Interesting… I was just reading on the front page of the NY Times how the military is recognizing that the recruits of the this day and age are much less fit and more overweight than those of past generations and that they are having to re-structure basic training to work with this lack of health and fitness. 

Wow. 

In the past, recruits naturally were more fit as kids were more active, playing outside, and participating in regular physical education classes in school.  Today, our generation of kids is a product of excessive junk food, computer activity and video games.  NOT a good combination.  As Gen. Mark Hertling who oversees basic training for the Army says, “This is not just an Army issue.  This is a national issue.”  According to a report titled “Too Fit to Fight,” put out by a group of retired general and admirals, “Between 1995 and 2008, the proportion of potential recruits who failed their physicals each year because they were overweight rose nearly 70 percent.”

Another wow!!! 

For the last several years now, with the cutbacks in education, sadly one of the biggest things “cut” is P.E. classes.  Why?  Because somewhere, someone feels it’s unnecessary?  Is this “someone” someone who doesn’t exercise themselves because I don’t understand the logic at all.  Yes, it’s obvious I am passionate about this but I just have to ask, how ridiculous is this?  Kids need to move!  Kids need to play!  They cannot sit in a classroom all day learning about math, reading, history, etc, without having breaks to run and play!  As a kid, I sooooo looked forward to those breaks in the day!  It gave the mind a break and I came back to class feeling energized! 

The bottomline is we ALL need to move… daily!  Without daily activity, especially for our children, what kind of future are we creating for our country?  We all say that we have to “defend” our country…  from who?  From ourselves? And our own culture that is literally killing us and our children? 

One of my favorite quotes is from Goethe… he says, “Let all sweep in front of their own door and the whole world will be clean.” 

Our best “defense” in sustaining the health and future of our nation is not so much about our “outside threats,” rather it is right here in our own backyard… taking care of what is needed right now… the health & well-being of our own citizens.   Our “worst enemy” is the junk food diet and sedentary way of life that has sadly become the norm.  But again, this isn’t just in the governments’ hands, it’s in our own.  Take personal responsibility for your own health as well as the health of your children.  We can’t worry about something “out there” when we’re literally killing ourselves in our own home.

Be Active and Move!  BAM! 

On a side note in regards to being active and moving, I wanted to just acknowledge a woman, Diana Nyad - the sports columnist for a local radio station, KCRW - in her quest to swim from Florida to Cuba!  It’s her second try…   Wow! 

Here’s a few links to learn about her and her incredible feat:
www.kcrw.com/dream

http://www.dailynewsofopenwaterswimming.com/2010/08/mother-nature-and-diana-nyad.html

NOTE:  When I say we have to move, I don’t necessarily mean you have to swim to Cuba - ha! - but an invigorating 30 minute walk outside will do! 

Cheers to you!

Lisa

So… here we are back in our lives in the States.  I remember last year feeling the same way… a bit “off” as we enter back into such a different way of living and being.  Stepping back into Los Angeles feels “loud” to me… just energy-wise.  It’s an incredible experience to literally be submerged in nature and all of its elements for 5 days with no access to any electronics.  Sometimes I couldn’t believe just how “quiet” it all was… how peaceful.  It gives you a reference point that we couldn’t otherwise have in our daily lives here.

The trip was amazing.  The group was even more amazing.  You never know what kind of group dynamics you are going to experience when you put a bunch of people together.  This group was special.  Everyone gelled…  and a magical experience was had by all.

What I have learned on this journey (now having done it twice), is that it is a rare opportunity to experience one’s limits… be it physical, emotional, mental or spiritual.  Everyone got the opportunity to face their own fears and discomforts…  and most importantly, to find a strength they didn’t know they had by walking (and breathing) through them…  inevitably becoming a new person, as a result. 

In our society, we are so used to being comfortable and distracted by so many things (computers, tv, phones, etc, etc, etc) that we often don’t get to experience who we really are at our core…  and to listen to our souls from the inside… to see and feel who we really are.  Being at the mercy of nature and its elements, there is nowhere else to go but here… now… to be with ourselves and all of the creations we have in our minds… and to find out, that they are ONLY our creations.  Nature is the perfect mirror that allows us to reflect on who we really are.  I love that about this particular experience… hiking the Inca Trail.  We get to see that we are so much more than what we believe ourselves to be!

