Vegas and home

Amber and I flew into Vegas. Katie was nice enough to pick us up from the airport and give us a place to crash for the night. It was so fun to see her. I was exhausted but it was a great ending to long spring break. We always laugh and have so much fun together.

Katie is also very good at making sure we take pictures!

We got to visit and go to dinner and then we tried to visit some more . . . . .

 I think I was awake for two minutes. I told myself I would stay awake. Well that didn't happen. I am so thankful for my friendship with Katie it was so fun to see her for a little bit.

Sunday Amber and I attended a Sacrament meeting in Vegas and then headed back to Provo. My siblings were having dinner at my house so I got to come home to my sweet nephews. It had been like two weeks since I had seen them so I was having major withdrawals. They both greeted me with the best hugs and smiles. Man I love these boys.

 They loved the hats I got them from Peru. And Emersons cheeks are to die for.

 We played bubbles and enjoyed the chilly evening.

 It's is funny how two weeks really isn't that long but all of a sudden Emerson is saying words that you can actually understand. That was not happening the last time I saw him . He is getting so big.

When we went inside Emerson threw a fit. He was so mad we came in and that we stopped playing with bubbles. I let him cry about it for a second and then I offered him ice cream and he was good with life again.

This week the adjustment has been rough. I went to my workout on Monday and could barely lift weight. My muscles were spent. It is max week and I am not lifting anywhere near my max. It was also a busy week with track. I have gone to bed early every night and tried to get sleep but I think I will need this weekend to really start to feel normal again. My house is also a wreck. That will most likely get some attention this weekend as well. It is great to be home.

Finishing up the travels

We spent our last day wondering around Cusco. We really didn't do much. My stomach was still upset and I was so tired. Really I was ready to be home. We kind of just wondered around and shopped.

There was some kind of dance festival happening in one of the main squares. We stopped and watched/listened for a little while.

 I love the bright colors they have everywhere in Peru.

 We also walked in some areas that were not tourist spots. It is always fun to see what kind of stores they have for the people that live in Cusco. It reminded me a lot of Taiwan, the smells especially.

And then it was finally time to pack up the world's largest duffle bag and head home. We had a lot of traveling ahead of us so I was anxious to get going.

Overall I really enjoyed my trip to Peru. The people were nice and helpful. I loved our hike. I loved seeing the villages and farming communities of Peru. I wish I would have done another excursion and had less time in Cusco. I also would have loved to do the Inca trail and have more time in Machu Picchu. Even without these things the trip was a success.

Aguas Calientes

After Machu Picchu we came back to Aguas Calientes and had a few hours before the train. We got to walk around the city and have one last lunch with our group.

Right off the bus I spotted a Dr. Pepper. It was in a little store. Doesn't seem like a big deal except that it is the only one I saw in all of Peru!!!! The main atttraction was that my stomach still wasn't normal and I could stomach soda but I can not stomach coke even when I am not sick. So this was a great find. I paid 8 soles for it, way too much but it helped me get some lunch down.

 Dr. Pepper should probably buy this picture from me:)

 We had to get a tourist shot in the main square.

 We had our last lunch with our trekking crew. It was actually kind of sad to say goodbye to everyone.

Then we went to a little cafe by the crazy river and used wifi until our train came.

 We had a long night getting back to Cusco. We rode the train for almost two hours and then we had a 2-3 hour bus ride. We were exhausted but excited to be back to our original hotel. And once we finished at Machu Picchu I was antsy to just get home.

Heaven smiled on us for 10 minutes

Right as we were finishing our Huaynapichu hike we noticed that the couds were starting to part from the lookout point of Machu Picchu. We had a bus we had to catch but we decided it was worth the effort to try and get the classic tourist picture. I am so glad we decided to do that!!! I had come to terms with the fact that I wasn't going to get that shot but for a split second our hope was renewed. We literally ran back to the top. The clouds move so fast we knew we didn't have much time.

We took a couple wrong turns getting out of Machu Picchu on our way back in (you have to exit the park and re-enter after hiking Huaynapichu) and I got this fun panorama.

 And then the classic shot

 I threw my hat on hoping that it would help my rained on humid nasty hair. It didn't really help.

 It was just such a cool view. We were really really happy we got to see it. It was worth running around like a crazy tourist to get it.

 And then we had to run back to our bus. Like RUN back. I couldn't stop taking pictures though.

 It was so fun to actually see the city from above.

The mountains were stunning.

We were so happy to get our classic tourist pictures. If I were to do the trip again I would want two days at Machu Picchu. One day is not enough, especially if you are hiking Huaynapichu. There were some things we missed out on which is a bummer when you travel so far.

Huaynapicchu

 

A little about Huaynupicchu from Wikipedia . . . . .

Huaynapicchu rises over Machu Picchu, the so-called lost city of the Incas, and divides it into sections. The Incas built a trail up the side of the Huayna Picchu and built temples and terraces on its top. The peak of Huayna Picchu is 2,693 metres (8,835 ft) above sea level, or about 260 metres (850 ft) higher than Machu Picchu.^[4]

 
According to local guides, the top of the mountain was the residence for the high priest and the local virgins. Every morning before sunrise, the high priest with a small group would walk to Machu Picchu to signal the coming of the new day. The Temple of the Moon, one of the three major temples in the Machu Picchu area, is nestled on the side of the mountain and is situated at an elevation lower than Machu Picchu. Adjacent to the Temple of the Moon is the Great Cavern, another sacred temple with fine masonry. The other major local temples in Machu Picchu are the Temple of the Condor, Temple of Three Windows, Principal Temple, "Unfinished Temple", and the Temple of the Sun, also called the Torreon.^[5]

I stole the above picture as well because you can see Huaynapichu. It is that big mountain on the far side of Machu Picchu. Amber and I were excited to hike it. The rest of our group decided they were done hiking so we got to go at this one alone. I would call this hike the Angels Landing of the Andeas for those of you that have hiked in Zion's National Park. We were on a narrow trail, with lots of steps, and sheer drop offs pretty much the entire hike. I will have to steel some pictures so you can see it for yourself. It was foggy so we couldn't see much while we hiked. There were at least 2100 steps from what we read. It was definitely a cardio burn and it felt good. As we got closer to the top the steps got smaller and steeper. At the end we had to climb up on all fours. It was crazy.

They only let 400 hikers hike Huaynapichu a day. 200 at 8am and 200 at 11am. We had the 11am time slot.

 The sign before the entrance.

 Eating a few snacks while we were waiting for the gate to open.

The hike was really fun. I am so glad we did it.

 Trying to capture the stairs.

 It really wasn't too bad. I wonder if I would have been more nervous if I could see the drop offs. The clouds parted a few times and we got some views of the river below.

The mountains were so magical.

We made it to the top.

The cloudy views.

 Another picture of the so called death stairs. I mean if you slipped you would probably die:)

 The top of the mountain.

 It was cloudy and rainy the entire time we were on the mountain. We waited for a few minutes to see of the clouds were going to part but we didn't have much time so we were out of luck. From the top you are supposed to have an amazing view of Machu Picchu. Below is the view we were hoping for.

 We didn't get it but it was a really great hike and we were so glad we decided to do it.