Wrapping up

After a four hour bur ride, 45 minute taxi ride, a redeye flight, and enough time in the airport to get a pedicure for our beat up feet, we have found our way back, safe and sound, to American soil. The only thing we lost in Peru are a few pairs of underwear that mysteriously disappeared when we had our laundry done.  I have to say, we are pretty proud of ourselves, or maybe we should just be thanking our lucky stars, that we pulled this off without any serious hitches. Its been a spectacular trip, but in all honestly we are glad to be back in lovely Vermont, ready to kick off what is already looking like a gorgeous summer. I am always delightfully surprised at how green and luscious Vermont becomes this time of year.

 Since our last post we have done quite a bit, so for those of you I may not see in person very often I have decided to update the blog on the final week of our trip. When we last left off, we were setting out for Colca Canyon, which is said to be twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, at 3 am. After four hours in a cramped, cold bus, twisting up and around hills at what felt like a very unsafe speed, we arrived for breakfast, yet again dry white bread and jam...ugh. (I bought $200 worth of groceries yesterday, breakfast food being a big part of that purchase!) We stopped along the way to see condors, birds that can have a wing span of about 10 feet and live for 70 years, soaring in the canyon below us. The terrain was desert like, dry, hot, lots of cacti, but snow topped mountains in the distance. We set off down the canyon, which was a long, dusty, rocky path, switchback after switchback, for a few hours. The next day was not as tough. We visited a small museum and learned about the way of life of the people who sustain themselves here. It gave Abbey and I such an appreciation for how easy our lifestyles are. In the states, we can hop in our cars and pick up anything we like, or easier yet, sit in our comfortable apartments, pull out the laptop or phone, and order it online, delivered straight to our doorstep. In Colca Canyon the people have to trek at least a few hours up the side of the canyon with mules to pick up any supplies that are needed, including food and water, then trek back down the dry canyon wall. I did it once, and I think that was enough! Oh, and many of these villages do not have electricity, if they do it was only introduced four years ago. Forget hot showers.

After the museum we arrived at a man made "oasis" complete with pools and a volleyball net (but no electricity). We enjoyed the sun until 2pm, when the sun "set" as it dipped behind the canyon wall! We enjoyed playing cards and having a few drinks with our fellow trekkers, who originated in England, New Zealand, Holland, and Argentina. Then it was time to hit the sack early again, since the next morning we had to walk up the canyon wall starting at 5 am, trekking up switchback upon switchback, all before breakfast. It was a gruesome hike, but we were glad to do it before the heat of the sun hit us. Abbey and I joked that we would much rather being enjoying a Switchback beer than climbing these actual switchbacks. We concluded that we would cheers each other with a couple when we got back to the states, which we did last night. They were the most well deserved Switchbacks I've ever enjoyed!

That night we took an overnight bus to Paracas, a small town on the Pacific Coast, where we would stay in our first hotel of the trip, and enjoy the beach for our last few days. It was a great way to wind down during our final few days in Peru, sunbathing with the beach to ourselves, and practicing our Spanish for the last couple times at the local restaurants. We concluded that we didn't learn very much Spanish, as it took two waiters and about five menus for us to communicate when ordering our final Peruvian meal! They were good sports though, laughing along as we struggled through the menus!

Off the coast of Paracas are the Bellestas Islands, a reserve full of birds and sea life. We took a boat tour out on our final day and were treated to sights of thousands of birds (including penguins, pelicans, and Peruvian boobies), sea lions, giant orange jelly fish, crabs, and best of all dolphins. Our boat was sitting in the ocean, surrounded by dolphins arching their fins above the waves. It was amazing, and to top it off, as we started to pull away, several of them jumped up in the air, exposing their entire bodies and performing a show. Abbey caught it on video, it was spectacular to witness!

It was a trip of a lifetime, so many sights, so many new people, so many types of varying terrain. I enjoyed it thoroughly, but it also took leaving my own country to really appreciate how lucky we are as Americans. We have a lot of privileges and opportunities that other people in this world are not given. However its interesting to ponder, which culture is happier? We really don't have a way to measure.

We are excited to be home, to see all our loved ones, and to enjoy a summer in the luscious state of Vermont!