Day 1: The penthouse, new phone, and good food

The first thing I want to do is be thankful for not getting altitude sickness on my flight over to Cuzco - poor David. Cuzco at first glance seems like an amazing city - the cobblestone streets, the vendors running around, interesting architecture, amazing views and more make this city look like a fun one to be in for the next few weeks. Casa Elena is much nicer than I expected, and just one step into the lobby shows me that it won't be difficult to live in this hotel. The lunch is good and I am surprised by the custom of having soup before every entree. The rest of the group looks great as well and it was fun to go through customs and the Lima airport with Jeff, Paloma, and Quinn rather than being confused and lost by myself. 


Then there's the room... and the view! Andrew, David, and I are rooming together in the top floor (my breath is gone after taking those stairs - it's probably the altitude) and I was blown away by the view of the rooftops and the sky: 



I’m excited to wake up to that every day. Also, the phones we got are very interesting and might take some getting used to (pictured next to my iPhone 6):


Finally, we went to a restaurant called Papacho’s Burgers. I ordered a Mustafa burger (shoutout to my father Mustafa Shaban) and I might have spent a little too much but the food quality there made me excited for what’s to come. Also, you have to pay for water at restaurants here?!?!


The first day was a successful one and I am excited for the rest of the trip!