So…  that is the story of State of the Heart’s first “official” body, mind, spirit adventure… and what an adventure it was.

To Cathy, Liz, Laila, Stu, Allen, Monique, Mike, Lisa (another Lisa), and Gigi… thank you for an amazing time!  I am so proud of all of you and I am honored to have been a part of this significant experience in your life!

To finish, I’d like to share a prophecy of the Q’eros (the people of the last direct link to the Incas)… it is the prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor flying together.  The Eagle represents knowledge… the head…  and ironically, North America…   The Condor represents wisdom… the heart…  and South America.  One without the other is not balanced.  The Q’eros talked about how how one day, they envision the Eagle and the Condor flying together as ONE…  meaning that we can not just fly with our knowledge (our head) and we can’t just fly with our wisdom (our heart)…  for perfect balance and harmony, we have to fly in unison… together. 

This, I believe, is the ultimate journey for all of us…  the balance between head and heart.  Not just for ourselves… but for the healing of our world. 

Thank you, Peru!  Until we meet again… 

Cheers,

Lisa

Yet another early morning wake up call!  5:00 am to get to Machu Picchu as early as possible!

Some of the group decided to do the tour with Luis while others of us hiked to the top of Wyna Picchu, the famous rock/mountain right behind Machu Picchu.  Let’s just say mountain goat trail and hike at your own risk!  Steep, steep trail with no walking poles allowed!  Yikes!!!  Yet, what a view from up there!  Absolutely incredible.

Though we were all supposed to converge and meet as a group at 10:30am to take a group picture, for some reason it never happened.  We had “missed” each other - as these things happen sometimes - so ironically, my vision of having a group picture of everyone at Machu Picchu never happened.  Personally, I had to wrestle with this fact as it wasn’t what I had “envisioned;” I had a hard time accepting this.  All of this time I could see in my head the group picture we all would have and yet for some reason, it wasn’t meant to be.  I kept hearing in my mind the phrase I had mentioned to others while hiking on the trail over the past several days…  “it’s the journey, not the destination.” 

Wow…  now it wasn’t just words…  I had to truly accept that truth in the deepest part of my being.  I had to let go of my idea of what “should’ve” happened and had to surrender to what was.  Ironically, when I met up with the others later in Aguas Calientes, they all agreed…  that Machu Picchu and all of its’ tourists was not really the pinnacle…  rather it was simply our goal that gave us direction… a reason to be together as well the opportunity that gave us the heartfulfilling experiences we had bonding on the trail.  Wow… ok. 

We had our last celebratory meal together in Aguas Calientes, shared our memories of each person in our group, relived our laughs and laughed just as hard if not harder each time…  We ate some wonderful food and then headed off to the train station…  the beginning of our long journey back home to the States.  To Cusco… to Lima… and back to CA or Minnesota.  Our trip was over… but never to be forgotten. 

Another early morning wake up call!  5 am this time! 

We had our breakfast and then an emotional parting from our cooks and porters.  This was the last time we were going to see them as they had taken us (and taken CARE of us) as far as they could.  I thanked them on behalf of our group… basically telling with them that though we live far from each other - on other continents - that we will carry them in our hearts forever…  as they had given us a gift - a memory - that we would cherish for the rest of our lifetime.  The cooks and porters are a humble bunch.  They quietly go about their work… literally carrying everything from all the food we ate, to the tents and sleeping bags we slept in to all of the plates and silverware we ate with to our dinner table and chairs.  Oh yeah… and the pots and pans as well.  While we would be carrying our daypacks filled with water, cameras, snacks and a jacket, they were carrying everything but the kitchen sink!  After we would leave camp in the morning, it wasn’t maybe an hour afterwards that our porters would RUN by us carrying what looked like the size of refrigerators on their backs!  (And these people are small… maybe 5′6″ at the most!  Can you say, “strong as an ox?”  Wow).  So they’d run by us in their sandles and seriously weathered feet, smiling as they’d pass us… “hola!”  Given they didn’t speak any english (and we spoke little spanish or Quechua - their native language), our conversations consisted of “Hola”, “Muchas Gracias” and many smiles, but saying goodbye to them was emotional… because we recognized the gift they had given us… and without them, this experience wasn’t possible.

