Time wounds all heels

The whole time i have been in Peru, i have been dealing with an ingrown toenail. I was hoping to wait till i get back to the USA to take care of it but it has been getting worse and infected. I finally decided i couldn't wait and i had surgery on it this past Wednesday. It wasn't to bad at all, they stabbed my toe with a couple three foot long needles, and then proceeded to rip my toenail off. As bad as it sounds, it didn't hurt at all. What did hurt is today when he changed the wrapping, he was far from gentile, and he took more than the wrapping, and then rubbed it down with alcohol. It was really a different experience than it would have been in the USA i feel like. Fortunately i am done going to the doctor, and i will be able to change the wrapping myself in the future.

Aside from that, we got rain and hail today. I think it is about time for rainy season to start, so i should get used to it! I only have about 40 days left, so i want to study Spanish harder so i can come away having learned a little more. I have grown a lot, and learned a lot being here, and i really appreciate everything my parents have done to allow me to be here. I am truly blessed.

Find the Machu Picchu in you

My trip here has been great! So far, i am not sure what the highlight would be. It is between visiting Machu Picchu and the 53 mile, 3 day trek we took to get there, and the weekend visit to the amazon! Both were pretty incredible. First of all, started with us taking a boat on a branch of the amazon river to arrive to camp. We stayed in tents in a reserve called Manu. We about a 10 minute walk away from the river, and we had running water. No plumbing though. Just a stream of clear water that the guides claimed to be clean. I brought 4 liters of water so i didn't need any water except for washing my hands, but many people drank the water strait from the stream, and no one got sick. We did some hiking in the jungle, saw some cook animals, and did some volunteer work as well.

Machu Picchu on the other hand was a little less relaxing. We got up at 5 every morning and left out camp site by 6. We hiked between 7 and ten hours a day covering, as i said, 53 miles. That doesn't include the fourth day that we actually spent up at Machu Picchu. The hike included going over a mountain, and then through part of the upper jungle. Then we took a train to Aguas Calientes and stayed there the night in a hostel. I will add a couple pictures of my trip, and i would like to thank my mom and dad for giving me this opportunity! It has been a real growing experience, and incredibly beautiful.