The city is larger than I expected, and the high mountainous roads on which we arrived afforded an impressive view of the city below, with red-tiled roofs and countless church steeples enclosed surrounded by the Ayacucho is isolated deep in the mountains, and wasn’t accessible by paved roads until 1999. It was the site of some of the most intense terrorism in the 1980s by the terrorist organization Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path). During this era of horror and confusion, this group committed atrocities in some of the most remote regions of Peru, contributing to a continued legacy of fear and mistrust. However, Ayacucho appears to be recovering remarkably well from this scarred past, and was recently rated one of the top 10 come-back cities in the world.
Ayacucho hosts more than 33 churches within the city boundaries, and each church is unique and nestled in its own corner of the city, often accompanied by a small plaza. We spent Thursday wondering around the city, enjoying the Plaza de Armas as we soaked up the sunshine, blue skies, and incredible weather. Artesania and street food line most corners of Ayacucho, and I quickly found one of my favorite parts of the city; women in traditional dress preparing “queso helado.” These women prepare a sweet, frozen, milky, nutty/cinnamon icecream by swirling their concoction in large metal pots in a bath of ice water. 
The result is delicious, and I think I had at least 6 during my stay in the city. The city was beautiful, and our hostel had a rooftop terrace that was perfect to relax, drink a cup of coffee, and enjoy the sites below.
Peace Corps volunteers tend to congregate in large groups, which provides certain benefits for transportation and site-seeing. On Friday we decided to rent our own personal combi to do some exploring outside of Ayacucho. The first stop on our self-guided adventure was a famous battlefield, which was marked by a large white monument and surrounded by rolling green hills. 
We browsed the artesan market and sampled various typical Ayacucho dishes. My favorite was puka picante, a mixture of potatoes and other unidentified objects covered in a red peanut sauce, which was a different flavor than anything else I typically eat here. We also snacked on choclo y queso (enormous corn on the cob with fresh cheese and spicy salsa) as women and children in traditional dress chatted and giggled in Quechua as they observed our large mass of gringos. 
After wondering around the battlefield, we hiked up to a waterfall, which provided some beautiful views and a brief shower under the mist.
We continued on to Wari, the site of Pre-Incan ruins located outside of Ayacucho. Although I can appreciate the historic value of ruins, we were pretty tired at this point, so instead of focusing on a guided tour we decided to create our own history lesson for the archaeological site. My favorite part (which is not a fabrication of our own sun-induced silliness) was learning about small bugs that inhabit the cactuses in area. 
When squished, they produce a deep red dye that is used for everything from lipstick to red Gatorade. The cactuses also produce a delicious deep orange/pink fruit called tuna, which we consumed in large quantities during our visit.
On Friday evening the plaza was buzzing with people recognizing the traditions of Good Friday. The events began with artistic demonstrations called “alfombras” or carpets, which were enormous paintings constructed on the street. These paintings were composed entirely of colored saw-dust, spices, flower petals, glitter, and other fine particles formed to create intricate designs on a massive scale. The size and detail was incredible; the artists were able to capture expression and accuracy using tiny particles on a huge canvas. More amazingly, after hours of focused work, these paintings would serve as the “red carpet” of sorts for the Good Friday procession. 
As the night continued the plaza slowly became illuminated by candles and the procession began, led by pallbearers carrying a glass casket with a life-size Christ figure. 
Faithful devotees and choirs followed in a long march along the streets of the plaza, trampling the alfombra artwork.
Each corner balcony was filled with musical groups who serenaded the participants from above. Thousands flooded the center of Ayacucho to participate in this somber candlelit procession in recognition of Christ’s death. 
The festivities continued on Saturday with a “running of the bulls” through the plaza and main city streets. Thousands gathered in the plaza awaiting this event, and several of our friends bravely donned their sneakers and were ready to run with bulls. After waiting through several false alarms and watching countless horses go by, a bull finally emerged. However, the bull was far from ferocious; small, scrawny, and tied with a rope, the threat from the running of the bulls was minimal. 
Intermittent horse parades and the occasional bull continued through the morning as spectators dressed in red paraphernalia continued to swarm the city center. 
