Get away, see the world.

Back home from my awesome Peru adventure! It was more than I even expected it to be (and I had high expectations). The weather was great and sunny and warm, the people were amazingly nice and friendly, the food was delicious, the ruins were fantastic, etc. I barely saw much of what the country has to offer. I'm kind of amazed that nobody goes to Peru! Aside from Machu Picchu, which is what most tourists go to see, Peru has the Amazon Rainforest, the world's deepest canyon, the world's highest navigable lake, the Nazca lines, ancient ruins in the northern desert, etc. Not to mention just hanging out at the beach or checking out the sights in the cities. Sigh. So awesome, but it went by so fast.

I had some trouble with the language because I totally gave up on learning it after August of last year and I didn't really remember much from high school. But after a few days I was kind of putting together sentences in my hybrid language of English, Spanish, and Italian. Bless their Peruvian hearts, they tried their damnedest to figure out what I was saying and usually they got it! Congratulations to them! Machu Picchu was especially amazing and that was the best day ever because aside from seeing the ruins, Dad and I got bumped up to a five star eco-lodge hotel in the town in the Amazon Jungle below Machu Picchu where everyone has to spend the night! It was: AMAZING. The food, the room, the scenery, the perks of the hotel, everything. I couldn't believe it. I just was sitting there in the fancy dining room eating the most amazing food I've ever had and inwardly going 'EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!' the entire time. I was really going 'EEEEEEEEEE!!!' that whole day from the moment I saw Machu Picchu til I finally fell asleep (which, of course, was helped by the hot water bottle in the sheets and the nice chocolate on the pillow that the hotel staff came and put on the bed while we were eating. Seriously.)

Sigh. I'm back in heaven just thinking about it all. More pictures are on my Flickr site over yonder, but here are a few for your viewing pleasure:

Classic shot!

Cusco's cathedrals at night.

Quechua sheep herder in Puca Pucara National Park in the hills above Cusco. Elevation here is near 12,000 feet.

Dad and I on the train heading up to the town of Aguas Calientes in the Amazon Jungle, below Machu Picchu and where our awesome hotel was located.

Lima was cool, too, but we didn't get too much time to see it. Just about a day and a half before we left for the States. I would highly recommend a visit to Peru! It's so amazing and beautiful and the people are so wonderful and happy and friendly. I loved every minute of my vacation and can't wait to go back someday.

I got home and Beatrix's cat-sitter had left a message for me about how good she was. That also made my flight-weary self feel very proud. The cat-sitters son came one day with her and Beatrix so charmed him that he's now requested that his mom and dad get a cat just like Bea! She's quite the little lady. I caught a cold toward the end of the trip. I think I actually began to have it before I left, but I worked very hard to ward it off using vitamins and drinking lots of water and orange juice, etc. But after Monday and Tuesday at Machu Picchu, I sort of was exhausted. It was like the culmination of all the months of planning and I finally saw it and climbed all over it and the entire experience was so amazing and wonderful and once it was over, I was just deflated and boooom the cold hit me. It's not so bad, really. I slept for 14 hours when I got home and I think that's helped a little. No real complaints because I so appreciate my body keeping me healthy to see MaPi! I didn't have any trouble with the altitude at all. I've never had any trouble before in Colorado or New Mexico, but I wasn't sure about this because I'd never been as high as Cusco. But, breathing wasn't at all a problem. You do get worn out quicker and you have to drink a lot of bottled water because the water isn't potable and you'll dehydrate at that altitude really quickly, but other than that, I was fine. Dad did well with the altitude, too. Peru is a pretty young country, population-wise. Whereas the USA's baby boomers are in their 60s, Peru's baby boomers are in their 20s, so I felt right at home. Everything was very comfortable and many of the people were my age and it was just really really cool to meet people and wander around. It felt very very home-y to me.

I'm kind of Peru's biggest fan now. They're a big deal. Let's have lunch and let me gush at you a while.

Viva El Peru!