Archive for May, 2008

Hiking Waynapicchu !! (Machu Picchu part II)

Posted by Sarah Robinson on May 5th, 2008

We’ve had an amazing early morning roaming around this

Gorgeous view

ancient jewel and it’s time to earn lunch! Up up up we hike

Emily & SC

overlooking Machu Picchu.

Death stairs to the mountaintop

Waynapicchu, one of the closest mountains

Luke and his bag of coca leaves

Incans have paved the way with

Incan stairway

a treacherous stairway, yet there is a happy trail of visitors from all over the world who puff out encouragement in their native tongues to everyone still on their way up.

Luke huffing up the stairs

I would be scared to hike this in the rain – but the views at the top are definitely worth

SC looking down on Machu Picchu

every ounce of effort to get there.

Some rejoice in the

Rah with her gun show

strength to climb, others are happy to sit so high and catch their breath and not fall off the boulders at the peak!!

Emily, Winston, Susan, Steve, Luke, SC

If you get the chance to visit this amazing piece of history– think seriously about hiking Wynapicchu. It’s a difficult hike but absolutely worth it.

We three from B42 (my PC training group)

Susan, SC, Sarah

take a few moments to celebrate our service at the top and give thanks for all these incredible experiences and lifelong friendships we’ve been so blessed to have.

Rah & SC in a window

Careful on the way down

Esther on the stairs

– it’s just as dubious a descent!

This is undoubtedly one of the best trips I’ve ever had the good fortune to go on; my thanks go out to the entire crew – thank you for making this such a special experience!

Luke, Emily, Susan, SC, Winston

Suerte con todo en sus vidas – que Dios les bendiga e que no les olvidan de disfrutarses del amor de cada dia!

Now playing: Billy Joel - You May Be Right

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Machu Picchu, Peru part I !!

Posted by Sarah Robinson on May 5th, 2008

It’s 4:45am and we are on our way to Machu Picchu!

Luke, Winston, Emily, Steve, SC, Sarah, Susan

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The Lares Valley, Peru Part III

Posted by Sarah Robinson on May 5th, 2008

Asst. Guide, Emily, Luke, SC, Susan, Sarah, Steve, Winston

Our third day is no less breathtaking than the rest – and we’re all happy to be singing and walking our way down to lower altitudes!

Once we reach the highest pass through the valley we get the adrenaline rush of sliding / skiing down almost 1,000 feet of loose soil/rock you see us standing on here:

Winston, Steve, Luke, Susan, Emily, Sarah

We may be a little tired by this point

Amazing valley shot

– but the scenery just keeps pushing us on. If ever one finds oneself questioning

Lakes above 12,000 ft

the majesty of God’s creation this is absolutely a part of the world in which to be reminded.

These mountain lakes are clear enough to see to the bottom in spots

SC & Sarah Anderson

and the scale of everything is a beautifully humbling experience.

The very small communities we hike through remind us how harsh a permanent life here would be

Campo houses

– a multiple hour, if not day, hike to the nearest ‘store’ for the most basic supplies. But none can deny the breathtaking sites these Peruvians wake up

Incredible Mt view

to every morning.

At the end of the hike we

Susan on the road down

find ourselves on a road of sorts, and finally end in a small village where Emily hands out

the last of our school

Emily handing out pencils to the kids

supplies to a group of kinder-gardeners.

From here we take another small mini-bus about an hour drive to a train station where a charming train ride brings us to Aguas Calientes (the small tourist town just below Machu Picchu) where we spend the night.

Now playing: Alicia Keys - No One

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The Lares Valley, Peru Part II

Posted by Sarah Robinson on May 5th, 2008

This incredible hike brings us up to 15,600 feet or so and through communities that surely haven’t changed in decades. Kids eating breadOur guide counsels us to give bread and school supplies to the children and families we see along the way Campesino farmingand we pass farmers using hand plows designed in Incan times – almost something out of the Discovery Channel!

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The Thermal Baths and Cusco, Peru Part I

Posted by Sarah Robinson on May 5th, 2008

            SC, llama, & local women

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B41 Leaves Tarija

Posted by Sarah Robinson on May 5th, 2008

Sadly B41 has just left Tarija. This post is a shout out to them: Julia Milne (Chicago, Il), Emelia Hurley (Reston, Va), Winston Harrell (South Boston, Va), Steve Cooper (upstate NY), and Shelby Tracy (Texas). They Emelia & Stevehave mostly lived to the south of Tarija city and collectively have worked on projects including: teaching English, building an internet cafe, building a miniature golf course out of recyclables, building bathrooms, working with orphans, working with womens groups, and working with bees and honey! Julia, Sarah, SC cooking

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