There are no words

WOW....I've never said it so many times nor been at such a loss for words as during my two weeks in Peru. After 10 months of separation, I was reunited with my momma and papi in the Lima airport. I cried...I can't lie, it wasn't pretty, it's just that I was sooo excited!! Thanks to the most amazing travel agency - Auqui (which means Mountain Spirit) and agent - Carmen (which means song) in the world, we were whisked away by Hugo to our hotel and then the next morning back to the airport to head to Cusco. I'd never been greeted at the airport, or anywhere for that matter, with a sign bearing my name. And while technically it said my mom's name...I knew it was for me too and felt a bit special ;) That was the beginning of what can only be described as a picture perfect holiday.

Seriously, if you're plannin on heading to Cusco, Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley, talk to the folks at Auqui - they are amazing! I've never been on a guided anything, so I approached the trip with a bit of skepticism...but I have seen the light and I BELIEVE!!! I learned sooo much from our guides, and the majority of the time it was just the 3 of us with our guide (such as Ana Maria) and our trusty chauffeur, Antonio. We didn't waste any time trying to figure out how to get from here to there, we actually KNEW what we were staring at in awe, we got to get off the beaten track and go where most haven't even heard of, and we spent our time relaxed, safe, and well.

My pops has one of the camera cards, so I'm going to share some of what I've got and then give you all another dose once I get the other pics...

Inca experimental farming center...I've decided the Incas must have been the hardest working people on the planet to produce even half of what you are going to see below... You see what looks like lines going down the terraces? Yeah, those are steps that you can still walk on today. Wow.

How did they fit those rocks so neatly and nicely together she wondered? Word from our trusty guide Ana Maria says they made casts of the rocks and shaped them to fit together perfectly, without mortar/cement. Each rock holds another in place - naturally. Wow.

Ahhh, the streets of Cusco. A blending of the old and new traditions. I LOVE the babies on the backs. That's actually how they carry just about everything it turns out.

Inca security at your service...

Now I know this is going to be tough to wrap your head around, but those are salt pools. There is a really salty (I know because I tasted it) water flow over there on the left by the mountain and water is directed into these ponds (individually owned). They let the ponds sit, the water evaporates, and then they collect the salt. The top salt is used as table salt, the next layer for cooking puede ser, the next for animals, the next for the land, que se yo.... But it's all different grades and it's pretty impressive. Yep, wow.

Just in case you doubted it...we really WERE there. This ain't no photo shop beauty ladies and gents, that's the real, awesome, breathtaking city of Machu Picchu. And I touched it, breathed it, felt it, and let it wash over me...

And there's my trooper of a momma, making her way towards the Inca trail.

You've heard of southern hospitality? Well it's got nothin on South American hospitality! Herberth, behind me in the foto, is a friend of my mom's from OPC at home. His sister, Carmen, travel agent extraordinaire - in orange, invited us to her home to have lunch with her family. Turned out to be a feast with a group of amazingly warm and friendly folks - family.

On our way to Taquile Island in Lake Titikaka (60% of lake belongs to Peru, 40% to Bolivia), a group of kids were workin hard to get our attention...leads me to another observation: the children in Peru - gorgeous! People as a whole are beautiful, but the children...beyond gerber baby cute, sin dudo.

Uros...the floating Islands in Lake Titikaka (sometimes spelled Titicaca). Yes, I said floating. They are made of reeds and roots of reeds - demonstration below. Wow. Wonderfully friendly and loving people! I bought a beautiful picture from 9 year old Fabiola for 2 soles. She's an aspiring artist :)

Our captain guiding his co-captain through the reeds and back towards Puno. The lake sits at over 12,000 feet in elevation, and when we were on the island we climbed to over 13,000 feet. Think I've had a glimpse of what it might feel like in another 50 years to climb a flight of stairs. Whew...takes a lot of energy to do ANYTHING at that height!

Moving on back to Lima...we headed down to Punta Hermosa. It's apparently where folks from Lima have/rent beach houses for the summer. Think we were the only gringos there - quite a difference from Cusco and Picchu, which were swarming with other english speakers. A nice way to unwind and spend the last few days...layin in the hammock...readin on the beach...walkin along, going no where in particular...

and, of course, watching the sunset. One of my favorite past times :)

More to come, I promise. There's only so much I can regurgitate and you can digest in a single sitting (how do you like THAT picture?) ;) Hope you're all doing well and enjoying some extra time with family. Happy New Year and lots of love!!!!

xoxo, Lorien

PS - All is good in PY. As much as I loved Peru, it's nice to be home again.