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.