Caraz Dulzura- Back Home To Peru

Talk about super. extremely. delayed. blog posts. I went to Peru this summer! It was one of those weeks where my dad was working, my mom had left me to go to Utah, and Jessica and the babies were in Kennewick. So I turned to my baby brother Bruce and asked him if he wanted to skip LAX practice and go to Peru for the week. Casual. (Important note: I can only do this because my Dad is an airline pilot, my bank account will prove that to you.) 

I mainly wanted to go down and see my bestest and favoritest and most beautifulest Peruvian. JUANAIRIS TE QUIERO DEMASIADO. We were companions in Cusco for four and a half months and it was by far the most hilarious and magical time of my mission. We didn't have a single baptism during those cold months but I had never been happier. She taught me to be kind and sincere and did I mention how much we laughed? Life was golden. 

That's why I had to go down south and see her. WHAT A WEEK. Now for a picture overload. 

Laguna de Parón. This alpine lake is honestly the most gorgeous place I have ever been to. That is not even an exageration. That's the natural color of the water! 

We flew to Caraz from Lima and my heart swelled back to it's Peruvian size. It's like my whole soul expands to fit the entire country in a giant hug. That makes no sense but it's all I could imagine as we flew over the Andes. Fun Fact: When Bruce saw this plane he got a little nervous and asked, "are we flying in that thing?" 

This picture captures our celebrity moment. We were walking through the Yungay ruins and were stopped by these teenagers as they took about 200 pictures of us. You can tell by my mega-watt smile that I was soaking it up. As a middle schooler I always longed to be famous and this was my moment of glory! Another round of pictures for all! 

Did I mention that I am in love with this woman? 

Bruce was the best travel buddy. He couldn't speak a lick of Spanish and yet he had this smile plastered on his face the entire time. And did I mention that Peruvian ladies dig Bruce Man? 

This was at the ruins of Yungay. It was a village that was completely buried by a major landslide. All of the children had gone to a circus outside the town limits and were saved. Not much is left besides some crumpled buildings and this one-walled church. Does anyone notice my artistry of including a lone child in the photo? National Geographic are you looking at this?  

We spent an entire night dancing our hearts out in the living room to wayno, salsa, and cumbia. The whole family was dying of laughter from my dance moves. Somewhere in Peru there are a million videos of me dancing like a local. 

They say you can still hear the trapped souls of Yungay below the earth. I like to think that they're all safe with their Savior in heaven. 

We went to the Falls of Honkopampa with the young single adults. Why can't I be this popular in America? 

Bruce and Javier became the best of friends, despite the major language barrier. 

Javi wanted to take us to see "the sights" in Caraz. The only touristy thing they have in their town is a tiny little museum that boasts the TINIEST MUMMY IN THE WORLD. It's so small! How long is one supposed to look at it? I mean, it's the SMALLEST in the WORLD so it deserves some respect. Is 30 seconds enough?

Caraz! I forgot how much I loved roaming the streets of Peruvian villages. I have a feeling I may find myself moving back to Peru eventually... 

JAVI! Mi amor! This boy is crazy. He speaks about as fast as a squirrel on speed and goes out of his way to trip on things that aren't even in his path. 

Is it just me or does my body look completely broken here? It's like when Harry gets attacked by the Ossio Dispersimus spell and loses all the bones in his body. That Peruvian lady behind me totally did it. 

We ended up going to Paron on the lake's independence day from money-sucking gringos! There was a big celebration with bands and cheap food and some men trying to take a raft around the lake against a killer headwind. The banks were covered in food and flowers as a gift to... the lake Gods? I missed the part where they actually said what this was all for....

Can some Gringo go down and marry this woman and bring her back here to be my next door neighbor? Please?

I love Juana for many reasons. One of the big ones is that she slaughtered some of her own cuy to make me my favorite meal! Guinea Pig is delicious and don't bash it unless you've tasted it. 

His tiny little hand! Bruce had no idea what to eat. He repeatedly would whisper, "where's the meat on this thing?" 

Some of my favorite moments from the trip were walking the streets with Bruce and telling him about my mission and the Peruvian culture. We would stop to buy little treats like Beso de Mozas and Inka Cola at almost every corner. They're the type of moments where you want to bottle them up and save them forever and ever.

Canyon del Pato. What a sketchy place. They're a series of long, one-way tunnels that wind through a canyon with 500 foot walls jutting up on either side of you. We begged Ivan to take us in his moto taxi and I wish you could hear our screams at the moment I took this grainy picture. A one way tunnel with no lights! Where were the city planners on that one? 

Adaluz took us to get shaved ice that comes directly from the glacier. I was all gung-ho until I saw this guy dish up my ice with his long black fingernails. Just part of the experience, I suppose. 

Let's just take a moment to appreciate that swim pools in Peru have ropes that go across every five feet because no one knows how to swim. 

