Así es la vida...

Early January found me on my way back to Latin America, this time to Antigua, Guatemala. Most guide books, blogs, etc. describe Antigua as the colonial gem of Guatemala. The city reminds me a bit of St. Augustine in FL. It's easy to fall in love with the laid back pace and warmth of this town. From the churches to the cobble stone streets to the colorful, traditional dress of the indigenous people, Antigua is beautiful!

Elyse and I spent our first week at a cute little hotel called Casa Christina. Just a block away from La Merced and only three blocks from the central park (Parque Central), it was a perfect location at a great price. During that week we began the hunt for an apartment. After looking at several places that were drafty, huge, and kinda depressing we decided to stop looking on our own and met with Isabel from Century 21. The first place she showed us was EXACTLY what we were looking for! Adorable, cozy, within walking distance of town (although that means 30 minutes), and within our price range. There are only four other apartments in our complex, so it's very small as are most Antiguan complexes. Every possible inch of outdoor space is covered with flowers and potted herbs. Combine that with a great view of the volcano and I still can't believe I live here!

Antigua is a wonderful city with welcoming people, beautiful architecture, and a charm all it's own! I'm definitely loving the experience of living here!

I'm so incredibly far behind in keeping up with this blog! So much has happened since my last entry about Machi Picchu!

After leaving Cusco, we headed back to Lima to fly to Quito, Ecuador. While our hotel was really nice, Quito was definitely not my favorite city! Dirty and scary are the words that most come to mind when I think of Quito. In every country/city we visited, I met at least one person who had herself been robbed in Quito or who knew someone who had. Now I'm not one to shy away from places just because they have a slightly iffy reputation, but I know when to say when...and Quito felt like "when". Fortunately, our hotel recommend a tour guide named Patricio who drove us around the city. Except for the fact that he really, really wanted me to become his new daughter-in-law...so much so that he called his son on his cell and had him chat with me during our drive. Aside from his matchmaking plans, he was great! My favorite part of the tour was visiting the equator (Mitad del Mundo)...both of them! At the actual (once proved with GPS), we were able to attempt several neat tricks like trying to balance an egg on a nail and walk on a straight line...neither of which I was successful with! Next up on the tour was the original (but not correct) location of the equator. Much prettier and definitely worth the visit even if not correct.

After a couple of days in Quito, we took a bus to the city of Riobamba where we volunteered at an orphanage called The Ark. Our original plan was to volunteer there for three weeks. I LOVE orphanages, I love volunteering, and have always had great experiences...until this one. The Ark was not one of those great experiences. The couple who run the orphanage have gotten so very far away from the reason they probably began it in the first place. We were eventually asked to leave, which was pretty awful. I don't really want to go into all the issues I saw there...I'd rather chalk it up to a small blip on this trip and move on. It definitely put a damper on the first half of this amazing experience, but I refuse to allow it to color the entire thing. After a few more days at a hotel in Riobamba and catching a stomach bug, we took a bus back to Quito, spent one night there before flying home to the States.

Being back home was wonderful! I got to celebrate Thanksgiving, my 30th birthday, my nephew Aiden's 1st birthday, and Christmas with my family and friends. American food, water and electricity that always work, cleanliness, reliable wifi, and plumbing that can actually handle the toilet paper being flushed! As great as my time back in the US was, I was ready to begin the next leg of my journey. So, I now find myself sitting here writing this entry in Guatemala.

I've been in Cusco, Peru for around two weeks. It's a great city to spend a little extra time in. Touristy...yes, but charming in spite of that. The Plaza de Armas is lovely, exceptionally so at night! Several markets are located within walking distance so we've done a little more shopping than was really necessary, but impossible to say no to.

We're staying at Hospedaje Turistico Recoleta. The owner, Javier, is such a kind man. He and his staff are so accommodating and helpful. They organized a tour for us to visit the Sacred Valley, which was beautiful! We spent the day driving through mountains, stopping at several lookout points to take pictures and visiting the ruins of Ollantaytambo. Our tour group had the chance to climb to the top of the ruins for a beautiful view of the Sacred Valley. Up they went...all except me and Elyse. Sadly, there were people who were probably in their 60's climbing up those stairs, but not me. Whatever view they saw up there was in no way worth the risk of tripping and falling down hundreds of steps...which considering how clumsy I am, would be a likely possibility!!

