An Eye-opening Two Weeks in Peru!

Repeat after me…

I am constantly attracting positive opportunities and experiences that will guide me to my highest self.

I have always been a big “journal” girl. I started writing and speaking this affirmation into existence.. but really I do mean into existence. I got a phone call from one of my best friends, Kristen- Kris for short. Kris and I are on our usual FaceTime call, and her dad pops into the conversation- nothing out of the ordinary at all. That is until he asks me if I am coming with them to Peru. Kristen had brought this travel plan to my attention every so often. We always talked about visiting the places where we each felt at home. For me thats New Jersey and surrounding Philadelphia areas. However, Kristens home is in Peru, where she was born and raised. The idea of traveling to my best friends home country and being able to experience it with her was a dream, but a dream that I needed to save up for. In response to Kris’ dad I let him know that it was a big financial commitment that I was not prepared for, so I explained that I wold love to join them if they went next year! At this point, her dad just said “Hey nick, don’t worry about it”.

We started our journey in Lima, Peru. Lima has big city energy and it is also surrounded by an extraordinary coast line. I had never been to South America before this trip, therefore I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. My college roommate and amazing friend, Victoria had taken me on a beautiful trip across Spain in 2019, so I had an idea about the influences of Latin culture. That was a few years ago though, so my Spanish speaking skills definitely were not up to par with the local Peruvians. I felt very grateful to Kristen and her family for being my translators during the entirety of the trip. I remember our first outing to lunch was at this gorgeous ceviche restaurant. The food was rich in flavor, the environment was captivating, but I was overwhelmed by the language barrier. All I could think about was the Madagascar penguins…

I did exactly that. I smiled, introduced myself in Spanish, and tried my best to understand what was going on in the conversation. I wanted to be respectful of the country and the language, so I tried to speak limited English, but I quickly realized that I just wasn’t going to be able to keep up with the conversations. It’s okay though because almost everyone we met also spoke english!

We spent a few days settling into Lima before we made our way to Cusco. This included a ton of eating, sight seeing, historical tours, museums, meeting relatives, and so on. The history of Peru is captivating to say the least. We had seen Huaca Pucllana which was an incredible sight. It is a clay structure built by ancient Incans around 200 A.D. The coolest part about this structure was the fact that the city district of Mira Flores had actually built the city around this. So what I'm trying to say is that this is in some peoples front yard!

We arrived to Cusco on October 1st, welcomed by a wondrous charm. This was where we also met our tour guide who would be showing us around for the next few days, Edson Quispe. Now Edson was exceptional! He was the perfect guide not only for his vast knowledge and excitement to share it, but for his photography skills as well! I swear, he was always on top of the pictures. "Now this is a great spot for photos" he would say, always getting the best angles! Once we were ready for a day of exploring, we go outside and we were met by what we thought were baby llamas... Kris and I are freaking out. They were so cute!! <3 But to our surprise, they were baby lambs.. silly mistake! We do eventually meet some beautiful llamas later on. During our tour of Cusco, we all felt a bit ill from the significant change in altitude up in the mountains. It was draining all of our energy, but the tour must go on! We made the most of the day and ended up back at the hotel later that night greeted by the most delicious bowl of chicken noodle soup I have ever had. But seriously I had two servings.

We took a train to Machu Picchu at 4 am the next morning, checked into the hotel, and off we went on the coolest hike of my life. You take a bus up a winding mountain for about 25 minutes. To get to see the spectacular sight of the structure behind the mountains, you first must hike about 45 minutes up hill. We were all heavily breathing, pausing for water, and trying to get up as fast as we possibly could just so this part could be over. Once we reached the top of that portion of the hike, there was the cutest sign that leads you off on a hike to Machu Picchu Mountain or to Sun Gate. This part was much easier and a lot calmer. We made sure to arrive very early to miss the crowds! We still had not seen the view yet, but we did happen to run into some big furry llamas! Kristen saw this one llama and this guy was HUGE. We all watched her run up to the llama ready to take a selfie and suddenly he -low key- charges at her! We were all laughing and no one was hurt! We ended up taking some amazing shots of the llamas from a distance as they sun bathed on the cliffs. They are incredible animals and they will actually spit at you! So don't piss them off..

