I have decided it would be fun to write a cumulative blog for each country based on random observations and the overall way of life here as I perceive it. So for your entertainment, here are some random Perú facts:

1. There are lots of dogs. Like, dogs EVERYWHERE. Dogs of all breeds, shapes and sizes. Prowling through restaurants, meandering through markets, digging through trash on the streets, hanging out in dog gangs on corners (no joke, we've seen it!). I'm afraid to pet them because there's always the chance of being bitten and contracting rabies (one dog did bite me on my boot so far, kinda scary), and they also look really dirty. That being said, it's so hard not to pet them all! They all just need a bit of lovin' but sadly I am not the person to give it to them. There's just not enough soap available to justify touching them, poor creatures. The nice thing is that drivers will honk at the dogs instead of just running them over (I suppose they give pedestrians the same courtesy) so they have enough time to get out of the way. I have yet to see a dead dog on the street so I consider that a win.

2. As I may have mentioned before, drivers are crazy! They do not stop at stop signs; they barely even slow down and they hardly look before passing through an intersection. Why are there stop signs you might ask? My theory is that they serve as a simple suggestion, much like the stoplights. In Cusco especially they had police officers patrolling traffic in intersections where stoplights were present. I suppose it's necessary because no one follows the traffic laws, if those even exist. And don't think for a second that a green light for pedestrians actually means it's safe to walk, it's not. It's never safe to walk here. I wish I was even remotely joking when I say I am amazed I have not seen anyone get killed since I've been here. I have yet to even see an accident, it's all quite baffling.

3. They really like their pisco in Perú. Don't ever suggest it's a Chilean drink to a Peruvian, he might hurt you. And most of the time pisco sours are delicious, but unfortunately they also know how to screw them up. I suppose that goes for anything.

4. The children here are absolutely adorable. Like, too cute. They will talk to you and smile at you and sometimes want to touch you just because. Or, they look at you (well, me) like I'm a giant monster from outerspace and they hide behind mom. It's always one or the other. All the school kids wear uniforms and I think they have a shorter school day than we have in the US, though I haven't actually been able to figure out their schedule so I'm not sure.

5. To quote one of the founders of PeruHop, the bus company we were with for a week at the beginning of the trip, "bloody Peruvians are always late." We quickly learned he wasn't lying. If you sign up for any tour in Perú, expect the tour to leave about 30 minutes late or more and return at least 15 minutes early. Kind of a bummer when it's only a 2 hour tour.

6. Plumbing is a big issue here, and by that I mean the system is very fragile. You can't throw toilet paper in the toilet or it will clog the pipes, so you have to throw it in the trash bin. I don't really have a problem with that, but we've met plenty of Europeans who act like they personally have to take out the trash and touch everyone's used paper.

7. Speaking of our fellow traveling Europeans, they have all been nice and lovely to talk to but very inconsiderate to the Peruvian lifestyle. We have found that most are quite prissy and look down on the way of life here. They still throw toilet paper in the toilet even though there are signs everywhere asking them not to. In hostels they leave their trash and dishes for others to clean up and they seem to have a hard time simply closing doors, preferring instead to slam them. On the street, they comment on how dirty things are and how cheap things look. I find the whole thing interesting only because they chose to travel here, were they really expecting it to be like it is back home? I am probably not being fair to the Europeans because most really have been very nice in conversation, and perhaps Americans would behave the same way given the chance. It's just that we haven't met very many Americans on this trip so it's hard to make a comparison, all we have are the 2 of us. With the exception of the staff at La Boheme hostel in Cusco, we have found French people to be the rudest and most entitled of the bunch. They refuse to move out of the way if they are blocking the entire sidewalk, they insist on getting off the bus first even though they are in the rows behind us, they expect everyone to move out of their way on hiking trails and I have noticed some of them staring sullenly at us whenever we chat with other people. It comforts us to know that literally no other European we have spoken to like the French, confirming what we have already found out: they are just rude. I can't wait to never go to France. They can keep their disgusting food and snobby attitudes. California makes better wine anyway (if you don't believe me, watch Bottleshock). I'm sure there are some nice French people, but as a whole I am not impressed. But ok, I'm done. Thank you for putting up with my rant. It's just that after hearing for years and years that the world hates Americans, it has been a real eye opener to discover just how inconsiderate people from other countries are. After observing that, I feel a lot more proud to be an American. So thanks Mom and Dad for raising me with decency and manners, I never realized they were such rare things in this world.

8. Hot showers are not a given, if you want one you have to find a hostel that lists hot water as something they offer. And even then you're lucky if it actually gets hot.

9. Toilet paper and toilet seats are not a given either. Whenever a bathroom actually offers toilet paper I stuff my pockets with it. I would feel bad about that but chances are I just paid a sole to use that restroom anyway, so I feel it's a fair trade. Soap is even more rare than toilet seats.

10. You can get a huge glass of any kind of delicious fresh squeezed juice for only 3 or 4 soles (<$2). I'm talking pineapple, orange, passion fruit, strawberry, kiwi, banana, mango, papaya and many other fruits I don't even know the name of. You can get a single fruit or any combination you like, delicioso. You can also get a massive beer for 6-8 soles ($2-3). Awesome.

11. Peruvians litter like crazy. They throw their empty water bottles out of the car window or just drop their trash on the street. There are sometimes signs telling you not to litter but the people don't seem to care. A fellow traveler once told me he saw a cop just throw his trash down a hill, so it would appear there is no one to really enforce not littering. I must admit, it drives me crazy and I absolutely refuse to litter no matter what, but this is not my country. If they want to live in their own filth, so be it.

12. Many sidewalks here are tiny, possibly no more than a foot wide. More than once in Cusco I had to press myself against a building to avoid taking off the mirror of someone's car. Judging by the astronomical number of taxis and public collectivos, it would seem they don't really encourage walking here. More than once we've asked for directions to a place that turned out to be no more than a 10 or 15 minute walk away, but every time we were told it would be better to take a taxi. I find it strange, but again, not my country.

13. I've noticed that many Peruvians don't understand the concept of a line or taking turns. We'd be waiting in line to buy a bus ticket or something at the market and then people would just walk up to the counter and cut right in front of us. I know I come from a different place and I hate to use the word uncivilized, but c'mon, I was standing here. Wait your damn turn! I guess it's time to start using my old basketball skills to box people out and keep them from doing that to me. I am about 3 times their size so I think it could work.

14. On average I bump my head really hard on a doorframe (usually in a hostel) about once a week. Apparently they forget that much of the world contains people taller than them so they make everything mini-sized. It may be that I have a concussion by now, but every time I go to sleep I always wake up again, so that's a good sign.

15. We've been told Perú is the most expensive country we will visit on this trip and it was pretty cheap, so I can't wait to see other parts of South America.

All in all, Perú has been wonderful and I feel so fortunate to have visited this country. The people are great, the mountains are incredible, and the country is alive with culture, both old and modern. But now I am ready to experience a different place. Bolivia here I come!