On Friday, Oct 21st, we visited Machu Picchu. It is by far one of the most magical places I have ever been! Breath taking is the only way to describe it. To get there, we spent four hours on Peru Rail's Vista Dome train. The train ride seemed to add to the mystic quality of the Machu Picchu experience. Once we arrived in Aguas Caliente, we purchased bus tickets and began the 30 minute climb. My heart was in my throat the entire time! The road was so narrow and steep. Only one bus could really fit, yet several times we met a bus coming down. One bus would then back up until finding a place wide enough to squeeze around and continue on its way. Finally, that nightmare of an experience was over and we were finally at Machu Picchu and I found myself having to walk up a steep trail that was far too close to the edge of the mountain for my tastes. Although everyone that I've asked and everything I've read has said that it's lower than Cusco, I'm not sure if I believe it. Machu Picchu felt SO high...all you could see was the tips of mountains and clouds all around it. Anyone who knows me knows that I HATE heights! Still, I made myself climb to the top of yet another path to get the classic Machu Picchu picture. It took a huge effort not to cry and/or grimace as I had my picture taken.

Once I calmed down and no longer felt like I could easily fall off a cliff, I found myself mesmerized by the sight before me! We spent the next several hours exploring. How amazing that I was climbing up and down stairwells that were once occupied by Incas! We had decided against hiring a guide...in hindsight we probably could have used one to help us keep our balance on the uneven stairs and paths. However, I often stopped to listen in on the information shared by the guides leading around huge tour groups. The ruins are amazing! So many different buildings and terraces--most of which historians are still uncertain of their true use.

The highlight of the day occurred right before we left. We were sitting on a few rocks on one of the terraces that offered the first glimpse of Machu Picchu. We saw a family--adult daughter, mom, and dad approaching the steps to climb up to where we were. The father had to be close to 80, if not older, and was being pushed in a wheel chair. They must have hired to guides to assist him because there is no way to manipulate the different levels in a wheel chair. As he slowly began the climb up, being half carried by one of the guides, we wondered about the story that must be behind the huge effort of getting him there. The look on his face as he finally made it to the top and took his first look at the ruins brought tears to my eyes. He was in absolute amazement! We stayed for a few minutes, not wanting to interrupt this moment, but unable to leave without experiencing it with them for at least a moment. It was his lifelong dream to see Machu Picchu and I'm so very grateful that I was able to witness him fulfill his dream!!

It's been a week since I left Hogar de Esperanza. On our last day, we had our "despedia" during lunch The children and staff sang a song (in Spanish, so I'm not exactly sure of the words) thanking God for the time we spent with them. Two of the older girls read a Bible verse and prayed for us. It was a very sweet way to say goodbye.

While we were in Trujillo, a fellow volunteer (Ashley) shared that she really wanted to visit Ecuador. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to visit during the time I'll be there. So, in keeping with my goal of letting go of some control, we decided to come to Ecuador immediately after leaving HdE. If I'd realized what the bus ride would entail, I might have been tempted to change my mind! After an overnight bus from Trujillo to Piura (very northern part of Peru), we then got on a second bus to make our way across the boarder. Crossing a border by bus is definitely not the same as crossing by plane or train! Our bus stopped and let us out on the Peru side of the boarder where we had to go and get our passports stamped to leave Peru. We then walked across the boarder and got in a second line to get our passports stamped for Ecuador. The line was quite long, and our bus was ready to leave. So, our bus driver came and lead us to skip the line so we could finish faster. If there has been a time that I'm glad NOT to speak that much Spanish, that was it! We were not exactly the popular set with the people standing in a long line in the hot Ecuadorian sun! Back on the bus we went to finish the 9 hours of our part 2 bus to Loja, Ecuador. As we made our way into the mountains, our bus driver decided to fulfill a life long desire to become a race car driver! We zipped around tight mountain paths at break neck speed! Scary!!! Finally arriving (safely) in Loja, we then bought a 3rd bus ticket to finish our journey to Vilcabamba.

