[Machu Picchu Itinerary: Day 1 - Cusco-Trail (Mollepata-Cruz Pata-Soraypampa). Begin at 5 a.m. depart from Cusco to Mollepata Village. Load horses with our equipment to begin Trek to Cruz Pata where we will have lunch at noon. Later, we will continue walking to Soraypampa at 12,631 ft (3,850 m) where we will arrive at 5:30 p.m. and set up camp]
I doubt that I’ll have Internet access for most of this Machu Picchu trek so wrote some posts about several of the activities we did last week while I’m out in the wilderness hopefully not battling altitude sickness or bugs.
Last Saturday night, Michael and I tried to go to the gym only to find it was closed early because of a huge arts celebration all through the central areas of Miraflores. Michael’s coworker said that it’s been four years since the last Noche en Blanco festival. I definitely visited Lima at the right time. 
There were so many art installations on huge canvases just taped to the ground. Lots of different styles and mesmerizing colors. Perfect for wandering the streets with a beer and some snacks. By the way, drinking in public is legal in Lima. FYI.
The catchphrase of the festival was “Esta Noche en Blanco…la calle es tuya!” This night in white, the street is yours.
I got snacks at almost all the street vendors starting with popcorn. From the sign on the cart, I thought it was like kettle corn – both sweet and salty. But the actual thing was much lighter with just a faint flavor of salt and no sweetness that I could detect. I have no idea what the second thing I ate was. The fried bread-like brick was held together by very sticky candy syrup and was pretty tasty. I just don’t know what it is. 
Music was playing, there were tons of people everywhere, smoke filled the air, DJs were spinning and lights were flashing. Crazy.
I ended the night with a cup of arroz con leche (rice pudding) with condensed milk, cinnamon, and a gross cherry syrup that was mostly cornstarch. I scooped out the syrup and happily ate the pudding. Fun night.
xoxo,
Jenn
