Peru is an unbelievable destination for tourists. For me, traveling there changed the definition of “vacation”. Women dressed in colorful, woven clothes wandered the street. The food, however, was something I couldn’t get over. It was a huge culture shock for me to dine on alpaca pizza and have guinea pigs as a dish.

We spent the majority of the trip in a unique mountain city called Cusco. The hotel in Cusco was a pretty little place. The bedroom had three twin beds. Another interesting thing our hotel offered was coca tea. The tea leaves are the same leaves used for cocaine.

I thought that New York City had the worst traffic on the Earth until I visited Cusco. There were taxis everywhere, and local drivers ignored red lights. We would be completely stuck in traffic, yet oncoming cars seemed to believe they could magically drive through the middle of our taxi.

During the trip, we joined in several bus tours. One of them included a visit to a marketplace filled with foods and handmade goods. It was an amazing experience because the market was not jam-packed with tourists like every other place. The majority of the shoppers were Peruvian residents. We weaved in and out of streets, gazing at the beautifully handcrafted（手工制作的）rugs and ponchos. I wish I could have bought everything.

Also on the trip was a tour of a genuine village. The villagers there showed us their lifestyle. One of the women showed the boring process of making different products. Their only income was from the goods they sold. Another trick they showed us was using a bug as a lip stain. They would take a bug, press it, and spread the red blood on their lips. I was shocked when they explained that to us. After the tour was over, we were allowed to view their products. I departed with a soft pair of gloves that not only had the four normal finger holes, but also a thumb hole.

   Driving to the airport in the early morning, I felt excited. Although I was heading abroad for my first time alone, I felt cheerful and enthusiastic. I was spending the summer in Paris.

While looking for more interesting things to do besides sleeping and eating, I found programs for learning languages abroad, and jumped at the chance to study French in this city known for its art, fashion, food, and culture. As I arrived at the airport where I would leave my family, I still felt only great happiness. I excitedly made my way through security, leaving my loved ones behind.

My connecting flight was in Frankfurt, Germany, 14 hours from Denver. Sitting in a crowded plane watching bad movies couldn’t dampen my excitement. When the woman next to me asked me where I was going, I happily answered and was pleased to note a tone of jealousy in her response.

But when I arrived in Frankfurt, fear and anxiety began to set in. Being in an enormous, busy building in a country where I couldn’t speak the language was frightening, but as I found my way, I gained confidence. When I boarded the second plane and discovered that the flight was less than an hour, I was filled with excitement as I thought of how I would manage in a country with a new language.

When I stepped on the ground of Pairs for the first time, I was extremely happy and excited. I gathered my bags and joined the crowd of people waiting for friends and family. I quickly had my first experience trying to communicate in a language that I had only practiced in school. As I left the airport, I looked for familiar monuments I had read about, but the landscape looked very- ordinary. Then, with one sharp turn, the Eiffel Tower came into view, and I was finally in Pairs.

   It’s great fun to explore new places, and it may be like an adventure, even when you know you’re not the first to have been there. But to make sure not to get lost or waste time going round in circles, the following tips may be helpful.

• Do the map reading if you’re being driven somewhere. It’ll be easier if you keep the map following the direction you’re traveling in. Keep looking ahead so that you can give the driver lots of warning before having to make a turn or you’ll have to move to the back seat.

• Get a group of friends together and go exploring. You’ll need a good map, a compass, a raincoat, a cell phone to call for help in case you get lost, and a bit of cash for emergencies. Tell someone where you’re going before you set out and let him know what time you expect to be back. The purpose of the activity is in not getting lost, not in seeing how fast you can go, so always stick together, waiting for slower friends to catch up.

• See if your school or a club organizes orienteering (越野识途比赛), in which you need a map and a compass to find your way. This can be done as a sport, with teams trying to find the way from A to B (and B to C, etc.) in the fastest time, or simply as a spare-time activity. It enables you to be familiar with the use of maps and compasses and gain some practical skills. In some way, it’s not only good fun, but also a great way to keep fit.

No matter which way you choose, it’s not only good fun, but a great way to keep fit.

How was everything going？I，together with my parents plans to take a trip to Canada for a week during the summer vacation. We hope to make the full use of this opportunity to experience the naturally beauty of Canada and learn more about its culture. We don’t want to go to places where are full of tourists and shoppers. Because I am writing to ask help. We hope you can tell them where to visit. Besides, can you give us some advices on how to finding hotels which are not expensive but comfortable? I would be grateful if you could give me an early reply.

Yours,

Li Hua