On Sunday, we took a field trip to this awesome little town 2 hours outside Lima called Matucana. On the bus ride there, we saw some slums just outside of Lima. It was really sad to see. Entire hillsides were filled with tiny tin shacks. That area is so different from the area where we live. In Surco and Miraflores, fancy shopping centers, nice restaurants, and pretty houses are common. The disparity between the two was really shocking. Some areas of Peru are extremely poor, but we don't see that at all in our day-to-day lives.
When we got to Matucana, we hiked up the hills near the city to a beautiful waterfall called Antankallo. It was a 2 hour hike, but it was definitely worth it! Our tour guide, Ivan, told us all about the customs of the little town and the trail. It appeared that people in Matucana deeply respect nature. Nature is a big part of their lives. We saw some stables with dairy cows; the Matucanans make their own cheese from their milk and sell it at the town market. They also grow and harvest certain flowers and plants and use them to make a living. It was really cool to learn a little bit about how they live. The hike up the hills was amazingly beautiful! There were lush green hills all around and a stream running through the valley. One of my favorite things was this geological formation called "Cabeza de León." It was a hill shaped like a lion's head. Antankallo was great too. The cool mist from the waterfall was awesome after the long hike. The trek down was just as difficult as the trek up. All in all, it was a super fun trip! It was nice to get outside of Lima and see some nature!
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