I had the privilege, a few years ago, to venture on a little trek across the American continent to a little country in South America called Peru. I was just a young teenager, at the time, with very little experience outside of my little town in Central Utah. I had no idea what to expect when arriving to Peru but I knew that is was going to be a challenge that, if conquered, would change my life forever.

I am not sure how many of you have been to a third world country, but most of the major cities are covered with police and army men all around the streets. As you can imagine, I was pretty terrified when I stepped off that plane into a country that I knew nothing about and could hardly even speak the Spanish needed to communicate. On top of that, seeing all of these guys with guns on every corner was quite intimidating as well. Needless to say I was very scared to be in Peru.

After about a year in Peru I moved to a little town called Huancayo. Huancayo is a beautiful little town in the middle of the Andes Mountains. It is the capital of the Junin region and apart from Cusco and Machu Picchu it is one of the most visited tourist areas in all of Peru. There are about 350000 people who live in Huancayo and it sits just over 10,000 feet above sea level.

The people of Peru have been very blessed with many amazing talents. They are very crafty with their hands making everything from special pottery to spectacular tapestries.  I had the privilege of meeting many of them crafty people from Huancayo, while I lived there for 6 month, and I can tell you that I have never met a more humble and talented people than those from Peru. For some of them, it is their life to make these crafts every day. This is how they feed their family and make a living.

In Down town they had a few different market places that were always full of people from all around the world looking for just such items. I know that there are a few locations in America where these Peruvian items are sold, but they are sold way under the cost of what they are worth. These people take hours per day making these items and putting their heart and soul into them. I think that we here in the states take many things for granted and if it were up to me we would give these Peruvians way more than what they ask for these items because it is worth it. After you see the intricate detail that is put into each and every item you will agree with me, these items are almost priceless.

Peruvians are very talented in just about everything they do. They are talented now just like they were talented in the past. A few examples of their magnificent achievements are the ruins of Machu Picchu and Cusco. Some of the smaller ruins around Huancayo are: Warivilca and Huaytapallana. I will post a short video of each of these smaller ruins along with some pictures that I took when I lived in the city.

There are so many that I could say to try and get you to visit Huancayo Peru but to get the full experience you are just going to have to take my word for it. It is one of the coolest places in South America. It has a bunch of culture, many ruins and beautiful places that surround the city as well as some of the most humble people on earth.

Not to mention the food that is served in this little city is probably the best Peruvian food you will ever eat. They have such a good assortment of food. My personal favorites are pachamanca (I will post a video below showing you how it is prepared), Pollo a la Braza (roasted chicken with French fries)and papa a la huancaina. If you get a chance run down to your local Peruvian restaurant and try some of these dishes. You will not regret it.

So if you are looking for a good place for a vacation I believe that Huancayo would be something worth looking in to. If you have any questions about Huancayo Peru or its surrounding areas please feel free to leave me a comment and I will get back to you as soon as I can. If I cannot answer your question I have many friends who still live there that would be more than willing to help answer your question. Also if you have been to Peru please leave me a comment and tell me about your experiences there. I would love to learn more about the country and your stories will help everyone understand what an amazing country Peru really is.