I had three weeks of vacation this summer.  I decided that instead of doing crazy stuff in the Sierras again (I was considering the Sierra High Route), I might want to actually visit a developing country once before deciding to become a development economist.  I was going to go to Guatemala and do the Spanish school thing, but then I discovered these things called the Andes, so a friend and I ended up in Peru.

I did three major backpacking trips: from Mollepata to Machu Picchu, the Santa Cruz trek in the Cordillera Blanca, and the circuit around the Cordillera Huayhuash.  Also, I barfed six times on a 21 hour bus-ride to Cusco, ate guinea pig, rabbit, and lots of raw fish, and had to pass 150 counterfeit Soles in order to get out of the country.  Good times.

Side Note:
If you are interested in doing any of the treks that I mentioned (or any others in the Ancash region) without guides or support, then I'd be more than happy to discuss planning with you, because I know the vast majority of info out there is for people that want mules to do all their work for them.  E-mail me: my name @yahoo.com.