Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined

            -Henry David Thoreau

Traveling can seem intimidating. Traveling can seem overwhelming. Traveling can be anxiety inducing.

Like, what if you end up in a bad part of town alone? Or how do I even begin to create an itinerary? But should you not travel because of these fears or time constraints? No, absolutely not. I started traveling the world just a couple years ago after moving to Japan. I was going through a tough season in which I faced terrible anxiety and used travel as a way to challenge myself to learn, grow, and see the world from a new perspective. I always wanted to spread my wings and fly but I was also fearful to start alone. That’s when I discovered small group travel. I always had a negative impression of group travel because all I could think of was large buses packed with tourists jumping out to take a snap shot and then jumping back on to hurry to the next location. If that’s what you think of travel, great, but I wanted more. I desired adventure and longed for connection. I began exploring and traveling with small groups and it was wonderful. Sometimes I would make local friends and do my own things, but it was always nice to have people to come back to at the end of the day. In September I had one of the greatest group experiences of my life. I had the absolute pleasure of joining Travel Her Way – a female owned and run company that encourages women to try new things, go new places, and become braver and more confident, all while developing  deeper appreciation for the amazing world we live in. After being introduced to this company through a friend, I just couldn’t say no. 

Travel Her Way’s Machu Picchu Trek in Peru seemed wild and wonderful. I had never been to South America and knew nothing about Peru! The trip included white water rafting (which I had never done), downhill mountain biking (which I had also never done), ziplining (also, also never done) hiking (okay, I’ve done this!) and promised to introduce you to Peruvian culture and cuisine while traveling with a group of women. What a soulful experience this would be! (Although I was slightly, actually, super terrified by the white water rafting and downhill biking portion of the trip! I was definitely not going to tell my mother about those.. sorry mom!) 

So last Christmas I booked the trip and bought myself a plane ticket to Peru!

As time passed, some of my insecurities started to creep in. “This is my first time in an all women’s group. What if there’s competition? What if these women are all well rehearsed in travel and I show up a newb in comparison? Will I belong? What if I am awkward? Will I allow myself to be vulnerable, or will my anxiety ruin the experience?” 

Little did I know, this trip was going to be about so much more than just world travel, exciting adventures, beautiful places, and delicious food. This trip would show me the true power of teamwork, vulnerability, uplifting someone when they are down, and sisterhood at its finest. 

It was an absolutely beautiful experience.

Departure and Arrival

“You will learn a lot about yourself if you stretch in the direction of goodness, of bigness, of kindness, of forgiveness, of emotional bravery. Be a warrior for love.” -Cheryl Strayed

Bags packed, all set and ready to go….well maybe. I packed in a hurry the night before departure, went over the checklist once, and found myself aboard LATAM airlines on my way to South America. It was too late to worry about anything that was forgotten; it was time to do this thing! 

Airline travel was super smooth: no delays, no missed connections, a wonderful way to begin a journey! Landing in a new country is always my favorite part of the experience. As the plane circled Cusco and came to a landing, the surrounding area was nothing like anywhere I’d been before. New sights, new sounds, new people: there was a buzz of energy. As I grabbed my bag from the carousel and anxiously left the airport into the new world which I was going to be living in for the next week. I immediately took note that I didn’t know a lick of Spanish and had forgotten to even watch a Youtube video introduction. Oh well – too late now! Once outside the terminal, I scanned the crowds of the eager cab drivers and was greeted by the kindest man holding a sign with my name on it. After talking to him (luckily he knew English well) for a minute, most of my anxieties melted away. I knew I was in good hands. (Travel Pro Tip 1: smiling and laughter fuel the brain with dopamine. So if you’re feeling anxious, scared, whatever, try to start up a joy-filled,  humorous conversation with someone!) We stayed at the Sonesta Hotel in Cusco, which was lovely and located smack dab in the historic district-walking distance from everything your heart desires. 

Even though I was excited, I decided to nap before meeting anyone or beginning any adventuring. In the past I have not shown a lot of self care while traveling, and I knew getting proper rest would be vital, especially since we were at high altitude. 

Meeting the group was the next thing I felt pretty anxious about. I first met my roommate, Sam. We decided to eat at the hotel because it was convenient and we were starving! After an in depth discussion about the serious problem of post-naptime munchies (it’s a proven science!), sharing pure excitement of learning that our hotel had a breakfast buffet, and putting our fears out on the table, I knew I had made a new friend. 

Okay, how cute is this door?! Cusco is full of sweet little spaces and alleyways!

Around 5 pm we met up with the other two fabulous women in our group! We all went out to dinner together at a local restaurant named Pachapapa, shared our life stories, and toasted to an amazing week ahead with pisco sours (a delightful local drink made of pisco and lime!).

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” -J.R.R. Tolkien

Pachapapa had excellent mood lighting which made it hard to snap a perfect pic. We ate local corn, alpaca, trout, and lomo saltado – a famous peruvian dish made with beef, veggies, and french fries! It was scrumptious!!!