After our goodbye, we headed down the mountain…  many, many steps…  steep ones.  About an hour down, our dear Cathy stepped on a loose stone that gave away, sending her down about 12 subsequent steps!  It was a scary moment for all, but of course, mostly for her, as we all know what it feels like to fall and feel out of control… not knowing where you’re going to end up!  Luckily and I mean luckily, all she ended up with was a bruised forearm, leg and a bloody nose. We were all very shaken but came together to give strength to her and all as we continued on down to Machu Picchu…  our destination about 6 hours later (with an hour lunch break in between). 

We arrived at the sun gate around 3:30 pm as it was an emotional moment for everyone!  It’s quite the scene to have walked for days through all kinds of terrain, up and down mountain passes and to finally reach the pinnacle of the journey.  The sun gate sits high above Machu Picchu mountain and looks down upon the mystical lost city.  It’s quite a site to behold. 

We continued down…  went through Machu Picchu and proceeded to the busses to take us to Aguas Calientes.  Aaaaah…  our first shower in 5 days!  And a nice comfey bed to sleep in!  We all washed up, met for a great dinner and listened to a fun and wonderful Peruvian band!  Everyone was tappin’ their feet, clapping their hands or even dancing!  Fun, fun! 

Next and last day…  Machu Picchu.

Day 7 was our longest and most challenging day.  We were up before the sunrise at 5:30 am, had our breakfast and then we were off!  Slow and steady wins the race!  Mike was our pacesetter.  Having hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro 2 years ago, he reminded us of the swahili chant his guides constantly said to them as they climbed…  “Poli, Poli, Mon!  Poli!”  (forgive the phonetic spelling but it meant, “slowly, slowly, man… slowly.”  Moving at about a half mile an hour for an hour and a half, it seriously became a walking meditation…  one step and one breath at a time.  Everyone walked in silence as all of one’s focus was right here, right now. 

One by one, everyone crested the pass… hugs were given, some tears had flowed and photos were taken!  Wow!  As my dad repeated the ever so famous line…  “I’ve been to the mountain top… and I’ve seen the other side…  !”  Yep…  what a sight… to see the valley we were leaving behind and then to look on to a new valley and a whole new set of mountains before us!  Quite a view… 

After our moment of rejuventation at the top, we headed down into the valley with our next pass in view.  It’s interesting how the next mountain can look so close, yet to actually walk it can take hours!!!!  We reached our next pass (12,500 feet) about 3 hours later…  again with smiles, hugs, snacks and laughter!  Woo-hoo!  Yet, down we went again…  on Inca Stone Steps that were of all shapes and sizes…  going down had it’s own challenges as did going up.  One had to stay very focused about where we were planting each foot!  If your mind was elsewhere, you were setting yourself up for a twisted ankle or something worse… so we all had to focus. 

Down this 2nd pass was when the terrain and feeling of the air changed again… to humid and sub-tropical again.  All of a sudden it was like wandering through a mossy jungle…  the stone trail was incredibly beautiful!  We had our lunch at about 2 pm and then headed off to the last leg of our day… to the 3rd mountain pass… which also happened to be our next and final campsite. 

The trail at this stage got really interesting…  we soon realized that most of the trail had been built on the side of huge cliffs where there actually was no place to put a trail… but somehow, the Incas built an embankment 100’s of feet hight at times to create a trail.  When you’d look over the edge to one side, you couldn’t even see the bottom.  Yikes!!!  Stay to the inside!  One part of the trail actually went through a rock tunnel!  It truly felt we were in this mystical place… hiking on a trail that had been there for 100’s of years and probably took just as long to build.  It was the “holy” trail… leading to the Incas’ spiritual capital - Machu Picchu!  Wow.  You couldn’t help but feel that energy with every step. 

As we got closer to our campsite, we realized we were literally walking on the crest of the mountain range…  with breathtaking views on each side.  On one side we could see the village below Machu Picchu called Aguas Calientes and on the other side we could see a mammoth of a mountain called, Salkantay…  a snow capped mountain that dwarfed all others around it as it stands well above 20,000 feet!  Yikes! 

Our day was long - we got to our campsite around 6 pm - and we were tired!  It was a quick dinner and almost soon after, lights were out by 8 pm!  It was another cold night but we were high above Machu Picchu mountain…  knowing that the next day we would reach our destination…  but really, as we’ve heard before… “Life is the journey… not the destination.”  We would soon find this out.

