My impression of Peru so far is that many people see the streets as their trash can and that they are used to being fifteen people on a bus made for ten. Other differences I've noticed is that there are almost no supermarkets here, atleast they are not very popular. If you need something you go to the "mercado" and there you can find everything you might need. You can also find a lot of things on the streets.
Miraflores in Lima was not really like the rest of Peru. It was very tidy and clean, at least compared to other places. There were some homless cats while in other parts there are mainly dogs insted.
After 18 hours in the bus I arrived in Cusco. The first I saw of Cusco was a dump station and a bunch of dogs eating the trash. I could have had a better first impression of the city. The city is okay but very touristy, because of being a big city close to Machu Picchu. In Cusco I walked around the markets, hikingshops and tried to learn a bit of spanish. I wanted to hike to Machu Picchu without paying for a tour. So I rented equipment and left for the mountains.
I started in Mollepata, a small town close to Cusco, and walked to Soraypampa where I spent my first night. It was very exciting trying to find my way in the mountains. I did not meet many people at all on the trek but the ones I met were really nice, tourists as well as locals. The hike was not entirely easy. With almost 20 kg on my back I had to reach 4,600 m at the highest peak. After that it wasn't hard at all. On my fourth day of walking I arrived in Aguas Calientes and one day later I entered Machu Picchu. I went to the entrance before 5 am and started the walk up the mountain with some people I met doing the Salkantay trek. I climbed Machu Picchu mountain where you get an amazing view of everything. The ruins were pretty cool but I think I liked the location more than the city itself.
After Cusco I went to Puno. Unfortunatley I was sick so I didn't really do anything.
