It ain't over til it's over

I got back to Gillette Wednesday afternoon. A delayed take-off in Lima had me racing through customs in Houston, but I made it on the plane to Denver with 10 minutes to spare! After getting home, my cell phone died and I had no idea where my charger was. But...to be honest, I kind of liked playing the "hermit" role for the next 24 hours til I got a working phone again. Sleep, unpacking, and going through a GIGANTIC stack of mail were my priorities these last few days :) I could go on and on about this...but my bed is soooooooo comfortable! I'd lay there all day if I could! But, unfortunately life doesn't stop just cuz I want to be lazy. And you know what...life back here didn't stay on hold while I was in Peru either. Bills still need to be  paid, a flat tire didn't magically turn into 4 new good tires, and my fantasy football season is over! But regardless, I am VERY happy to be home.  When my plane landed in Gillette, I could not wipe the smile off my face as I waited to deboard the plane and then get my luggage!  Immediately I went to Las Margarita's for chips and salsa...yummmmm! My roommate, Kim, decorated the house super great for Christmas which makes me happy and I have never appreciated my shower or washing machine so much! Singing and playing piano with the church music group on Thursday was amazing! And yesterday I had fun stopping by GPT to visit my friends and co-workers there. Can't wait to start working again on Monday! Tomorrow is football day with one of my most favorite families ever! And slowly life will get back to normal. Just in time to turn the big 3-0 on Thursday!!! I am sad to miss out on Christmas with my family this year, but really...the thought of more traveling right now doesn't sound very appealing anyway!

Now that I'm home, it seems almost surreal that I spent the last 2 months in Peru. Did I really eat guinea pig, take cold bucket showers, and roam the streets with hungry, stray dogs? I made it this long without texting, drinking milk, or listening to my ipod (my fault for not bringing the charger!)? How did I survive alphabetizing and re-alphabetizing notecards for Christmas letters while listening to Anne Murray and Bryan Adams??? Without knowing much Spanish (although much improved now!) I was able to provide physical therapy services, feel spiritually fulfilled from Mass and morning prayer, and make friends. Despite the language barrier, I come home feeling like I made a difference in Chimbote. That I helped people. I've also come home knowing a lot more about myself and the kind of person I am. And I like it :) I am going to miss the WONDERFUL, welcoming, friendly people of Chimbote who made my stay there INCREDIBLE!  But I am happy to be back! Back to cereal for dinner and cheering for the Packers in my Aaron Rodgers jersey! Back to snow in December, dogs on leashes, and drinking unboiled water. But most of all I am happy to be back to the equally WONDERFUL family and friends I have here who have been most supportive throughout this trip. I am a VERY lucky girl. Like Dorothy said..."There's no place like home!"

Good times in Chimbote

Some pics from my last days in Chimbote.

Cusco

Here's some pics of the couple days I spent in Cusco

 Aerial view on the plane ride into Cusco ;)

 The hostel I stayed at was also a convent and a school.

 Paddy's Pub...the highest pub in the world (elevation).

 Yummy mint lemonade!

 Buzz Lightyear was in Cusco too

This is it!!!- Day 5 of the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu

Today is the day! We leave for the bus at 7am. It's overcast when we start out, but after the 30 minute bus ride to Machu Picchu the rain starts. Sabino is there to guide us through the place. He must not of gotten much sleep last night because he is kind of crabby today and his English is a lot worse than when we started out. Oh well. Just being here is pretty darn impressive! Most of the structures could still be used as buildings today...even though they are thousands of years old! I'm trying really hard to listen to all the history and facts, but it just doesn't stick very well :) One thing I remember...When natural disasters struck, the Incas would sacrifice a human to ask for forgiveness from Mother Earth. Typically the sacrifices were young women. Phew! Good thing I wasn't an Inca back then ;) Anyway, after about 3 hours our tour is complete. We say good bye to Sabino and spend a little more time wandering around before taking the bus back to Aguas Calientes.

Back in AC we have the rest of the afternoon to hang out and wait for the train to take us back to Cusco.  Here are some pics I took....

The pop bottle Christmas tree. Got a few shots of them working on it today...never saw the finished product though :)

Funny to read the Spanish words translated to English....

My Incan boyfriend haha

The Inca Trail-Day 4 of Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu

Maggie and I are under the impression that the first 2 days of the hike were the hardest and the rest was smooth sailing. Not so we learn this morning! Today will be about 6 hours of hiking with the first 3 hours all uphill. Oh wonderful! A cake is served for breakfast this morning! Alfredo, our cook, made it over a fire even. I pretend it's my birthday cake :)

Today we see our first views of Machu Picchu and hike on actual Inca Trail!

Once we get to the top and see some of Machu Picchu from a distance, it is a couple hours of downhill. Again, I am being careful because I can't seem to keep my balance very well when I try to go faster. Sabino and Maggie are pretty much running down the hill. I'll admit...I am a little annoyed that they go so much faster than me (my competitive gene in full force haha!). Anyway, there are some great views, so we stop often to take pictures. Soon enough, we have made it to the bottom and cross the river (allybama???? or something like that...eventually this river flows to the Amazon). After we cross, it is about 30 minutes more hiking to hidroelectrica. We eat lunch here and wait for the train to take us to Aguas Calientes...the tourist town we will stay in tonight.

The train has different cars for tourists versus locals. For tourists, it costs 45 soles for the train ride, Peruvians 10 soles and locals 2 soles! Aguas Calientes is real pretty...definitely your typical tourist town! Tonight we stay at a hostel with hot water and everything! Tomorrow...Machu Picchu!!!