A year and a half ago when I traveled Canada and Europe with three different travel buddies I did an interview blog post with each one. I figured that I may as well carry on that tradition so I asked Phil a few questions and you can see his answers below. As I was typing the questions I realized that people who read my blog (whoever that is... if there's anyone other than my mom & aunt) probably don't even know what my answers to the same questions would be. So in the interest of equality and entertaining the fans (my mom & aunt) I have gone ahead and answered the same questions. Phil's Interview What were your top 3 activities from the whole trip? -Machu Picchu -Hiking in the Andes and Rainbow Mountain -Jungle Retreat If you had to live in one, which of the three cities we visited would you choose? -I enjoyed all of the cities, each had their pros and cons. I would probably want to live in Lima because it is the most modern city of the three. Cusco had lots to do but the food was hit or miss along with the elevation being challenging at times. Puerto Maldonado was very small and had great wildlife in the jungle. The heat and bugs were Puerto Maldonado’s biggest struggles. What were some challenges we faced as a team? -Spiders -Cockroaches -Andean cheese in foods Did you have any personal goals coming into this trip? How did you do on them? -A personal goal of mine coming in was to work on my Spanish. Most people tell me that the best way to learn a language is to go spend time in a country immersed in that language. Having studied it for almost all of my academic career, I was a little bummed that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to spend a semester in a Spanish speaking country. When we were planning this trip, I knew that this would be my opportunity. Reflecting on my goal, I would say that it was mostly a success but I definitely had my moments where I struggled. Highlights include a great lunch conversation with another traveler after hiking rainbow mountain and talking to our cab driver on our way to see llamas and alpacas where he shared info on the valley, the animals, and the processing of the animals for clothes/food. It went so well that I ended up helping him translate by typing out a back and forth to some of his future customers who did not speak Spanish on his phone’s Whatsapp. What strengths did you bring to the team? -I believe my greatest strength for the team was my Spanish ability. There were a number of occasions where being able to communicate with locals allowed for a fuller understanding of an area or activity. This allowed us to have a better, more informative experience. Did you have a favorite or stand out meal? -Our very first lunch together was after a 4 hour walking tour with lots of sun. Sitting down in the shade and sipping on a lemonade was sublime. What is your current favorite song/album? -Either Cumbersome by Seven Mary Three or Plush by Stone Temple Pilots Are you doing anything else this winter break? -The day after we return, I leave for a week long training trip with my rowing team. This will keep me busy until school starts again. What countries have you visited before this trip to Peru? -Thailand, South Africa, England, Germany, Netherlands, Iceland, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Mexico, Where is next on your travel wish list? - Cuba, Spain, Portugal, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Italy, Greece, France, South Korea, Japan, China, Vietnam, Switzerland, Canada. Addie's Interview What were your top 3 activities from the whole trip? - 3 day jungle tour - Machu Picchu - Any activity involving llamas If you had to live in one, which of the three cities we visited would you choose? - I am a mountain girl at my core. While the food and elevation in Cusco both made me sick at times, I would choose Cusco. I would just have to cook for myself, and eventually I'd acclimate. The Andes mountains were unlike any mountains I have ever seen, and it would be a dream to spend more time in them. What was a challenge we faced as a team? - Large bugs - Questionable food in Cusco Did you have any personal goals coming into this trip? How did you do on them? - My main goal on this trip was to practice going with the flow. This started before even leaving for the trip, when we purposely chose to not plan many activities. Having faith that things will work out is not a strength of mine, I like to have everything planned out. Being too extreme on either end of this neurotic-or-not spectrum is not good, so I have worked hard to find a balance on this trip. I feel that I have done well with this, and luckily for my growth things have all worked out. What strengths did you bring to the team? - Going against what my previous answer said, a great strength I bring to the team is my research and planning skills. This was huge in the planning of this trip, and for tackling daily logistics in country. I had strong skills of this nature before this trip, but now I really feel confident that I can plan and execute a trip in a foreign country. That is not something I would have said two years ago. Did you have a favorite or stand out meal? - I would have to say my 3rd (third) visit to Pizza Hut in Lima was pretty exceptional. What is your current favorite song/album? - Song would be Wow by Post Malone, album would be I am > I was by 21 Savage Are you doing anything else this winter break? - I had 6 days at home before leaving for this trip, and I was lucky enough to go skiing with my dad one of those days. Aside from that I just packed and hung out with my friends. What countries have you visited before this trip to Peru? - Panama, Israel, Thailand, Canada, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, England, Denmark Where is next on your travel wish list? - USA, baby!! As I am about to enter seasonal work for the next few years I will have many shoulder seasons where I will need to drive between North Carolina and Montana. I am planning to take weeks doing this each time and see National Parks and big cities all over the states. Aside from that, I want to work in New Zealand at some point in my 20s so that is probably the next foreign country I will go to. Phil and I have worked super well together on this trip. Our strengths complement each other nicely, plus being friends for 15 some-odd years helps. Our trip is now winding down. We have two nights left in Lima then we fly home to Boston. It's been a whirlwind trip, a ton of fun, and one heck of an adventure. Comments are closed.
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