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9.28.2011

The Circle of Life on the Inca Trail and in Nicaragua: From dead baby llama backpacks to ping pong sized turtle eggs

This is likely the last blog post for a long time.  We're back in the US, spending time with family and getting ready to start grown-up work in a few weeks (on our 1 year wedding anniversary - a nice bookend to a great year).

Our last stop was a long weekend visit to Nicaragua, where our friend, Aaron, works with Green Empowerment to provide renewable energy and water systems to alleviate poverty and improve the environment (you can support Aaron's work here).

Since a typical day for Aaron might include a bumpy bus ride to a remote village to install a solar water pump, solar panel, or wind turbine, we decided to vamos a la playa for a relaxing getaway.  Aaron scored access to a beach house in SW Nica, so we had a few nights living like royalty.  The waves at Coco Beach were perfect for boogie boarding, the view from the infinity pool was magnificent, the size/diversity of the insects would have made Armin's mouth water, and we shared the beach at night with 5000 turtles laying eggs the size of ping pong balls (and the 3 soldiers with machine guns who protected them from poachers).  And we could see Costa Rica from our house!
Red flashlights required so as not to disrupt the egg-laying.
A classic Nicaraguan home...
Sandino, watching over Managua
Before Nicaragua, there was Peru.  Cusco (highlights: chocolate-making class, giant parade with dead baby llamas hanging from backpacks for good luck, 12-sided stone), the Sacred Valley (Incan cities, breathtaking views), and Lima (ceviche!) were nice.  But it was all about the Inca Trail en route to Machu Picchu, which proved to be one of our favorite travel experiences.

The hike was fairly difficult (though not as tough as getting a hit against Tim Lincecum in high school, which I did, as anyone who ever talked to me knows) and the weather wasn't always cooperative. But that just made the adventure - and the thrill of arriving to the Sun Gate at sunrise (in fog) - all the more exciting. We'll let a few of our friends from our lively hiking group describe the journey here - you deserve pictures if you've made it this far:
Alpaca
Nothing says remembering an obscure Catholic holiday like dead llama baby backpacks!
Part-way through Day 2 of the hike ('the challenge')
One of our many "photo breaks" as we climbed to up, up, and up. Holly with Yasmin, Onur, and Jackie.
Our friends from Turkey, Australia, Canada, and Norway. The background is decent, too.
Holiday card - for life
Dead Woman's Pass - 4200ish meters closer to Pachamama
Don't look down.  Don't look down.  Don't look down.
Good thing we woke up at 3am and raced to the Sun Gate - we might have missed the view!
Incan stonemasons: showboating
Worth the schlep!
All's well that ends OK, so thanks for reading our blog - and have a nice day.

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