Molly and I had an amazing time in Peru in October!! I've held off on posting about our trip because we did so much... I was going to do a post for every day of our trip following our itinerary, but that still seems daunting. I've decided to share some highlights and favorite pictures that sure don't do justice to this country's beauty and everything we got to experience. We were so blessed to get to take this trip together and to do as much as we did in ten days.. we were in the mountains, in the city, in the jungle, in the desert, on the beach, on the ocean... ! This was not a 'glamourous' trip by any means - by that I mean we were dirty and sweaty and tired for most of it, but I wouldn't have changed a minute! My sister brings out my adventurous side and she is such a blast to travel with! A big thank you to Grandma Debbie and my amazing hubby for holding down the fort while I was away. This was truly the trip of a lifetime; I hope you enjoy the pictures! It is not letting me edit picture size, right now they're either very small or huge.. but I'm working on it. :)
We met in Atlanta and then flew together to Lima. In the morning we then flew to Cusco. We were in awe of Cusco's amazing architecture, history, and stone hilly streets.
I fell in love with all the chippy turquoise doors!
Molly can testify that probably a 1/3 of the pictures I took were of doors haha.
Peruvian children are so beautiful. 
I wanted to take this little bambino home with me.
Inca foundations still in place
The people were so friendly.
This woman at Sacsayhuaman was showing us how she spools alpaca fiber.
Sacred Valley
It is hard to choose a favorite village, but if I had to I would say Ollantaytambo. There are huge, amazing ruins that were only topped by Machu Picchu. This area wasn't as touristy and it is so neat that the original waterways are still in place.
Did I mention the beautiful children?
We now understand why Machu Picchu is one of the 7 Wonders of the World
We signed up for a hike that only a handful of people are allowed to do each day. We hiked Hyanapicchu Mountain which overlooks Machu Picchu and also has ruins along the way. It was the most physically challenging thing I've ever done but it was so worth it. It felt like we were discovering ruins for the first time because for most of our hike we didn't see other people. All of a sudden our hike got to a cliff and the only way down was this incredibly steep ladder made of branches.
We made it to the Watch Tower; it was like a fairytale castle in the middle of nowhere
Enjoying some well-deserved Chicha (my new favorite drink) after a day of hiking.
We ate only local dishes throughout our trip.
We had alpaca and get this... cuy (guinia pig).
I'll spare you pictures because they make me sick to my stomach when I look at them now.
My favorite meals were palta a la reina and lomo saltado.
After Machu Picchu we spent some more time in Cusco and then flew to Puerto Maldonado - the Amazon!
Wellies, check! Ready for a muddy hike through the jungle.
The Amazon is breathtaking.
It was like being in the movie Ferngully!
This is a fig tree.
canoe trip around Lake Sandoval
We were lucky enough to see wildlife like a few species of monkeys, capybara, caiman, macaws.
These little guys were swinging right above our canoe!
Next we flew to Lima and took a bus to Ica.
We took a speed boat to the Ballestas Islands which are full of amazing caves and arches
We had fun watching all of the sealions and penguins
A 200 year old wine press at the El Catador Winery
Sand buggy and sand boarding through the dunes in Ica. Talk about an adrenaline rush!
