Learning spanish and fun advenutres in cusco and lima  peru

Discovering Peru and Learning Spanish in Cusco and Lima

Snap Gap winner Denae has been spending the last couple of months venturing far from her hometown of Seattle travelling solo to every corner of the globe, on the trip of a lifetime.

Her most recent adventure was to Peru where she explore the Peruvian Andes in the historic city of Cusco and the bustling capital, Lima. Denae told us about how she got on in Peru without knowing the local language, her adventures taking in incredible sites, including Machu Picchu and the friends she made along the way.

Bronze statue of Pachacutec in Plaza de Armas in the centre of Cusco

When Denae first landed in Cusco, she was determined to get to grips with the Spanish language and embrace the learning opportunity of staying with local hosts in Peru. She wanted to learn some vocabulary and a few phrases to try and make her time navigating and exploring the country a lot easier. Denae reminded us that

"they say that immersing yourself in another country is the best way to learn its language. For someone who's never taken a Spanish lesson in her life, going to Peru was certainly the best crash course I could have gotten!"

Her lessons started at home informally where she picked up words here and there. With her newfound confidence in her fledgling Spanish, she often ventured into the centre of Cusco, which was a short 15-minute walk from host Patricia's homestay.  She took in the vibrant squares filled with locals and even stumbled across some festive activities.

Dancers perform for a local festival in Cusco

Once settled in her new Cusco homestay, Denae wanted to take in some sights that were further afield. She decided that she couldn't visit this part of the world without seeing the famous Machu Picchu, the ancient city of the Pre-Colombian Inca civilisation, high up in the Andes Mountains.

She began planning the arduous hike alone but fate intervened and brought her a travel buddy to experience this other-worldly place: Denae met a hiking buddy on the train journey out of Cusco and with her partner in tow, she had good company for the hike and also someone to capture her reaction when reaching the top. Evidently, it did not disappoint.

Denae during her hike along the Inca trails of Machu Picchu

But of course, there were also smile-inducing views closer to home. With such a friendly face, Denae makes friends wherever she goes. Even when she found it hard to communicate with locals who did not speak any English, she regularly got to know people on her travels who were happy to take a moment out for a photo with her.

Denae makes friends with the locals

She never let an opportunity to practice her ever growing language skills go by, and found it really useful when interacting with the people in nearby restaurants and cafés.

I practiced my numbers as I considered how many freshly-made churros I wanted to buy at that blink-and-you-miss-it bakery downtown. Uno? Dos? Diez?

Denae stops by a local bakery for some freshly made churros

Upon leaving the moutains of Cusco, Denae reflected:

"I was sad when it was time to say adiós to Cusco and my host Patricia, but I was happy to discover that staying in Lima with Miguel and Sabine would be a learning experience right from the start. Even when Miguel picked me up from the airport, I soon learned the nuances of weaving through the crazy Lima traffic."

While in Lima, Miguel showed Denae around his hometown and even included her in the weekly food shop so he could teach her some more vocabulary in store.  Armed with an ever expanding set of phrases, Denae was now able to explore Peru on her own too.

No longer was she ordering the one thing she understood on the menu in restaurants and hoping for the best. She could now choose and order with confidence, without any nasty surprises of what might arrive on her plate!

Homestay host Miguel takes Denae shopping to teach her some Spanish

I enjoyed the calmness of the quiet Lima suburb of Surquillo, with endless parks to write postcards in and a fruit stand right around the corner. I spent a lot of time in the colorful kitchen of the Miguel and Sabine's home while Miguel would make me tea for my emerging cold.

Denae relaxes in a park near to Miguel and Sabine's home

Denae's inquisitive spirit didn't let a common cold deter her from exploring the sights of Lima, with the peace and tranquility of the Parque del Amor in Miraflores contrasting against the vibrant street art of Lima's Barranco nighbourhood.

Parque del Amor, Lima

The creativity and outdoors gave Denae some much-needed space. Having been on something of a whistle-stop tour of the world since she began her trip, moving from city to city, time zone to time zone. In contrast, Peru was one of the longer stays during Denae's travels.

The ten nights she spent in the country gave her the chance to take time out and reflect on her adventure so far, as well as her own personal journey. Denae described this feeling saying,

"Somewhere along my time in Peru, I became more present. I wasn't afraid to stop and take a moment with anything and everything that caught my eye. On my last day in Lima, walking slowly home from a market, I thought of all the colours and smells and friendships I had experienced so far and realized I had been learning one thing all along: La felicidad (happiness)."

With Peru ticked off her list, Denae's next stop will see her jet across the Atlantic Ocean once more as she heads to Europe to discover the Hungarian capital, Budapest. Stay tuned to hear how she gets on and hear her top recommendations for where to visit.

Inspired by Denae to plan a trip to Peru?

Browse our hosts throughout this beautiful country to start your own adventure.

Homestays in Peru

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