Machu Picchu & Family Time!

Hello Hello Hello Loved Ones!

Ah - how is everyone? It's been awhile, hasn't it? We realize the length between entries are growing & hope this absence hasn't worried or concerned you at all - we are completely & fabulously well :) I read a quote once that said, "There is velocity in escape." & while this isn't an escape, it is an adventure, an exit from one reality into another, and it does appear we're becoming more and more enveloped in the journey & all of the lessons & experiences it has to offer. Which is a wonderful thing! Aside from our lack of communication... haha So if there is to be an excuse for our absence, it would be diving in deeper, feeling this life stronger & expanding further into the love, light & lessons of the universe.

The second half of March was spent hopping south along the coast of Ecuador, soaking up the sun in Puerto Lopez, Bahia, & Montanitas. We ended our time in Ecuador at a cute & quiet town called Vilcabamba where we celebrated the closing of nearly 90 days in Ecuador!

We began our time in Peru on the north-west tip of the coast in a wonderful place called Mancora. Planning to stay only two or three nights, we ended up staying a week in this surprisingly piece of paradise. We left at the end of the month and headed south where we were excited to go meet & greet Jackie's family to South America!!! A family trip down here had been talked about since before we even left, and having planned the trip since January, we were all excited to finally have them here for 10 days to explore a bit of Peru & hike Machu Picchu together. :)

Kevin, Jackie & I took a 23 hour night bus straight from Mancora to Lima where we met up with the family & began the adventures together. We spent the first two nights in the country's capital taking in the culture & city vibe. After a couple of days we were ready to move on to something more tranquil so headed to Cusco where we would book our 4 day, 3 night Incan Jungle Trek to Machu Picchu! We spent a few days in Cusco adjusting to the altitude and enjoying the Peruvian culture & lifestyle. While we loved & enjoyed Cusco, we were all excited & anxious to start the big trek, as it had been one of the main parts planned in the family trip together & we knew it would be a physically challenging & rewarding few days. The night before we left we had a quick briefing with our tour guide about what to bring & expect & woke early the next morning to begin the journey :)

There were a wonderful 17 of us on the trip together & we all vibed together well & had a blast. Our tour guide, Kenneth, was simply hilarious & although at times his informative talks took a bit of focus to stay tuned in to, he was a light & helpful spirit who helped lead us down rocky paths, across rivers & bridges, through train tracks, down zip lines, across mountains, in the rain, and the whole time doing so with a smile. We started the first day with mountain biking in the morning & hiking in the afternoon. The nature we passed through on our bikes was breathtaking & we all smiled & yelled in delight at the beauty that surrounded us. It was raining so hard at the original drop-off point that we had to continue a bit further to begin biking. While it rained on & off during the time we biked, we were lucky the air wasn't too bitter or cold. We biked for the morning & then finished the day with hiking a few hours that afternoon. Our first night we stayed with a wonderful family in their home in the middle of the Andes where the closest neighbor was at least a 15 minute hike away. The family was open & generous, welcoming the group into their home & cooking us a delicious dinner & breakfast. This was really great for Jackie's family to experience because while we loved seeing what Lima & Cusco had to offer, this authentic experience of staying in someones home & seeing how the people here really live was something Jackie & I really wanted them to see. They loved it too & were in awe of how simple & beautifully they could live. They sold us beer from their fridge and that night we bought out their entire supply :)

The second day was just straight hiking, a total of 7 or 8 hours, and according to a group members pedometer, about 22,000 steps. To say the least, we were tired by nightfall. Ending the hike just as the sun was setting we closed the day with some amazing thermal baths that were in the middle of nowhere & built just along side the river. We relished the relief for a couple of hours before we headed over to a small little pueblo where we'd be staying in a hostel for the night. We found out it was tradition here for the hikers to go out to the local discotecas & bars, so we did! To say the least, at least half the group was hung over the next day & two hadn't even gone to bed yet.

Day three was a big day for those scared of heights, as the first half of the day involved six different zip lines between some of the most beautiful mountains we've seen. The weather had seemed to be smiling just for us as we zipped through the blue skies & green mountains, screaming half in fear, half in pure delight (depending who you were haha) as we soared through the air feeling free, free, free. We hiked the rest of that afternoon to the tiny town Aguas Calientes which sat at the base of Machu Picchu - we had nearly arrived :) We spent that night in a hostel & woke before sunrise the next day to begin our ascend to Machu Picchu. You had the option of either taking a 20 minute bus ride up to the top where you enter Machu Picchu, or to hike at a vertical incline for 50 minutes up to the top. We figured we'd made it this far, we had to finish it with our own two feet. It was probably the hardest hike we've ever done, but completely worth it.

It feels almost silly to even attempt to convey the power & beauty that is Machu Picchu. We were simply in awe of it's surreal & serene being, exemplifying patience & intelligence at it's best. We could hardly believe we were there and even now looking back on pictures we laugh at how it looks like we were just cropped in haha It was beautiful & moving, and we all felt it's power in our own way. Jackie, Garrett, Kevin & a few of our new friends made the brave & final trek up to Huana Picchu, a mountain of Machu Picchu that has an incredible view after hiking up a thin, rocky & vertical trail. Mental toughness was needed just as much as physical strength to get up this mountain, and they took on the challenge. The energy up there was absolutely incredible. When they arrived at the top it was so abundant & strong that a women's hair was literally standing up on her head! Jackie just smiled & opened her arms to it, letting the power & beauty sink into her, breathing it in. She found a rock to settle down onto for a moment to do a short meditation, and when she came down from the mountain her face was absolutely beaming. We smiled & just hugged without words, grateful for the experience to be there, and for the brilliance of mother nature around us.

It was so wonderful to have family here. We were thrilled to share a small piece of this land, culture & experience with them, and even more so, deeply grateful for the support, love & enthusiasm our parents have for us. Jackie's family came so excited & willing to explore & experience this life with us - open minds, open hearts. By the end of our time together they had completely embraced our vagabond, backpacking lifestyle & were leaving behind with us their toothpastes, socks & bug repellent! Haha :) It's the basic things we treasure & when you carry your entire home on your back you have a whole new appreciation for warm showers, clean clothes & a bed that doesn't have sand in it or a mosquito net around it haha We were so happy that they jumped right on board with our back-to-basics attitude & when the time came for them to return home, we all shared teary good-byes & warm, big hugs that said without saying how amazing our time together had been.

Jackie & I are currently back in Mancora, Peru working at a hostel for the month of April. We didn't really realize we were coming back here & practically found ourselves back at the hostel's doorstep saying, "Alright, I guess this is our next step!" We had had such a wonderful experience here in March we knew there were still things for us to learn & experience here. There is such a sense of community here & we all just float along together, supporting one another & sharing the sunshine. Jackie & I have begun making bracelets, hair wraps & dream catchers that we've begun selling for money to help support ourselves while down here. It's been a wonderful place to cultivate creative & artistic energy, and we're participating in a creative writing, Reiki & energy exchange workshop here at the end of the month.

We're learning, growing, dancing & expanding, enjoying the ride regardless of where it takes us, listening to the universe & following where it is leads. We hope you are all well & blooming beautifully into Spring. Our next stop is a farm located four hours outside of Cusco, Peru for the month of May, and after that a bit of traveling around in some cities in the south.

Sending all our love,
A & J