the trek less traveled

We are safe and sound in Bolivia, after an absolutely amazing time in Peru. Almost a week ago we were on our way to begin our five day trek to Machu Picchu. We chose the path less traveled- the Salkantay Trek vs the classic Incan Trail, and we were glad that we did. The trek, to our surprise, ended up being just the three of us. We were led by our amazing tour guide Jose, a native Andean, who cared about us in the same way that he cared about his Quechua heritage. Not only did he passionately teach us about the history of his people, but he also genuinely cared to get to know us and our stories. By the end of our 5 days he became such a dear friend to us. Because it was just the 3 of us, we were able to bond with him and our chefs, Walter and Julian. Our chefs. We must pause and brag about them for a hot second. We can't say enough. Whether it was the hot quinoa soup that proceeded our meals, or the extravagant display of main courses- we never left a plate unclean. Thank you, brothers, for fruits and veggies, for quinoa, and for nourishing our bodies after long, long miles.

A quick side-note for those thinking about a Trek and choosing a tour company. Go with Alpaca Expeditions. Why? It's a small local business of native Andeans who know the culture and love it. It was also founded by men who once served as porters, and now they really seek to offer their clients an aunthentic experience, while being passionate about their Andean culture. Plus, they know the mountain. They combine passion with knowledge, and offer a truly memorable experience. And, the food was the best food we ate in Peru. We respect their company and would encourage travelers to choose Alpaca. 

So a bit about our five-day journey through the Andes. The trek was extremely physically challenging, but the views and the beauty were worth the meters, the blisters, and the stank. In every turn, we were able to stand in awe of Gods magnificent creation. As each day passed, we were able to learn more about the history of the land we were hiking through. So on day 5, as we stood in awe of Machu Picchu, the significance of what we were seeing and experiencing had such depth and meaning.

If only we could express, ever so specifically, the beauty and memories of this trek. We'll try and do so with a few highlights from each day spent in the backcountry: 

Highlights:
Day 1. Highest altitude (about 5,000 meters), most isolated, beautiful, camping spot. The bright stars. The trout served four dinner. The wild horses and roaming cows. Camping next to salkantay [really high snowamcapped mountain that no one has survived].
Day 2. Tropical jungle. Descending into the lush forest. Seeing waterfalls. Riding horses. Walking 17 long km. Popcorn and coca tea pre-dinner. Quinoa soup.
Day 3. Hiked up to Llactapata. Conquering a 5 hour up-hill summit of Llactapata (archaeological site). Nap time. Seeing Machu Picchu for the first time. Salsa lessons from Jose.
Day 4. The view. Waking up to warm coffee (thanks to Julian), and a view we'll never forget. Across the clouds stood Machu Picchu. Homemade orange cake for breakfast. Irish friends. Dinner with Jose in Aguas Calientes. A cold, then wonderfully hot shower.
Day 5. Waking up at 4 am. Seeing sunrise over Machu Picchu. Exploring. Learning more history about how the ruins were discovered. Sad saying bye to Jose.

So to conclude: we loved Peru. For its lively atmosphere, fun bars to watch the World Cup, delicious food, and kind people. We truly loved the culture- both it's history and its friendliness. The trek is one we'll never forget. In so many ways we were pushed to rely on The Lord, and we were faced with our own human weakness and need of a greater strength.

If you would like to be praying for us as we continue our time here, here are some things we´d love prayer for as we continue traveling, as well as prayer requests we have for specific counties. 
-Pray for Peru. There seems to be a struggle between anamisim and Christianity. Pray that the Christian faith and truth would surpass old idols and myths. 
-For safe travels for the rest of our trip!

We are thankful to be in Bolivia- safe and sound. We are about to start yet another trek, 4 days exploring the Salt Flats and south-western landscape of Bolivia.

Llama llama, folks

Hola from Cusco! Xoxo, the saqsaywuman

We loved our time in Quito. The people, the culture... Ecuador treated us well and we couldn't have asked for a better trip to the capital city. But we LOVE it here in cusco! This charming mountain town is full of the kindest locals, narrow cobblestone streets, and some of the BEST food our foodie selves can handle. It's true that we have eaten our way through cusco... How could you not when they put quinoa in everything? (#superfoodsyall). The only downside to this (almost) perfect peruvian city? its filled with tourists. But we have managed to find great restaurants and streets to wander that are off the beaten path, and thats where we have gotten the biggest bang for our buck here.