Due to some poor planning on my part and some severe disorganization on the part of Peruvian airports we had to take a nine hour bus ride to Lima. It's not a true South American experience without the nasty buses and only having 2 soles to share a soda. 

Words really can't capture how grateful I am for the opportunity to be reunited with my best friend. Having international friends is hard but the reunions are so sweet. 

And JUANA! Dear, sweet, kind Juana. I think it's safe to say I stole her heart and she stole mine. She couldn't resist my charming gringa-turned-latina ways. And her cuy! It's to die for. 

We spent hours chugging along in this moto taxi screaming Enrique Iglesias songs at the top of our lungs. 

Te amo Peru! 

Hermana Llacsa came and picked us up at the bus station in Lima. Guys, I am so terrified of that city. It gives me ulcers just being in it for a couple of hours. Luckily we got to the airport safely (thanks Llacsa!) and devoured some pizza. 

Welcome to America. 

First time on first class baby! If I was rich I would never ride with those coach peasants again. 

Back in Oregon! 

If you made it to this point in the post then I applaud you. This may not be witty or entertaining but I also don't get paid to blog (probably because I don't post pictures of my outfits or have perfect babies) so I will not apologize. Long live Peru! Hopefully I will be hightailing it there again veerrrrryyyy soooon. 

We Rode More Bikes: Austria

After the hustle and bustle of Italy it was time to high-tail it to the mountains. We were reunited with our beloved bikes again. As I grow older (saying that makes me sound so wise), I realize more and more that riding a bike is the easiest way to feel pure bliss. When you have a bike you can get places! You can go fast and be in control! You can feel your lungs expand and fill your soul with joy! This is getting sappy so I'm going to move on.

But I do love bikes.

 

For anyone that knows anything about Geography, Rome is quite a ways from Austria. So we took the train up to the border. We mostly spent the day doing hood rat things like this;

Let's just say that we're known for our rowdy ways. Eating and sleeping baby, that will get the train conductors all in a tizzy. But on a more serious note, getting three bikes off of the train when the stops are only about 15 seconds long is a struggle. And when I say it's a struggle I mean that I got off first and left my friends to get repeatedly smashed by the closing doors as the alarm went off. To each their own dude, unless it's me that is in distress and then everybody better be saving me from the shutting doors.

Before I move on I would like to draw people's attention to a serious condition I will refer to as PTDBSD ( Post Traumatic Dirty Bathroom Stress Disorder). Riding the train system in Italy made me realize that I hate the whole human race. Urine covered all surfaces of the bathroom, including the ceiling. WHY? Aren't humans advanced enough to be better than common monkeys? ugh.

This image is that of a stick person but it's actually a perfect representation of Elise getting stuck while getting off. 

Oh Austria. The cheaper, less-perfect version of Switzerland. So under-praised. But gorgeous, holy moley. It was so relaxing to bike up and down the mountain passes and eat pastries and chocolates. I'm kind of at a loss as to what to say about it. It was nice! The people were nice! They also don't speak that much English but it was still a better situation than in Italy.

No more words! Pictures!

Ride over a mountain, buy some pastries, repeat. 

Innsbruck was too hip for it's own good. It was like the European Portland.  

The main attraction in Innsbruck. A roof made of solid gold. I think I'll just go ahead and put this on my Dream Home board on Pintrest.  

I liked Austria but I felt pretty loyal to Switzerland and it's perfection. This traitor right here found her dream home. At least they're close together so we can visit each other.  

Selfies of people taking pictures of people taking selfies. 

Wanderer! I had plans to Instagram this and say something like, " I was born to wander" and then I realized how pompous that sounded. You're welcome. #iwander

When Elise pretends she's Blake Lively chilling in Austria and I'm the paparazzi.  

We went and experienced the "local scene" and got the "traditional food" of Austria. They brought out a giant chicken strip and fries. I like this country. A lot. AND THE GIRL BEHIND US. Straight up horror movie status. 

Our theme song was "Uptown Funk" and we would randomly bust out some moves in strange places. The side of the road, the aisles of a train....  The Cougarettes can go ahead and recruit us now. 

We went mountain biking on rigid frame bikes. What a hoot. 

That look of determination...

Meet Babara. We biked to the top of this mountain and asked her for a drink of water. She ended up giving us slice upon slice of homemade birthday cake and told us the secret of Austrian pastries. (It's in the unpasteurized milk and eggs.) 

Made it to the top of the mountain! 

I like to call this picture; Elise Explaining That This Is Actually Not A Large Amount Of Chocolate To Buy, You Should Of Seen How Much I Bought On My Mission. 

Austria was honestly the best way to end the craziest trip. It was so relaxing and leisurely and helped us come to terms that our money had run out and it was time to go home. I am so grateful for the opportunity we had to go see so many breathtaking places. There were also countless individuals who took pity on two poor college students and gave us food to eat, beds to sleep in, rides to train stations, directions, and kindness in general. We can't repay or thank all of them but we promise to pay it forward someday!

Toodles Europe!