I think the tame version of running of the bulls contributed to the crowd’s desire to create their own excitement, and before long a full on party had began in the plaza. Human towers formed and bodies were being thrown in the air from every direction. Initially we were mere spectators, but before long we decided to partake in the fun. Demonstrating incredible team work and agility, we formed a solid 3 tier human tour in no time and quickly became the center of attention. 
Not satisfied with our initial success, we decided to aim for a 4 tier human tower, and after several tries, careful planning, and a few falls we were ultimately successful. Basket tosses and human-throwing was our next endeavor, and we successfully launched each other in the air, high above the enthused crowd.
Later in the afternoon we visited the mirador (lookout) located on a high point in the outskirts of the city. Thousands of people were also congregated in this area, enjoying the views and the artisan fair set up for the weekend. We made our way through the crowd, stopping frequently to sample a different selection of street food or browse the items for sale. Although Ayacucho generates substantial tourism for Semana Santa, this area of the city appeared to be almost entirely local visitors. 
Although the day was already filled with activity, the real festivities had yet to begin. Around 10:30pm a fireworks show began and continued for over an hour. It was undoubtedly the most impressive fireworks show I have ever seen; the light filled the sky and covered the plaza in descending sparks. Each time we thought the finale had began, the show continued. Following the initial fireworks we joined the party in the plaza and enjoyed my favorite part of Peruvian festivities, castillos. 
Castillos are enormous bamboo towers constructed with fireworks. During the height of the fiesta the Castillo is lit and acts as its own “one-man show” because each level of fireworks is connected, so when one section burns out it incites the following section, providing an incredible show of waterfalls of sparks, whirling pinwheels, shooting firecrackers. As you can imagine this is a huge fire hazard, especially when people are congregated only feet away from these shooting sparks. Also, every time you think the Castillo has finished with its tricks, it manages to surprise you with one more deafening crack and boom and shoot more sparks into the unsuspecting crowd. 
The castillos were accompanied by intermittent series of fireworks until 4am when the crowd assembled in front of the church for Easter mass. The iconic image of Ayacucho’s epic Semana Santa event is an enormous white float, lined with lights and candles where the resurrected Jesus sits on top. 
This float begins its journey in the church, and as the sun rises on Easter Sunday, 300 men carry Jesus on his extravagant throne out of the church and into the plaza. We arrived early and were located close to the exit of the church. The crowd was so tight we could literally stand up without supporting any part of our body. As the first rays of sun emerged above the mountains in the distance, the float exited the streets, officially celebrating Jesus’ resurrection. 
We narrowly escaped being trampled as we were carried by the enormous mass of people struggling to create a path. The entire experience was breathtaking; it was unlike any Easter I’ve experienced, and something I’ll always remember.
Following a brief nap, we loaded up on delicious Ayacucho treats and piled in a rented combi to Pisco. The 6 hour ride was one continually winding road through the beautiful green mountains until we arrived on the desert coast of Pisco. The city of Pisco was struck by a severe earthquake in 2007, and its effects are still incredibly evident in the city; the streets are desolate and the damage is obvious. 
We made our way to Paracas, a beach town just south of Pisco, and enjoyed a relaxing night in this small town, eating ceviche and parihuela (seafood soup) oceanfront.
The following morning we took a boating expedition to Las Islas Bellestas, which is considered the Galapagos Islands of Peru. 
We happily donned our ridiculous orange lifejackets and began our tour. The first impressive site was a huge candelabra image etched in the sand dunes a few miles off the coast of Paracas. The history of this 420 foot long design remains unclear, but has remained intact for hundreds of years.
The boat continued to the islands where literally millions of birds inhabited the rocks and flooded the skyline. 
Penguins, Peruvian boobies, and other birds frolicked on the barren islands and dipped into the deep blue water. Thousands of sea lions were also found lazily sunning themselves on the rocks. 
We passed maternity beach, which is home to newly born baby sea-lions as well as enormous males that weigh over 700 pounds. 
Following our boat expedition we continued on to explore the Paracas national reserve, which offered beautiful desert views and drastic cliffs overlooking bright blue water. 
We spent the afternoon exploring the sites at this expansive reserve and enjoyed a picnic lunch on the beach with some pelican friends. 
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