Do you know that elevated emotion of gratitude you feel when a moment simply feels magical? When something so breathtakingly beautiful enters your field of energy.. When words can't describe it, and you just had to be there and see it for yourself to really understand. Well, that was exactly how I felt laying my eyes on this wonder of the world, Machu Picchu.

It’s a wonder of the world for a reason! I remember standing there looking at this insane structure enveloped into the mountain range and I probably stood there jaw dropped just amazed. Our tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable about Machu Picchu and he has most likely done this tour hundreds of times. He asked us how we believe Machu Picchu was made and he totally agreed when Kristen and I both said.. aliens. Because seriously, this was insane.

Machu Picchu was designed and built based on astronomical alignments. Our guide was pointing out certain points in the mountains that were used back then to determine the proper alignment. Machu Picchu will continue to hold as a legacy and mystery. There are so many conspiracies regarding this world wonder and each are valid to be believed.

While at Machu Picchu, just about 20 feet or so from where this photo with the llama was taken, our guide led us in a meditation to welcome abundance and healing energy into our lives. He had us deeply inhale Florida Water which can be found for sale here:

This was not only spiritually cleansing, but it left my sinuses feeling completely refreshed! We placed the water onto our hands and arms guiding it with a swooshing motion onto the rest of our body and into our hair, surrounding it within our auras. During the meditation, we were guided into a state of tranquility as we focused our energy into the present moment. By this shifting of focus into our exact, current reality, the worries of the future are suddenly vanished and the guilt and pain of the past are simply non-existent. The only thing that is truly REAL is this present moment we are in. Accompanied with slow, deep breaths and this mindset of being present, I was able to feel freedom. This is a feeling that is hard to describe. It is definitely an intense and elevated emotion that is similar to ‘weights being lifted off your shoulder’. We were guided to remember what was hurting us, the relationships that cause us pain, the worries we put into situations that have yet to occur.. and leave them here at Machu Picchu. I envisioned this occurence within my mind and to this day it has been a monumental moment for myself and my own manifestations. I have felt stronger and more alive since I visited Machu Picchu. I can’t speak for everyone because this is my perspective and how I embodied the experience. I advise you to do the same when visiting beautiful places with strong energies. BE PRESENT.

After visiting Machu Picchu, our tours were not over yet! We visited the Sacred Valley and saw everything there was to see! We visited Maras, a city that is known for their thousands of spectacular salt pools! I actually bought some fresh pink sea salt for my chef of a brother, Kyle! After Mara, we headed back into town and spent the afternoon at a textile market, where we got to learn first hand how traditional Peruvian textiles are created and colored. This is where we supported many local vendors and purchased their creations! I ended up getting many things and giving them as gifts to friends and family back in the U.S.

Our last and probably the most special place we visited in Peru was San Pedro. This is where Kristens mother grew up and where Kristen was raised. The city is in the southern point of Peru and is near the beach! Here we were able to watch traditional peruvian folklore horse dancing, where humans dance with horses. I definitely recommend one of these shows if you are ever visiting Peru! Catalina, Kris’ mother used to be one of these dancers and her brother would ride the horses. While in San Pedro, we spent a lot of time with the family. I felt immediately welcomed, even with the language barrier. Everyone carried the most beautiful energy within them and you could truly sense the love everyone had to share.

The elevated emotion of gratitude is what comes to mind whenever I reflect back on my time in Peru. After the healing experience at Machu Picchu and experiencing traditional Peruvian culture, I am an avid believer in manifesting and affirmations!

Here are some of my favorite affirmations…

• I am constantly attracting positive opportunities that will ultimately guide me to my highest self.
• I am a magnet for positive experiences.
• I always have more than enough.
• I am always inspired by my environment.
• Everything meant for me is on its way to me.
• I am exactly where I need to be.
• I claim my power and my positive energy.
• I am always being guided towards my purpose.

I am so thankful to Kristen, Catalina, and Cristian for inviting me to experience Peru with them. Muchísimos gracias!