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This will be very strange for Jos to read, the Friday of her first week back to work, but hopefully a small reminder of the fun we had just a week or so ago.
Jos and Antony left off at Machu Picchu and our astonishment at Antony's popularity with his Inca Trail group.For most, after experiencing MP their visit to Peru is complete and people return home but not us.The Sacred Valley was a highlight in itself and we all felt privileged to be able to spend a few more days enjoying it. For our two remaining days we did one activity that was very 'us' and one that was very 'Jos.'
For the first day, the Pereiras introduced Jos to whitewater rafting.She was a bit nervous about this but was game.When really probing her concern it turned out that she didn't want to wear a wetsuit but otherwise was okay. So I think we both heard her sigh with relief when they said that it was too hot for a wet suit.Instead we were dressed in some waterproofs and a helmet and set off down Rio Urubamba.It was a fantastic day; the sun was shining, the water was cool and we had two wonderful guides named Abel and Coco who were nearly giddy with excitement themselves.Over the 90 minutes in the river we went through class II and III rapids and frequently paddled like madmen to 'surf' on the wake.We all got wet, we all squealed with delight and we all enjoyed the amazing scenery along the way.
On the second day, we all went horse riding through the valley, up to the top of a mountain to visit another Inca ruin called Moray, through a local and very 'real' village and down the mountain through a salt mine.The scenery was again stunning but the real highlight were the Peruvian horses that had a special type of gait (Jos said that it was similar to the unique gait Icelandic horses have).We rode a large part of the day in a half walk half trot that was surprisingly comfortable.Other times we had to get off the horses and walk them up steep sections of the trail.Once Antony and I rode off in a fast canter with the horses who seemed keen to stretch their legs but apparently this wasn't encouraged and Jos was stuck behind with our two guides that were yelling for us to stop (though we couldn't hear them with the wind on our faces).By the end of the day Antony and I were shattered and Jos said that she could have ridden hours more (as if 5 hours wasn't enough!).I happily overheard her say to someone else that it was her best day in Peru.
The next day we traveled back to Lima for a night before Jos flew home.The last day was so bitter sweet.Because we were staying in the same museum beach hotel we felt like we went full circle.In two weeks we had done countless, wonderful things and we were full of rehashing some of the most memorable but we were also aware that our partner in crime was leaving and we didn't know when our paths would meet again.When the time came there were sets of teary eyes with promises to email more often and when the taxi drove away we felt so grateful that Jos came all the way to Peru to travel with us.We sincerely hope that before long she will come visit us in the States for more adventures.
Love, Rachelle & Antony
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