Our Final Frontier

We´ve reached Peru, the last country on our itinerary before heading back stateside. We´re in the city of Cuzco which has about 400,000 people and will be our base of operations for the next few weeks. Cuzco is the main jumping off point for Machu Piccu and the Sacred Valley which contains a number of Incan historical sites that we hope to explore while we´re here. We start two weeks of Spanish classes on Monday. The lessons will be the two of us with one instructor so we should learn alot and hopefully move our local language skills a step or two forward. Tomorrow we start a two-week homestay with a Peruvian family. The family consists of a couple and three godchildren. The husband is a cardiologist, and the wife is a teacher and housewife. There are two boys - ages 25 and 18 - and one girl - age 6. We´re really looking forward to the opportunity to improve our Spanish in a focused environment as well as immerse ourselves in the home of a Peruvian family and get to know what their lives are like.

Cuzco from above Barrio San Blas

We are also looking forward to just being in one spot for a while, me especially. I´ve had two bouts of GI illness in the last week, and Erin has had one. We´ve also travelled quite a long distance from southern Argentina all the way to Peru via some long bus rides. The truth is that it has taken it out of us a bit. It´s been a long road, and we need some R&R. We´re thinking that Cuzco will be a good haven for that so that we can recuperate and get revved back up for the final month and half of our travels here. I know it´s a unique opportunity to be here with so much time so I´m eager to be in good shape to take advantage.

Isla del Sol with Cordillera Real in background

Before arriving in Peru, we spent our final days in Cocacabana, Bolivia, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. The lake is a monstrously big, deep blue, high-altitude lake. It´s over 3,000 square miles in size - up to 120 miles wide and 50 miles long - and resides at 12,000 feet in altitude. The lake is sacred to many of the native Quechua and Aymara people of the area, and the Isla del Sol is an island on the lake that was the place of origin for man according to the Incan creation myth. We visited Isla del Sol on a day trip and walked its length from north to south, about a 3-hour hike. It´s a charming island that features three different villages as well as Incan and pre-Incan ruins. Perhaps the best things about it, though, are the relative peace and quiet that it offers and the majestic mountain views to the Cordillera Real (Royal Range) to the west. We haven´t had many opportunities to get out and hike and relax of late so it was a welcome day for us.

The locals on Isla del Sol

As this is an impromptu post, I don´t have our photos with us but will post them soon. We should also be able to share some photos of our new home and temporary family as well. And all of you anonymous readers out there, drop us a line and let us know what´s new in your neck of the woods...your nape of the way...where you live. We´d love to hear from you!

Adios!
Drew