We're home! What a trip!

We arrived back home on Tuesday, and have been loving seeing our family and friends, and our kitty Simon! We seemed to have just missed the worst part of winter too! Living in South America is not as rough as you would imagine, but it sure is nice to be able to get in our car and drive where we want, drink tap water, eat food without washing it or worrying about where it came from, etc. It's the simple things like having soap and paper in a bathroom here all the time too, or not having to pay to use a public bathroom. Sacrificing just a few comforts though was so worth it in the end to see the beautiful places, experience a different way of life, learn the culture, practice the language, eat the delicious food, meet inspiring people, and last but not least, love on the adorable kiddos! I still can't believe we're done with our trip...Although it was a long time, we were so busy all the time, that the time went very fast! It was a once in a lifetime trip, and soooo worth it! We're so glad we did it, and would recommend to anyone that has it in their heart to do something like it too. It taught us a lot...we will make sure to spend our time doing things that we love now; taking risks to do what we love is worth it, because life is too short, and there's so much opportunity to do what we're meant to do.

Huacachina, Peru!

Huacachina has been a wonderful last bit of our trip! It's been in the high 80's, and we've been spending the days swimming and chilling by the pool, with the desert dunes as the backdrop! Last night we took a walk up the dunes to watch the sunset and play in the sand. It was amazing, and we've never seen anything like it! That sunset was so worth the 20-hour bus ride from Cuzco! Today is our last day in Huacachina, and tomorrow morning we head to Lima so that we can catch our flight back to Wisconsin at night! More reflections to come! 

You can see the sand blowing in this one!

Machu Picchu!

We had an amazing visit to Machu Picchu yesterday! We left Wednesday morning, and first took a two-hour van ride, then a two-hour train ride to Aguascalientes, or Machupicchu village. The train ride had some great views! We couldn't believe how tall the mountains were, and how wild the river was! We walked around town a bit, ate at a nice pizza place, and then headed back to our hostel for the night. We woke up very early yesterday morning to head to Machu Picchu! We had a guided tour for a couple of hours, and then took the hike up Waynapicchu, which is the mountain that appears in just about everybody's photo of Machu Picchu. It was quite a hike, up some old rock steps that were a bit slippery! We made it though, and the view was so worth it! What an awesome hike! I'll post a video soon! 

We started our tour of Machu Picchu around 8 in the morning, and could hardly see anything at first because of the clouds...It cleared up and the sun came out in a couple of hours! 

We hiked up Waynapicchu and got a different view of the "lost city of the Incas." Look at those crazy steep steps!

Flying over Machu Picchu hehe :)

After making it to the top of Waynapicchu, we had to go down this way! Yikes!

It was scarier going down Waynapicchu than it was hiking up! 

After our hike up and back down Waynapicchu, we headed up the stairs to get the classic view of Machu Picchu!

Here is the masterpiece...Breathtaking!

The Incas made a condor...can you see its beak and huge wings? This was a tomb for the Incas. They believed the condors would take their spirits to heaven. 

The Temple of the Three Windows...

Silly llamas relaxing in the sun!