Over the past couple of days we have had a lot of great experiences here. As mentioned, we had the privelege of meeting the awesome missionary at his coffee shop, the Meeting Place, which we returned to the next morning for some texas-sized waffles and some good, strong coffee. We visited the Choco Museo- a museum full of chocolate. Yes we found more chocolate, but no, not as great as the chocolate from our friend Christina at Chez-Tiff in Quito. We watched USA beat Ghana (attaway boys) at a Peruvian bar while drinking Cusqueñas, a great local beer. And we had our first taste of pisco sour, a cocktail special to cusco which is absolutely delicious. Only bad experience? The free walking tour. It was sub sub par to say the least, but at least we got some good walking in.

 Tonight as we are winding down, the streets have been lively with indigenous parades around the plaza de armas (we think it might be celebrations leading up to their huge Incan holiday Inti Raymi- the festival of the sun). We are currently packing for our 5 day trek to Machu Picchu with our guide josé. Wake up call for tomorrow? 3:30 AM, so we best be getting to bed. More updates to come!

Oh, and the Saqsaywuman mentioned in the title refers to an ancient Incan ruin located in cusco. It is literally pronounced "sexy woman" and we giggle every time a Peruvian says the word and then start to make lots of weak saqsaywuman jokes. We think we're funny.

Adios for now amigos!

El dia de Los Padres

We have arrived in Cusco, folks. It hasn't taken more than a few hours for us to fall in love with this place. Much has happened in our first few hours including: meeting Christian missionary's at a coffee shop, finding a restaurant with quinoa soup, tasting our first pisco sours, and people watching in the Plaza de Armas [a view overlooking the majestic Andes]. More on that later.

We wanted to do a quick post for our daddy's- men who have, thankfully, loved us, supported us, and protected us. We don't take that for granted. There are so many things about each of you [joel, wilson, & hale] that us three daughters are very grateful for. So here's to you- Happy Fathers Day all the way from Peru! Thanks for letting us follow our adventures spirits all the way to South America, for giving us the freedom to be ourselves, for nurturing us, for making us feel beautiful, and for being superstar dads.

So here's to our dads. We love y'all! 

People of Ecuador

Time has flown by since arriving in Quito on Monday.  All three of us have been pleasantly surprised by how much we have enjoyed our time in Ecuador's capital city.  The people we have met and spent time with have truly made our time here memorable and have brought us so much joy these past few days.  Here's a glimpse into their stories and our past three days exploring Quito...

Meet Christina:

We love her.  Daughter of a Swiss chocolatier and Ecuadorean entrepreneur.  We visited Chez-Tiff, their family's chocolate shop, twice this week, always greeted by Christina with free samples and a warm smile.  Her homemade truffles and dark chocolate bars are the best we've ever tasted and are traveling with us to Peru (apparently one of the best cures for altitude sickness?).  We've decided that Ecuadorean cacao + Swiss chocolate artisanship = a killer combination.

Meet Missy and Pancho (not pictured), and their adorable 1-year-old, Amelia:

Missy is a Charlottesville native and we were connected with her through Trinity Presbyterian Church.  She kindly welcomed us into her home to have dinner with her family.  Her husband, Pancho, is a Quito native, and they met while Missy was teaching abroad through a local church in Quito.  They made homemade pizza, chocolate chip muffins, and coffee for us a few nights ago.  We have loved getting to know their family, and they have been such a wonderful resource for us while in Quito.

Meet Gabby, Luis Banda, Graciela, and the women of Don Juan Panaderia (the foodies of Ecuador):

Yesterday our foodie hearts (and stomachs) were so full.  So, so full.  We had the privilege of our own private culinary tour and cooking class in Quito, led by our knowledgeable local guide, Gabby.  First stop - the bakery - an old, family-owned establishment, hidden on a quiet side street, where locals go for the best baked treats in the city.

That's us preparing authentic Ecuadorean quesadillas with the women at Don Juan.  Please note, these are NOT the greasy cheese-filled gut bombs (that's for you Dad. -Lizzie) that you find in the USA.  Rather, they are decadent little sweet treats made by hand (no cheese or tortilla), and we enjoyed both making them and eating them with a hot cup of coffee.

Next stop on our tour: Luis Banda's sweets shop in Old Town.  While many of his brothers have relocated to the U.S., Luis remained in Quito to take over the family business.  We loved sampling his famous candies: peanuts surrounded by layers of a dried cane syrup coating, a slow process done by adding sugar layer-by-layer over a large bowl of burning coals.

And now for the highlight of our food tour: the home of Graciela, which happened to be right around the corner from our hostel.  Graciela welcomed us into her home to learn how to make traditional Ecuadorean cuisine, including empanadas de morocho, tamales, and pristinos (a flaky treat topped with homemade sugar syrup).  This has been the best food of our trip so far, and it's going be hard to top Graciela's cooking and warm heart.  She is famous in Quito and has made empanadas for many special occasions, even for the President of Ecuador.

