Friday, September 16, 2011

The French word for memory is souvenir......

so according to my logic, making memories in Peru means buying souvenirs. Right?!? Ok...so the actual translation is 'to remember' not 'memory' exactly, but the point is that the memory and souvenir are VERY closely related and therefore in order for me to remember my recent trip to Peru it was necessary for me to buy some souvenirs. So this is my long-winded way of rationalizing a few tiny purchases that I made in Peru.....I mean, really when am I EVER going to be able to buy an alpaca sweater for $15 or buy jewelry made from Andean Opal and Peruvian Turquoise while actually IN Peru? I will have them forever and they will always remind me of my trip to Peru. So, call it what you will.... cheating or just simply finding a loophole (souvenirs are not technically on the no-buy list), the point is that my focus is still on making memories and doing the things I love in life, and I don't think that buying a couple of souvenirs compromised the project in any way. Looking back on the past year, there have only been a few contentious situations (the flat iron, the bras and now the souvenirs), so I must say that if an entire year goes by and these are my only speedbumps, I can still be pret-ty proud of myself and I hope you agree!

Now that we got my little admission/rationalization of 'cheating' out of the way....check out my hubby and I on our awesome trip to Peru! We spent a week in Cusco and hiked to Machu Picchu then headed to the Coast for some surf, sun and relaxation....or as I like to call it...a week in heaven. What a great way to celebrate 5 years of marriage!!

 Cusco 


At the market in Cusco City

Beautiful architecture.....
and TONS of stairs






Viva el Peru!


 Machu Picchu

Aguas Caliente- the starting point for our hike to Machu Picchu

We had some 'typical food' to fuel our hike for the next day




Ya...we also climbed that giant mountain in the background....no big deal



We made it to the top....group photo time!



Post-hike we obviously had to put on our alpaca sweaters and have a few celebratory drinks

Next stop was Lake Titicaca

One of the floating islands on Lake Titicaca


Taquille Island



 Mancora


Drinking coconut milk from straight from a coconut and taking a photo of it...we are such tourists in this photo!

So luxurious to have read two entire books in one week....alot of time was spent in this hammock reading.
Oh how I long to be back in relaxation mode......
Mancora sunset

We splurged and got a 3 hour couples massage at a fancy resort.....it was such a treat!

On our second-to-last day of the trip and post-massage.....don't we look happy and relaxed!?!

Our two weeks were filled with new experiences (Ty leaving North America for the first time ever...YAY!), exciting challenges (lost luggage, language barriers and altitude sickness....oh my!) and adventures (climbing Machu Picchu with an awesome group of people, enjoying Peruvian delicacies like guinea pig and surfing the beautiful beaches of Mancora), but overall, it was a great reminder of what life....and this project for that matter .... are all about.
We only have one life to live, but you really can't go wrong if you are spending time with the people you love....doing the things you love....and living a life you love!
Lindsay 

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