Peru travel - Abby Kojola In Peru

September 15 — Coming Home

Aerial view of Lima, Peru and the Pacific coastline from an airplane

Last Morning in Lima I woke up at 6 because I had set my alarm for 6, and for a little while I had this very disorienting moment where my phone said it was 6:38 but the clock in the apartment said 8:08, and my taxi was supposed to come at 8:30. I knew logically…

September 14 — Getting the Hang of Lima Just as It Was Time to Leave

Palm tree silhouetted against the Pacific sunset in Barranco, Lima

My Last Full Day in Peru I slept in until around 8 on Monday morning, which wasn’t particularly late, but it felt late compared with how early I had been waking up for most of the trip. I had stayed up later than I meant to the night before working on my blog, and then…

September 7 — Arriving at Blue Morpho

Blue morpho butterfly resting on green leaves in the Peruvian Amazon

Monday morning I woke up pretty early, I think around 6:45, and went downstairs for breakfast at the DoubleTree Hilton. I had scrambled eggs, strawberry yogurt with granola and coca tea. Then I went back to my room and packed everything up and checked out. Segundo’s friend met me in the lobby with the motocarro…

September 2 — Getting Lost and Finding My Way in Lima

Cup of tea with a small blue sand timer on the table at Ché Chá in Miraflores

Sept. 2 — I slept until about 9 a.m. this morning, which meant I got around eight hours of sleep. I really needed it. I think I had been awake for close to 40 hours between getting ready to leave, traveling all day, and arriving in Lima so late last night. I woke up feeling…

September 1 — The Journey Back to Peru

Abby Kojola waiting at SFO before flying to Peru

Sept. 1 — Today was a full travel day! My first flight left SFO at 7:13 a.m. I set my alarm for 3 a.m. so that I could be ready to leave for the airport at 4 a.m. I worked until 1:30 a.m. and then lay in my bed for 90 minutes waiting for my…

October 26, 2025

Early taxi, Cusco check-in quirks, long LIM layover, LAX customs/recheck, delayed hop to SFO—and a few hard-won tips for smoother connections.

October 25, 2025

Cusco Return, Gifts, and Early Flight Morning: Breakfast & Goodbyes at Monesanco On the morning of October 25th, I had a last breakfast with the group at Munay Sonqo. We took a group photo and we got to take individual photos with Maestro Hamilton. And somebody started a WhatsApp group and we all joined. And…

October 23, 2025

The Second Ayahuasca Ceremony: Learning to Stay Present Through the Intensity Arriving with Caution and Intention The second ayahuasca ceremony began at 5 p.m., and I was nervous — mostly about the possibility of peeing my pants again while throwing up. This time, I was careful. I ate a light lunch, drank less water, and…

October 22, 2025

Asking for a Dream Last night, in the middle of the night, I asked the ayahuasca and Gaia to help me dream.I didn’t feel like I slept very well, but I did have some dreams. In one, I was in Marin, walking past two women. I felt drawn to them — curious — and then…

October 21, 2025

Day 6 – San Pedro Ceremony Last night, I woke up around 2:30 and again at 4:30, but I actually slept pretty well considering it was the night after the ayahuasca ceremony. This morning there wasn’t breakfast, but there was tea at seven. Around 7:30, I went to get some coca tea, and the San…

October 20, 2025

Day 5 – First Ceremony at Munay Sonqo Today I woke up in Ollantaytambo, and last night it rained a lot. It rained pretty hard, and I could hear the rain on the kind of tin corrugated roof because the house I was staying in was open to the outside, so I could hear the…

October 19,2025

Day 4 – Machu Picchu So today, I woke up in Aguas Calientes at 5:30 a.m. and had diarrhea probably three different times before my alarm went off at six. My guide was coming to pick me up at 7 a.m. to go to Machu Picchu, and I just decided there was no way I…

October 18, 2025

Day 3 in Peru Today was a very full day of a lot of travel, but it’s 9:11 and I’m in bed showered and ready to go to sleep. But this morning, I was in Cuzco and I packed in a way where I could leave my big suitcase in Ollantayambo and just take my…

October 16, 2025

First Day in Cusco When I arrived in Cusco, it was so interesting. The infrastructure here is so different from what I’m used to. It’s a very small airport, and everything was easy — my bag arrived, I met my taxi driver easily, and it’s only about 15 minutes to where I’m staying. I was…

October 15, 2025

My First Day in Peru I woke up at 7 AM on the 15th, the day of my flight, and it was so nice to not have to leave for the airport at the crack of dawn. I had my last cup of green tea and snuggled with each of the cats for a little…