When Graciela realized that we hadn't yet tried Ecuadorean humitas, she graciously invited us to return today for homemade humitas and coffee. It was such a treat to spend more time in her home and enjoy her cooking a second time.

After our food tour, we hiked to the top of the Basilica, which provided a beautiful view of Old Town and el Panecillo (the hill with the statue of a winged Mary).

We ended the day with dinner and festivities with our new Irish friend Peter and his girlfriend Karol, a native of Quito.  We met Peter on our first day when he led our free walking tour.  The five of us ventured to La Ronda, a quaint and lively street in Old Town (though only inhabited on Thursday and Friday evenings).  We shared a good meal, a pitcher of Canelazo (traditional drink made with sugar cane liquer, served warm), and dancing to live merengue music with a fun Ecuadorean family.

Today, we woke up early and ventured two hours north of Quito to Otavalo for the largest market in South America.  We walked the colorful market aisles, bargained hard for a few items, ate fresh plantains and lychee fruit, and returned to Quito exhausted and sad that our time in this city is coming to a close.

(Rachel and Mallory practicing their Spanish and bargaining.)

That's all for now.  We leave our hostel at 4:20 AM (yes, 4:20 AM) to fly to Cusco, Peru tomorrow!  Buenas noches, familia y amigos.

our first few days ( en fotos)

technical difficulties

We apologize for the technical difficulties. Sometimes your pictures load twice, sometimes not at all. You never know what you are going to get with South America. All this to say, it's not the prettiest blog, but we have little ability to edit. So bear with the occasional double picture!

Gracias!
R E M

MORA

We fell in love. With an Ecuadorean fruit called MORA. On our first day in Quito we went to an amazing juice stand on the side of the road, and we haven't stopped talking about the muro juice since. (The dark red one is the Mora... So yum).



Anywho, here's a few snippets from our first few days in Quito. We were greeted by the sweetest couple, Mario y Blanca, whose beautiful hotel in the centro historico we've been blessed to stay in- Casa El Eden (thanks Janet). What a treat to be with these precious people who have helped us navigate Quito for our first few days, and to be cheerfully greeted by Blanca when we come back from a full days of activities.

Our first day we got acquainted with the city on a walking tour that we took with our new Irish amigo Peter (shout out to Quito Walking Tours). We explored the many beautiful historic sites in Quito, sampled exotic fruit juices, found a chocolate shop (duh...did you know Ecudor is the #2 producer of chocolate in the world?), and explored many beautiful cathedrals. The day concluded with dinner at Cafe Mosaico, dining with an incredible view overlooking the city lights. We enjoyed bebidas, ceviche, and sweet time together.










This morning we got quite the early start. 5:30 am to be exact (woof). We took a day trip to Cotopaxi National Park, home to the second highest active volcano in the world. It was quite the day- cold, windy, steep and memorable to say the least. After making a few pit stops along the way (coco tea and llama petting involved), we arrived at the base of the volcano and began trekking. We made friends along the way, most notably our friends from Amsterdam and a young Chilean girl. Also on our tour was a son and mom from Georgia! Ryan, the son, goes to UGA (go dawgs)! After a windy hike up, breathtaking views, and some mountain biking down we arrived at a beautiful lagoon and headed to a local restaurant for dinner. The elevation was no doubt difficult, yet, all three of us were reminded, in the midst of such a magnificent creation, of our own human weakness and deep need for a big, loving God!


In general- well rather, on a side note- we've loved chatting with the taxi drivers (praise The Lord for Lizzy's fluency and mine & mals increasingly improved Spanish speaking abilities), and befriending people from all around the world. It's been so fun to hear their stories and be surrounded by diversified cultures and experiences.

After a long, adventure packed day, we are ready for some needed rest. So back to the Casa El Eden we came, warmly greeted by Blanca, and excited for our remaining three days in Ecuador! Hasta Luego, amigos!

gone south.

Hello! Welcome to our blog. This is a place where we will be sharing our travels and adventures with you as we travel around South America for the next 4 weeks. Our packs are ready to go and we will be making our way to Quito tomorrow evening. We are so excited for the opportunity to do what we love most: travel. We would appreciate prayers as we travel, and any comments on must-sees are always welcome as well! Here's a glimpse of where all we will be exploring over the next 4 weeks: Quito, Ecuador; Cuzco, Peru; La Paz, Bolivia; Uyuni, Bolivia; Salta, Argentina; Buenos Aires, Argentina. Stay tuned for more this week!

Con Mucho Amor,
Mal, Rach & Liz