Two weeks ago I had the privilege to attend a delightful book reading of Ser Isabel. Written by a Tarijan Author and a very historical, witty, romantic novel. I had the privilege of meeting the governers wife and the mayors wife and I also met my parents group of friends, overall a good evening.

Rotary Fundraiser Lunch for Tarija's Men's Alcoholic Rehabilitation Center New Kitchen

 

Here is a photo of me and my twin (just kidding just friends, hahaha) Bianca the Outbound for Tarija District 4690 to California USA 2017-2018. So proud of her and excited for her and this new adventure.

Brandon and I teamed up as Tarija famous chefs and sold over 250 bolivianos worth of Choripan... A super delicious pig sausage sandwich. It was a great lunch and a good turn out and I am still waiting to hear back the grand total which the lunch raised, but I am so thankful for the opportunity to make a difference here in Tarija, especially for such an amazing program. 

Edna became a Mommy to 4 beautiful baby's

March 23 2017 brought 4 new joys's into the lives of Ariana and I, as Edna gave birth to Ari's belated birthday present of 4 beautiful Schnauzer Poodle crosses. Ash, Leslie, Maximilian Robespierre and Luis (now named Cole) have been such a gift to both Ari and I and we will miss them so much as they go to their new homes this week.

A little throwback to February, made it into the Tarija Magazine for the second time this year in Maria Renee's 15 Birthday Photos... It was such a fabulous night with such beautiful people: Luciana, Me, Clarisse, Maria Renee, Pablo and half of Vale's face :)

MACHU PICCHU (Big or Old / Mountain)

The five min freezing cold hike through the foggy/rainy fresh mountain air, had everyone absolutely ecstatic.

The semi circle above is also known at the Templo de Sol (Temple of Sun) an ancient ruin of the first Inca people.

What a workout at 2,430 metres (7,970 ft) above sea level these stairs held... Still an amazing time though...

I don't think even as I climbed/hiked the billion stairs with a head cold in the freezing rainy Machu Picchu... I stopped smiling for even a second... Because I finally was living my childhood dream!

Our tour guide explaining a bit more about the Inca people and their religion/culture.

Below: What would Machu Picchu be without Llama's <3 These ones weren't very friendly however... Or maybe just tired of all 3000 tourists crooning over them... day in and day out...

Clem, Marilou, and Anna and I (France, Belgium, France) <3

 

Mama Llama and Baby chilling out on exhibit <3

After running up 250 stairs in 4mins at an altitude of 2,792 meters (9,160 ft) above sea level... Out of breath but in love with the stunning view... making my monkey face was essential.

After stopping for lunch at a fancy hotel buffet, our group proceeded to Ollantaytambo a town and Inca archaeological site to stay the night before heading to Machu Picchu by train Wednesday morning.

Ollantaytambo is located at an altitude of 2,792 metres (9,160 ft) above sea level in the district of Ollantaytambo, province of Urubamba, Cusco region. During the Inca Empire, Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti who conquered the region, built the town and a ceremonial center. At the time of the Spanish conquest of Peru, it served as a stronghold for Manco Inca Yupanqui, leader of the Inca resistance. Nowadays, located in what is called the Sacred Valley of the Incas, it is an important tourist attraction on account of its Inca ruins and its location en route to one of the most common starting points for the four-day, three-night hike known as the Inca Trail.

 

 Somehow Alec and Ross (Two of my favorite Canadians) managed to photo bomb our group picture with the Canadian Flag... The entire group mumbled afterwards "Alec... Ross... Why is there a Canadian Flag in our group photo?" The boys replied what I later heard from half the group is a typical Canadian sentence "I'm Sorry."So for the rest of the trip anytime someone said "I'm Sorry" everyone mumbled "Canadians" :)

 Simply breathtaking views

 I am so thankful to have met Ella and Madi this year. These two young women have helped me so much in growing into the young woman I am now. We support one another no matter the distance as it says in a quote "Good friends are like stars, you can't always see them, but you know they are always there."
Despite the fact that Ella lives in Cocha and is moving back to Neukirchen (Germany), that Madi lives in Santa Cruz and is moving back to Massachusetts (USA) and that I live in Tarija and am moving back to (BC) Canada I know we will stay friends for many years to come <3

After Awanakancha our travels continued until we arrived a the Sacred Valley of the Incas. For a bit of a history lesson the Sacred Valley of the Incas was undoubtedly a key area of settlement to the Incas. The Sacred Valley's agreeable climate and fertile plains make a rare and fruitful combination for the high Andes. It was  the route to the jungle and therefore an area with access to the fruits and plants of the tropical lowlands. The Sacred Valley served as a buffer zone, protecting Cusco from incursions of the Antis, the fierce jungle tribes who from time to time raided the highlands. Today the Sacred Valley remains a lush agricultural region supplying the city of Cusco with much of its produce such as maize, fruit and vegetables.

This lil sweetheart had the other tourists going crazy! What a cutie!

Tuesday started early with a 5:30am wake up call so we could be showered and have eaten breakfast before the start to our event filled day two in Cusco (6:30am). Abording the bus we headed out to Awanakancha: Alpaca, Art and Andes. A beautiful tourist attraction which holds live demonstrations of traditional weaving and dying of wool, resident llamas, alpacas, etc.. and a little shop for buying souvenirs. We enjoyed 30 minutes of free time exploring this cute little destination, and I would strongly recommend visiting if your ever visiting Cusco or Machu Pichu.