This is my view of the valley from the top of the mountain (the mountain I always refer to is part of the Andes). Peru is a place of complete chaos and contradiction. Parts of the mountain are so dry that not even a cactus can survive. Other parts are so moist it looks like a rainforest. All this is 15 minutes from the coast, which is dry and brown. It is so dry because the Andes block the rain that comes from the east. One side of the Andes is green, the other brown. It is so amazing. Hot and cold at the same time. The hardest part to get used to is the change in smells. One minutes I will smell the sugary sweetness of burning sugar cane, then the next minute O smell cow manure and the garbage that lines the streets. I am always trying to figure this place out.