So what did I think of it? First of all, Peru is awesome and if you get a chance, I encourage you to visit South America at some point. I think one of the joys of travelling to other countries is experiencing the culture. Everywhere I go is different and it's a real experience when you kind of leave your own culture behind and experience theirs, it makes for a better trip.
One of the fun challenges I had was the language barrier. They speak Spanish in Peru and even though a lot of the locals speak English, it's generally not very well. If you travel overseas, I encourage you to learn at least the basics of their language. It puts you out of your comfort zone a bit, but I had a great time trying to communicate with people in Spanish. The real challenge was when they couldn't speak English and you have no clue what they are saying. Then, you resort to non-verbal language to communicate. I would have to say that one of my favourite aspects of the trip was trying to talk to the locals.
If you had to ask what my second favourite part of the trip was, I would have to say meeting the people there. You don't really have to worry about someone judging you because as you meet other travellers, they are just on the same mission as you are. I met quite a few people from all over the world and it's fun to learn a little about their country (and maybe a little of their language). I really enjoyed meeting the Irish person in my group and having a conversation in Irish with her.
The people you meet overseas are a joy to get to know. But more than that is the bond that is created. When I joined the hiking group I went with, I first saw 15 strangers, but by the end of the 4 days, we were a family. There is just something about accomplishing something challenging, such as the Inca Trail, together and spending that quality time together. By time we had to split up at the end, there were hugs and tears by many of the people in the group because of the bond that is made. It's awesome getting to know people like that and experiencing things with people.
Lastly, the sights were amazing! As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, pictures, and even words, don't quite capture the sights. The mountains, the landscape, the feel of the different air and climate, and the sights of the ruins. It's something you just have to experience for yourself. And when you accomplish something challenging like the Inca Trail, it just makes the sights that much more rewarding, not to mention many of the sights you can only see by hiking there.
I highly encourage you to take at least one high adventure, foreign trip and I can guarantee you will want to go on more.
