TOP 3 in PERU

Most shocking moments
1. Seeing a baby only months old laying on a dirty sidewalk with no blanket while people stepping over him like he wasn´t there.
2. Getting robbed at gun point (thought I was going to die)
3. Almost getting attacked with large rocks at a Peace Corps beach campfire by a bunch of drugged up, drunk men dressed up in what looked like joker outfits. Wierd.

Most disgusting things I saw
1. Bag of human diarreah getting thrown out of a car at a busy intersection and splattering on a sidewalk. (somebody had an emergency)
2. People bathing, washing cloths, and swimming withing feet of an outhouse where human waste is pumped into a small creek (Amazon Jungle)
3. Woman and child digging through my trash looking for treasures. In Peru, we don´t flush toilet paper down, we put it in our trash...hint hint.

Most Beautiful things I saw
1. Seeing a golden red sunset while sitting on top of a sandune overlooking a green water Osasis.
2. Watching a rain shower pound on water while floating down the Amazon River.
3. The Andes Mountains in Ancash Peru. One of the peaks is said to be the prettiest mountain in the world. I believe it.

The most incredible things I saw
1. Counting 35+ men, women, children, elderly, disablabled people and a dog fit in the back of a midsize pick up truck bed. I lost count after 35!
2. Seeing a family of 5 (dad, mom, three children) riding down the road of a tiny motorcyle (70cc)! Oh no, thats not it, they also fitted a large wooden bookcase on as well. Tell me how, I don´t know. Wish I had my camera.
3. Getting your cell phone stollen, then the thief calls the numbers in the phone until they contact a friend of yours. Then they manage to get in touch with you to negotiate a price for you to get your phone back. Then if you have really bad luck you will show up and they will rob you for the money that you brought to pay to get your phone back. Again, fairly common!

The oddest things I saw
1. A man ¨mowing¨ the front yard of my neighbors house with a pair of scissors.
2. Watching a family put their pet dog`s puppies in a plastic bag, tie the bag and toss it into the river! Peruvian animal population control...normal here.
3. My PC friend bribbing a police officer with a jar of honey.

The most ironic things I saw
1. One of the largest selection of pirated DVDs are sold in the street outside of the movie theatre.
2. Watching people dump bags of garbage and construction material over the bridge and into the river while the cops stand there and watch like there is nothing wrong. No big deal.
3. Watching the evangelical church congregation leave church at night while the young people party crowd gear up and head into the discotecs. The church is located directly between two bars.

The coolest places I stayed
1. The US embassador´s residence in Lima
2. Camping in the Amazon Jungle
3. Staying in the Marriot in Lima (not a big deal in the states, but after a year with simple living situations, a nice hotel was really fun) Thanks to my parents.

The most uncomfortable places I stayed.
1. Sleeping in a hammock wedged in between dozens of people (Cargo boat on the Amazon River)
2. Sleeping without a sleeping bag high in the mountains. (the campfire went out in the middle of the night)
3. Sleeping on an overnight bus (15 hours) with the flu while man next to me snore. I wanted to kill him and then kill myself because I was so miserable.