Friday was our last day in the clinic. On the way there we all chatted about the most memorable parts of the trip... we were up to about 31 things that were either jokes throughout the trip or "'life lessons"' we learned during our time in Peru... so everyone will have to stay tuned to future blogs to see what the list says! We were able to see a couple of patients in the morning, then worked on cleaning up the clinic and getting everything organized until lunchtime. After we got back to our hotel, many of the members of the group went exploring/shopping in Arequipa for the last time. Our friends Hannah and Hans were the first to leave Friday afternoon, and then the rest of the students left at around 7pm to catch our bus to Cusco. It was an amazing two weeks working with the MMI crew, and goodbyes are always tough after spending so much time together. But we all decided it was just a ""see you later"" rather than an official goodbye, and are hoping to keep in touch with our new friends!
Our bus ride was suprisingly comfortable and we all slept at least a little bit. The seats reclined 160 degrees and there was a leg rest that made the seat feel even more roomy (such a pleasant surprise!). With the exception of a few people barfing during the 10 hour busride, all went very smoothly! We arrived in Cusco a little before 6 am on Saturday morning, and were picked up by our tour guide shortly after. He took us to our hotel in Cusco to get some breakfast (where we met some funny new friends from England, Scotland, and Texas!) and to store our luggage before going over our itinerary and getting ready for the day! We made our way around the area to see some different lookout points and snap some pictures. We were also able to visit an animal refuge shelter that housed a bunch of different kinds of critters (llamas, condours, wild cats, turtles, etc.) and learn about how the animals were saved and the process it takes to release them back into the wild. We fed some baby deer and got to hold a parrot, which was pretty cool! A lot of the wild animals had been kept in cages and captured illegaly, so it was interesting to hear their stories and to learn about the refuge that was giving them a second chance... it really hit home because God is always there to save us and help restore us if we just cry out to him for help. What a beautiful picture!!!
Our tour guide took us a couple more places in the Sacred Valley (including some AMAZING Incan Ruins in Ollantaytambo), and affectionately (we think!) began calling us the Spice Girls and Britney Spears... we are not really sure why, but to hear a grown man call us that was pretty funny every time! We dont have access to a computer with a place to upload photos right now, but hopefully we can get some pictures up either later tonight or tomorrow! Once we are back we may also try to post a bunch of our pictures that we couldnt put up before OR post a link to one of our Facebooks when we have all the pictures uploaded 8)
We took a train over to Aguas Calientes last night after supper, and got checked into our hotel to rest up for our excursion today. Then this morning, we got up at 5 am to get ready to go to Machu Pichu! It was raining a bit this morning, but it didnt bring down our spirits! We treked through some of the ruins on our way to our 7am hike (where we met our OT friend Karen from the MMI trip!) and began to hike up Huaynapicchu. It was absolutely beautiful, though the fog was thick and we werent able to see to the bottom. It took us almost 2 hours to get to the tippy-top, but once we were there we felt very accomplished! (and also very exhausted!) It was a challenging climb, but all 6 of us were able to make it up to the top. Fortunately, Brittany was feeling better today (yesterday she wasnt feeling so hot) and didnt have any problems on the hike. Though it rained on us quite a bit during our journey up the mountain, it was still amazing to see what we could and just be thankful for Gods creation... He is such an amazing artist!!! Again, cant wait to share pictures when we can upload them! We also wanted to give a shout out to last years group and especially Becca... we struggled getting up some of the steeper parts of the climb, and cant fathom doing the same thing with a prosthetic leg. That is absolutely incredible!!!!
We explored the ruins for a while longer before getting ready to head out to catch our bus back to Aguas Calientes. Unfortunately, the guards were strict and though not everyone followed the arrows that were a guide to lead folks through the ruins, the guards made sure we did! We took the roundabout way, but we eventually made it back out to have a snack before catching our bus.
Now we are just hanging out for a few hours before hopping on the train to Cusco (our last stop!), having a rest, and flying back home tomorrow&Tuesday. Thank you so much for reading our blog so far, and we will try to post pictures soon! It has been absolutely amazing to see how God has worked in us and through us during this trip, and all of us have felt his hand in our planned (and unplanned!) adventures. I feel so fortunate and blessed to have had this opportunity to come to Peru and to explore a bit more of Gods creation with 5 amazing friends! Words cant even express how awesome this experience has been!
We felt led to share these verses this afternoon to close our blog entry. Psalms 61 (2 -4) says > ""From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever, and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.""
Adios!
Allie
No comments:
Post a Comment