Luis, our guide told us the night before in our “debriefing” at dinner that in our next day of hiking, there was only one hill - which was great, except for the fact that it was “all day long!”  HA!   Yes… it was the start of our long steady climb up our first and highest mountain pass - Dead Woman’s Pass… not necessarily because a woman had actually died there, rather because if you look at it from a distance, it looks like a woman’s profile…  laying down and sleeping.  Shouldn’t it be called Sleeping Woman’s pass then?  :)  Maybe it wouldn’t be so daunting then!

Anyway…  so we started at about 7 and everyone was ready for the slow climb to our next campsite about an hour and half just below the pass.  It was here that the trail started to take a new form.  Up until this point, the trail was quite dry and dusty.  About half way up, we entered into an almost sub-tropical terrain as we followed a stream.  It was gorgeous!  The trail also began it’s Inca laid stone pavement…  with those arduous stone steps I had warned everyone about!  This was just the beginning.  :)  The trail was picturesque through the moist and green foliage… quite a contrast to what we had experienced up until this point.  Lots of pictures were taken at this stage. 

At about 3 pm, we arrived at our highest campsite (approximately 12,000 feet)…  actually…  in the tundra with the pass within our sight.  This was the coldest night…  probably dropping down to freezing so everyone was bundled up!  Thermal underwear and everything else!!!!  Having to get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night was avoided at all costs BUT obviously couldn’t be avoided completely!  That’s when you just bundle up and do what you gotta do as fast as you can do it, if you know what I mean!  HA!  With the sun going down around 6, we had our dinner in the dinner tent, played a quick game of dice - Ambitious - and headed off to bed around 8:30!  Early wake up call in the morning…  5:30 am!  On the trail by 6:30!  Woo-hoo!

So… this morning we woke up to find my dad feeling under the weather!  Not exactly sure what the true cause might be, we think it’s that he forgot about the water situation and accidently brushed his teeth with the tap water… a big NO when you’re visiting a foreign country… especially a 3rd world country!  Sometimes we learn the hard way! 

So… unfortunately, he did not feel well, but fortunately, it was a “short” day for hiking.  Luis, our guide, gave my dad some antibiotics and then had him sleep in the morning sun for about an hour just so his body could rest and get some energy.  This is one of the things we open ourselves up to when we choose to do an adventure like this…  there are many elements to contend with… such as altitude, water, etc and though we might have a plan of how things are to go, there are other factors that can throw that plan right out the door.  This was one of them. 

After about an hour, my dad felt “good” enough (relative term here) to where he could walk slowly with us…  After about 10 minutes of leaving our campsite, we were at the entrance point to enter the National Park.  All was well, until Gigi realized she didn’t have her passport!!!!!  After stripping her day pack at least 3 times (yes, a bit frantically - understandably so!), the reality set in that it just wasn’t there.  Luis, our guide, asked her when she saw it last… she saw it the night before in the tent.  He believed that the porters must’ve had it (at least this was our hope and we trusted in this fact) and therefore paid for her to get through the check point.  Of course this presented the perfect opportunity to practice surrendering and letting go.  NO ONE wants to lose their passport in a foreign country so yes, it’s a cause for profound stress… but again, these are situations that, on some level, you simply  have to let go and surrender to what IS.  Yes, you could walk in total stress and worry, which would obviously take away from the moment and the beautiful scenery that we were walking through, OR… you let go in your mind - as there is NOTHING you can do about it in that moment… either the porters had it or they didn’t… and they were already way ahead of us to set up our next campsite, so there was no way to know until we met up with them again later in the day.

Talk about an opportunity to practice being present!!!!  Whew!  Gigi was amazing…  she allowed her mind to relax (as much as possible) and surrendered to the situation.  Not an easy task.

My dad on the other hand…  He was contending with an nausea and periodic stops of vomiting on the trail.  No one likes to see anyone feeling sick…  we all just sent him energy and our prayers and he was a trooper… he kept going.  Everyone was in admiration of his ability to keep going, but as he said, “I don’t think it’s so much to admire, rather it’s a matter of… where else are you going to go?  Where else are you going to stay?  You have to keep moving.” 

Hmm… yes… again… another opportunity to surrender to the elements and the circumstances at hand…  an opportunity to realize that we are stronger than we often believe ourselves to be… when we have to be.