Day 2

“Everyday God invites us on the same kind of adventure. It’s not a trip where He sends us a rigid itinerary, He simply invites us. God asks what it is He’s made us to love, what it is that captures our attention, what feeds that deep indescribable need of our souls to experience the richness of the world He made. And then, leaning over us, He whispers, “Let’s go do that together.”
― Bob Goff

We traveled by van along winding mountain roads and past small towns untouched by time to reach our next destination, Abra Malaga. Abra Malaga is a mountain pass high in the Peruvian Andes, surrounded by jagged snow covered peaks. Soon, we’d be flying down the winding road on mountain bikes! I was stoked but at the same time pretty nervous. I hadn’t ridden a bicycle in a long time…and had NEVER ridden down a mountain before.

We made it to the top of the pass! We listened to a brief on how to ride the bikes and took some time to ride around the parking lot at the top to get our biking legs ready…and just like that it was time to hit the pavement!

Oh and I took the most scenic pee of my life up there!

I was intimidated at first and felt like only going 2 miles per hour with my hands firmly on the brakes. I watched as my friend Heather and Guido (our guide) confidently moved ahead.I’m really good at overthinking everything, coming up with the most unimaginable worst case scenarios, feeding those thoughts, and ultimately missing out on life. As I started down the mountain pass, I reminded myself that I am brave, smart, and strong. I looked around at the beautiful scenery – high peaks covered in snow surrounding me, took a deep breath, prayed that I wouldn’t die (lol), and rode. It was exhilarating. Crisp mountain air whipped past my face and hair, as the scenery quickly changed from alpine tundra to lush green rainforest. Charging down the curvy road, I felt a tear roll down my face as I took in the  beauty surrounding me. I felt so alive. The world around me changed from high altitude plains to rainforest as we made our way down the mountain. Unbelievable. Before my eyes, just like that, lush green forest started to form around us. I wish I had a million pictures to share, but I just soaked up the moment. I only have the one photo below and words to describe it, and I hope they do a good enough job that you feel inspired and go visit.

Next up white water rafting!!!

So if biking down a mountain pass with the most amazing scenery wasn’t enough, next up was white water rafting the Urubamba River. Fun fact- the Urubamba River is a tributary to the Amazon River. So, essentially, we were white water rafting the Amazon! SO hardcore.

This part was just a BLAST. I mean, we would’ve most likely flipped our boat and been dead without our guide, but our guide was super skilled, super sassy, super silly, and directed the way. The whole thing was such an adrenaline rush! We laughed, we cursed, we screamed, for about an hour and half straight! (Maybe longer, but the time flew by!) 

That evening, back at the lovely hostel, we had a conversation with our guide Guido about being a family. He said we were all sisters and brothers and just how connected he felt to each and every one of us.

That love. That connection. That’s my “why” when it comes to traveling.

Day 3 The Inca Trail and Hot Springs

What. An. Adventure. To be honest I should’ve divided this up into twenty blog posts but, I am attempting to cram it into one! The next day we began our hike on the Inca Trail. We headed from Santa Maria to Santa Teresa. Along the way we had a couple stops planned. The first stop was a coffee hut where we also had the option to taste….Guinea pig! The national dish. Of course I had to try.

The coffee was fantastic, actually, some of the best I’ve ever had! It was extremely refreshing after the steep hike up to the hut. You can buy some of the coffee from the woman who runs the shop and I highly recommend that! I bought a bunch of bags even gave some away as gifts when I got home. The Guinea pig was unfortunately not my favorite, but I do admire the effort that was put into preparing this dish!

Y’all those are bug bites on the back of my leg… I cannot recommend enough dousing yourself in Deet(Which I don’t usually use, but is a MUST on this trip!!….lemongrass did nothing) 

At this epic point we took a break and soaked up the magnificent beauty around us. Guido, encouraged us to slow down and truly be grateful and thank Mother Earth for all she has given us. It was such an epic and touching moment with the group. We had an extra relaxing lunch break which was welcomed with open arms after all the hiking! Ann is here showing off how it is done!“Guido, what is this for?!”

Sunset along the Urabamba River. It was EPIC. I constantly had to remind myself to slow down and let it all sink in.

That evening our destination was the hot springs! Hallelujah!

Day 4 Zip Lining and Rainforest Trek

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. -J.R.R. Tolkien

After entering my mid twenties I decided I wanted to be alive. I wanted to live. I needed to stop waiting for permission and putting myself in the box of, “I should probably play it safe and worry about what will other people think, ” and that is when my soul slowly started reawakening.

To challenge myself. I chose to travel. I let it take me completely out of my comfort zone, somewhere where I didn’t have control of the situation. It was like therapy. I loved it. I soon found myself loosening my grip. The new adventures slowly helped me to be brave, genuinely joyful, and let my fears that were holding me back dissipate. Science has even proven adventure to be helpful for developing new pathways in the brain to help it heal and grow-it’s called Neuroplasticity.

So fast forward 4 years later and here I am ziplining upside down over top of the Amazon rainforest with one of my fav new girl squads!

It was my first time ziplining. I had heard it was a blast, and it lived up to expectation! The guides at Vertikal Zipline, did an awesome job of keeping it fun and encouraged us to do tricks (totally safe) that mom may have not approved of.

