favorite spot in Colombia was a small city called Taganga, it is right near a big national park and had some of the nicest beaches I have ever seen. We spent a night camping under the stars in Parque Tayrona, snorkeling and swimming in crystal clear water. I was with my friend Carolyn at the time, and her and I seem to meet anyone and everyone. We made so many Colombian friends, we went to a beach bbq with a huge Colombian family, went on a boat ride down the carribean coast with another group of Colombians, and then met up with some others for dinner and dancing in Cartagena. All and all I found Colombians to be extremely friendly. 

After being on the coast for a few weeks we went to Cali, Colombia where we stayed with Carolyn's friend Guillermo who showed us around the city. That was the first place that I felt was unsafe, he told us that no one stops at red lights at night for fear of being robbed or mugged, and I had someone attempt to grab me as I was running. It wasn´t a big deal, in every country there are some safer areas and others that are not so safe. All and all I loved Colombia and felt the reputation they have as a dangerous country to visit was undeserved. I loved their slogan at the airport, ¨Colombia, the only risk is wanting to stay¨.

In Ecuador I spent time in a small city called Otovalo, hiking to waterfalls and doing lots of shopping. We went to a small town that produces lots of leather, and I bought a nice leather jacket! The people in Ecuador are pretty small, I towered over most men! After buying my jacket I went to show the hostel owner, and he asked what I paid for it and then said ¨oh you got a good deal, I paid $10 more for mine.¨ I said “well maybe since my jacket is small then it was cheaper since they need less material to make it.” And he and his friend looked at me with wide eyes and said “öh no, you are not small. you are very big. that is a very big jacket.¨ It made me laugh out loud, but it gives you an idea of how small the Ecuadorians are. The food was delicious in Ecuador, the best I have had so far. My favorite meal was a glass of wine, shrimp ceviche, and filet mignon, all for under $10. 

So I have finally made it to Peru. My friend Berkley arrives in two days, Megan comes in a week, then we are all going to Huachina (a town in the dessert where we are going to rent ATVs to climb the sand dunes), then on to hike Machu Pichu and visit the Amazon. I have a great month ahead :). I am going for a sunset run on the beach now, but I hope everyone is doing great!! I am having an awesome time, getting a little food poisoning here and there, lots of mosquito bites, but having the time of my life. 

I look forward to hearing from you soon!!