We got to our campsite by 2 pm, which allowed my dad to sleep and rest and amazingly, by the evening, he was cracking jokes at dinner once again.  We knew he was feeling better.  Wow.  We are all so grateful.

This campsite was by a huge Inca archeaological site…  quite a site to wake up to in the morning sun when you open your tent…  oh…  as well as to the cows that were laying in front of our tents that morning!  Yes… we are in Peru!  Love it!

Oh… and by the way, Gigi’s passport was returned safely back to her that evening.  :)  One of the porters found it and carried it safely back to her.  We trusted it would be back…  it was just a matter of time. 

On day 4 of our trip to Peru, we were off to Ollantaytambo…  about 2 hours outside of Cusco which also marked the beginning of our sojourn to Machu Picchu.  This isn’t considered the beginning of the Inca Trail but we chose to have an extra day of hiking because it’s what we did last year and it was great just to walk through the countryside and the farms of Peru.  It’s so interesting to see the little Peruvian children run up to you with their smiles on their faces saying, “hola!” while also experiencing the farm animals just wandering freely…  donkeys, cows, pigs, chickens, dogs, etc.  Quite a different life than ours in the city… a life so simple and so connected with the earth.  It’s a beautiful thing to see and experience. 

For the most part, this part of the trail is pretty flat and it was a good “warm up” for what lay ahead. 

We started hiking around 11:30 am and followed the Urubamba river the whole way, finishing at our first campsite around 5 pm.  This campsite is just outside the Inca Trail National Park.  We had our first tasty dinner from our cooks and then headed to bed.

Though ironically, there just happened to be a sauna at this campsite so a few of the troops took a little sauna before dreamtime.  :)  That was an extra little benefit!

Ok…  whew… another pack filled day of amazing experiences…  and here I am at the keyboard at 9 pm dead tired.  But…  this will be my last post for awhile as tomorrow we head out on the trail!  Woo-hoo!

Today was a magical day.  First and foremost, we got to spend the entire day with 2 Qéro shamans. As I mentioned in yesterday´s blog, the Qéros are the last direct link to the Incas themselves and they are serious mountain people… living at high altitudes.  They have to travel very far by foot to get to Cusco.  This is a rare opportunity to be with the Qeros and we are fortunate to know a woman named Carrie (who is actually originally from Colorado but moved here a few years ago when she fell in love with this culture and this area).  Carrie has been working and connected with the Qeros ever since and so she arranged for us to have a despacho ceremony with them - to honor the sun, Pachamama (mother earth), and to bless us for our journey on the inca trail.  Everyone was very moved by this as we all recognize how special it is to be in their presence.  They are very pure in spirit and childlike yet at the same time, extremely reverent to Mother Earth and honor her gifts that allow us to be here and enjoy life…  things like water, food, and air… all slightly important things for our well-being!  ha!

After that, we journeyed to an animal rescue sanctuary where they rescue some lamas, pumas, condors and other birds.  My God… the condors were incredible!   Amazing birds!!!  They are the largest of the flying birds in the world with a wing span up to 9 meters (a little more than 27 feet)!  They are also the symbol of the spirit world to the incas.  They represent the heaven realm.  The condors gave us an amazing show!  They were washing themselves in some water and then one of them climbed up on a rock above us and spread his wings to dry in the sun!  It was majestic beyond belief!!!!  We all felt very blessed and graced by this incredible bird! 

Then we had a little lunch in Pisaq… a village we went to yesterday and then on to the Casa De Milagros orphanage in the Sacred Valley.  That was very very special.  What a colorful and heartfilled place.  These children are so precious… one tiny little boy who had JUST lost both of his parents  and had only been there 2 days took a great liking to Liz…  he was all of 2 years old - maybe - and he took her hand and would not let her go.  Knowing that Liz´s absolute passion in this life is children, I found that to be quite interesting…  and not a mistake at all.  It was as though he was affirming her need to be with children…  to give them all the love that she has.  Even before this trip, she pondered being here for a year…  just to be with these children at this place.  Well… if ever she was doubting, I think the little boy might´ve affirmed something to her, BUT who knows?  It´s a big decision and would take some serious consideration given that Liz has 2 dear grandchildren back in CA but we never know how the Universe is working…  I know for myself when I had to move from Minnesota nearly 21 years ago…  I had to leave everything and everyone I loved to the unknown of CA simply because my heart called me there.  Our heads often tell us one thing - all the logical and rational reasonings of why it can´t happen - while the heart operates from a completely different place and let´s us know that it can.  Our heart knows what it is that will fill us beyond what we can imagine.  But only we, ourselves, can know what is right for our heart.  And despite what we “think”, our head only THINKS it knows. 