After ziplining we had a trek through the Rainforest following the train tracks to our base camp for Machu Picchu. This walk became a time of bonding with the group through sharing life stories and future plans, while taking the time to stop here and there to gawk at the beauty of the rainforest. I had only been in South America for 5 days but my heart felt like it had loved this place forever.

Day 5 Machu Picchu

“When you surround yourself with brave, loving, compassionate people, you can awake the hero that’s been asleep inside.”
I had always dreamed of being a leader. But I also was shy. I waited for permission. It was easier to sit in the background. It seemed too risky and scary to take the reigns and make the calls. What if I messed up? What if people didn’t like me? It sometimes seemed easier to just be a robot. Be predictable. Silence the strong leader within.

But what happens once you unlock that door…

Machu Picchu was absolutely astounding, but really for me, the journey was even more beautiful than the destination itself. There wasn’t a “single” leader in our group, we all had our time when our strengths shined. When one group member was feeling defeated, another would immediately be there to lift them up.

That day we were all a little tired and felt thankful that we didn’t have a huge hike to the top. However, after viewing Machu Picchu from its main viewing point, Guido encouraged us to hike up to the Sun Gate which sat perched up higher on the mountain. At first my body didn’t want to do it, but once we made it to the top, the views and stepping away from the heavy crowds was so worth the extra effort.

After visiting Sun Gate we made our way back down to the ruins and meandered around soaking up history and the beauty of it all. Guido knew the history of Machu Picchu in such depth, you could ask any question and he could answer.

Day 6 Cusco and Rest 

“Rest precedes blessing. We don’t have to run to earn rest; we are fueled by a posture of rest.” -Rebekah Lyons

At this point the group was pretty exhausted. So we welcomed this day of staying local with open arms! Guido and Percy took us around to a couple of Inca sites that were right outside of Cusco. Everywhere you went the Incas had left their footprint. We enjoyed the sites, but Sam and I super enjoyed the animals 

For lunch we gathered at Guido’s mom’s sweet little restaurant tucked away in a local corner of Cusco. Peruvian lunches are usually always served with soup (which is pictured above)- ours was a potato and veggie! Such a delight. For the main course we had steak, lentils, veggies, and rice! This was easily one of my most favorite meals of the trip. Not only was it absolutely ridiculously delicious, but there is something about a traditional home cooked meal that just touches the soul.

After lunch we had a little bit of time to kill so we meandered around before heading to our evening cooking class!Fun fact!Quinoa is an ancient food.It originated with the Incas in the mountains of Bolivia, Chile and Peru. It’s been at the forefront in these regions for 5,000 years. It was a staple for the Incas and is still a prominent food source for their indigenous descendants, the Quechua and Aymara people.We wandered local markets guided by our chef,  to pick up fresh ingredients to cook with!One of my favorite snapshots from the market! Hard working mama multitasking like a pro!

Cheeeeeers!

Day 7 Rainbow Mountain

“The Earth has music for those who listen.” -Shakespeare

It was our last full day, and we were going out with a bang! We were heading to the extremely photogenic Rainbow Mountain. I had seen pictures of it on instagram, however seeing it in person was completely mind blowing.

Our journey began by horse back up the mountain. The altitude was INTENSE at this point because we were above 16,000 ft! The weather was back and forth between blustery wind and clouds and moments of sunshine. As I quietly rode the horse led by my guide, Rudy, I felt such serene peace. My horse was feeling giddy and trotted quickly ahead.This moment was a special one and I didn’t want it to end. Riding horseback, through the stunning Andes Mountains, with the only sound being the gusts of wind through the valley. Absolutely fantastic.

It was pretty chilly and post hike we couldn’t feel our faces, like, at all, so we got some coffee from a tiny local restaurant! TOTAL.LIFE.SAVER!

That evening  we had our last dinner together as a group. It was a tearful but also joyous time of sharing memories and delicious food together. For my last meal, I had the local delicacy, Alpaca, served on top of a bed of cheesy quinoa. It was super tender and flavorful!

Departure

I still feel melancholy thinking about this last day. Sam, my roomie and I bonded like none other and I have a true new friend and sister in her. The last day we decided to romp around the city a bit before we departed.

We found a sweet, beautifully decorated, little cafe where we grabbed some coffee and fresh fruit before hitting the markets to buy last minute gifts before we departed that late afternoon.

Parting with the group was so challenging. We had truly bonded and developed a sisterhood throughout the trip- opening up, sharing our lives, and experiencing life together.

It’s been over a month now since I have been to Peru, and even writing this now brings up overwhelming emotions of love. I cannot express enough just how impactful this trip was for each member of our group. This trip taught me how to strip down my walls and masks of perfection- to crack open and allow others in. Being vulnerable is a scary thing but can bring true freedom and friendship into your life. Not only that, but, when you’re having a low, human moment, instead of shutting yourself away, true friends will grab you by the hand and propel you forward, embrace you, all your flaws, and let you know you’re loved. This is what true friendship is about. Just coming as yourself, loving, and being open to love.

“We don’t really make friends, they make us.”
― Bob Goff