Our hostel in Vilcabamba is called Izhcayluma. We spent some time talking with a lady waiting for her daughter in the bus terminal in Piura. When we mentioned where we were staying, her response was, "Oh, it's beautiful...the best place in Vilcabamba!" Her opinion has proved to be perfectly true! The pictures I've taken are wonderful, but do not do justice to the beauty of this place!

When I read some reviews for this hostel, everyone said they were intending to stay a few days, but Vilcabamba was so amazing they lost track of time and stayed longer. Since Ashley has to get back to the orphanage and Elyse and I are bound for other parts of Peru, we only extended our stay one night, but it's easy to see why many people came here and never leave. Our six days here have been spent exploring Vilcabamba, nearby Loja, whiling the day away in a hammock with my Kindle, and horseback riding.

Horseback riding was Elyse and Ashley's idea. I've only been on a horse one other time. I was really nervous considering the only instruction I received from our Spanish-speaking guide was to hand me the reigns and say "left, right, stop" while pulling the reigns in the direction needed. I got to an OK start, but was practically in tears when we had to cross a road and my horse decided to stop in the middle of it--with a car heading right for us! By the time we took a break two hours later, I had started to feel more comfortable and let up on the death grip i had previously been using to hold onto the saddle. All in all, it was a beautiful day with amazing scenery, I didn't get hit by the car, I didn't fall off my horse, I only almost cried a couple of times so it was a success!!

Early tomorrow morning at 7:00 am we catch a bus back to Piura where Ashley will head back to Trujillo and Elyse and I will go on to Lima. On Tuesday we're flying to Cuzco. Machu Picchu here we come!!

Yesterday completed my second work week as a volunteer at Hogar de Esperanza, a Christian orphanage outside of Trujillo, Peru. Currently, 48 children ranging in age from one to seventeen years old call HdE home. The children come here for a variety of reason including abuse, neglect and abandonment. In spite of their pasts, the children are like children everywhere. They are happy, resilient, funny, and often mischievous.

My days here are quite busy, which I love. As a short term volunteer I have been asked to do several temporary jobs that just never seem to get done by the long term volunteers...that can be read as tedious tasks (but surprisingly enjoyable). The orphanage is located next to a coal plant, so EVERYTHING is covered in thick coal dust, including the plants. The orphanage has spent the last few years trying to begin both an orchard (mostly avocado trees) as well as a vegetable garden. They only recently realized that the trees might be possibly dying due to the thick layer of coal dust coating the leaves. So, I now spend three mornings during the week washing leaves in the orchard.

My other mornings are spent working in joyeria (jewelery) and doing random organizational projects. The joyeria program ran by Hogar is awesome. Each child spends time with Ashley (a long term volunteer) making jewelry...they are suprisingly good at it (better than me)! Each piece of jewelry is then tagged with that child's name and birthdate. Once it is sold (most of it is bought by people coming through on mission trips), half the money goes toward joyeria supplies, but the other half goes into an account for that child. Once he or she "ages out" of the orphanage, they get that money deposited into a bank account to help them get started on their own.

Each afternoon, I spend an hour helping with an English class for some of the children and then spend the remaining two hours helping with a special needs tutoring group. The English class is fun! It's so amusing to watch the kids try out new words in English. They pucker and scrunch their mouths trying to form the unfamiliar sounds. I'm sure I look very similar when trying out new words in Spanish. My tutoria group is definitely growing on me! At first I have to admit I was a little frustrated...it is really hard to teach when you don't speak the same language! However, I'm slowly learning more school related words...and spend a lot of time asking the kids, "Como se dice?", which they are more than happy to help with!

I'm defintiely going to be sad to say goodbye to the children and volunteers who make Hogar de Esperanza a true Home of Hope!!