Together Adventures : May 2014

Our Adventure to Peru: Part 6 Machu Picchu

The grand finale of our trip; Machu Picchu. On the fourth day of our trek we awoke early and made our way to this historic city tucked in between the peaks. When we arrived the city was entirely covered in clouds. We couldn't see five feet in front of us it was simply clouded whiteness. After trekking for four days I was emotionally drained and the cloud forest that we were engulfed in made me lose faith that we would be able to fully take in the grandeur of Machu Picchu. After throwing a quiet prayer up into the foggy air the clouds began to part and the view, the view was magnificent.

The thick clouds in the morning.

We made it!

A Picchu Alpaca!

I'm still wondering how they formed the rocks into these shapes. It's like a puzzle. How? Incredible!

Peru was a wonderful adventure that we were blessed to experience together. Who knows where our adventures will lead next. The best part is getting to experience these new places around the world together.

Keep on adventuring!

Our Adventure to Peru: Part 5 The People of Peru

When one travels they quickly realize that often the local people are what truly bring character and cultural uniqueness to a place. Peru was no exception. The people we encountered were lovely, hospitable, and warm. Their sparkling eyes and wind chapped faces told a unique story of life in the scared valley. The colors of the traditional clothing were rich and textured. It was a delight to meet them and feel a part of their celebrations.

Our Adventure to Peru: Part 4 The Ninos Hotel

While in Cuzco we stayed at the incredible Ninos Hotel. The hotel is a part of a larger organization; the Ninos foundation. A non-profit that was founded by a dutch woman who was called to action by the street youth of the city during her travels to the city in 1997.

The courtyard, bathed in a chilly sunshine.

The beautiful restaurant by day.

The cozy restaurant by night.

The organization is truly incredible and now provides 600 children two rounded meals daily, tutoring, peer counseling, and a sense community and belonging. The organization also works to create jobs and employees over 80 local Peruvians. It's an amazing community. Many of the children that grew-up within the program are now employed by the hotels, shops, and restaurants all run by the organization. Sam and I were lucky enough to get a tour of the organization and go to see where the children eat, socialize, and learn. It's a beautiful mission and we were overjoyed to be able to support the organization by staying at one of their hotels (and frequenting the delicious restaurant).

Our Adventure to Peru: Part 3 The Salkantay Trek

The largest portion of our trip was the four day Salkantay trek adventure. The trek was a challenge but the natural wonders we saw along the way made the entire challenging hike worth it. We stayed in tents, we wore layers as the weather changed dramatically over the course of the trip, our muscles were sore, our feet were blistered but, our hearts were full. How could they not be when we were hiking through all of this magic!