Well…  it was a blessed day!  Loving it all!  All is well!  All is good!  All things great and small… the Lord God made them all…  (that just popped into my head so I wrote it). 

Till after the Inca Trail…   Cheers!

Lisa

Well, today started with breakfast at our hotel and we were off on our Sacred Valley Tour by 8:30 am.  The sacred valley is a very fertile farming village about 45 minutes outside of Cusco.  On the journey there, we passed several inca ruins as well as many rural peruvians doing their routine days…  working in the fields, interacting with their various animals - donkeys, cows, sheep, pigs and some lamas - as well as many peruvian women selling their colorful textiles to tourists like us.  :)  By the way, we have discovered that my dad must have a sign on him that says, “solicit to me… i’ll buy anything!”  HA!  He just can’t seem to stay no to anyone wanting to sell him something peruvian!  Monique is the same way.  We’ve joked that they are like sitting ducks just waitin’ to be approached! 

Anyway… we stopped at the Lama and Alpaca farm.  We got to see and feed the various lamas and alpacas.  They are so darn cute…  they come in all shapes and sizes…  some of them have thick wool and fluffy faces like a teddy bear and others are like Bob Marley with serious dreads hanging down to the ground… no lie.  It’s a trip!  We also saw some peruvian women weaving their amazing blankets, shawls, and other various textiles.  Talk about patience and sitting there totally in a zen state of being…  just weaving away.  No place to go…  absolutely no rush…  just BEING there. 

Our next stop was the Pisaq ruins just above the village appropriately called Pisaq.  Makes sense.  Ha!  That was about an hours worth of hiking around these amazing terraces for agriculture high high on the mountain sides as well as the Incan temple.  It was great. 

Then we moved on to a beautiful and picturesque restaurant on the Urubamba River.  The setting couldn’t be more lovely.  It was a huge hacienda style, open air restaurant that looked over the river with two peruvians playing live music with their various instruments including the famous peruvian flute.  A few cds were bought from this group.  It was a buffet lunch that was out of this world.  So much food…  so different than any of the dishes in the US… VERY good!

From there we moved on to the incredibly dramatic Ollantaytambo ruins.  These ruins are massive and everyone was blown away at the size.  It really is stunning.   One again more terraces and also the temple of the sun and moon… again created by the Incas… Their masonry is something no one can even comprehend.  Everyone kept wondering how they not only carved each stone (some 30 or more tons!) like a puzzle… each one fitting each other perfectly like a glove… placed together so precisely, you couldn{t slip a piece of paper between the rocks!  How did they shape these stones with no power tools?  They shaped them stone on stone…  amazing.  But that isn’t the most mind boggling part…  how did they MOVE these 30-40 ton rocks????????  Not just up a mountain, but the quarry that they stones are from was 9km away over another mountain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   They estimated it would take up to 2 weeks to a month to move one stone that distance and they moved 1000’s of them!!!!!  How many men did it take as well as how long to build something as massive as these ruins.  It’s just beyond what our present day minds can comprehend… and that’s a good thing.  I feel sometimes we have a tendency to feel we’re so advanced in our techology and everything, yet the technology we’ve created seems to only make our lives feel “faster” and more frazzled and really… disconnected in some ways.  I don’t know…  it’s good to see stuff like this to stop for a moment and ponder…  to ponder a time when life was very very different…  and maybe more deeply meaningful.  Just my thought. 

Anyway…  we all got back to Cusco pretty darn tired.  We just got done eating at the hotel we’re staying at and now I’m off to eat.  Tomorrow we’ll be spending the day with the Q’ero shamans (the Q’eros are the last direct link to the Incas) as they will be performing a despacho ceremony to celebrate, honor and thank Mother Earth for all that she gives to us - that would be life - and then we will be heading to the Casa De Milagros orphanage outside of Cusco.  So… another great day ahead.

Till then…  sleep tight!

Cheers,

Lisa