The other day I was just pondering and remembering my trip to Peru. It definitely was an” AHA” moment for me. Not only because of the things I experienced that left a mark on my life, but a sense of personal and spiritual growth, and an appreciation of the blessings and little things we take for granted everyday.
It definitely stretched me and got me out of my comfort zone, traveling to an unknown place and adventure that I never had experienced before! I am truly grateful when an open door came to me .One in which I could hook up with a group from a local church who were going there as part of a mission trip to help break ground on an orphanage out in the Amazon Jungle. Which was truly a blessing since I would be visiting my dear friends for years who were going to be the Pastors of that church and orphanage.
Needless to say I was so excited and made all the necessary preparations of shots, vaccines, high altitude pills and packed ready to work…ready to take on the world and explore!! It was more than I had ever expected and came back a different, more humbled, grateful person.
To start out we hopped on a plane from Florida, which I was living at the time, to our first destination Lima, the capital of Peru. From there, there would be many more trips on plane, train, boat and foot. It was wonderful!
At the airport getting our last meal in Florida.
Some beautiful views from the plane
From there we headed on another plane to Cusco and got our bearings and settled into a hotel for the night. El Puma Hotel. It was a little alarming but funny taking a shower LOL. They had electric shower heads YIKES! Which is very common in that area. Also I am glad I brought some outlet converters since the power outlets are a little different there. Electricity in Peru is 220 Volts. If you plug in a 110-volt appliance, prepare yourself for a puff of smoke and a broken piece of equipment. If you want to use a 110-volt appliance in Peru, you’ll need to buy a power adapter.
We all adventured into downtown square of Cusco, when we were all a part of the huge festival going on at the time. Corpus Christi.
When we got back to the hotel, some of the others had a little altitude adapting to do. I thank the Lord I had gotten some High Altitude pills from the pharmacy before I left Florida. I Felt absolutely wonderful and enjoyed every day without any side effects of the altitude changes. We learned also the locals all drank coca tea. Yes, coca leaves are the raw material for cocaine, but chewing the leaves or drinking coca tea when you’re in Cusco clears your throbbing head and lets you breathe again. And it’s legal.. Cusco is at 11,152 feet. Altitude sickness generally starts affecting people at 8,000 feet or higher,
Some of us had a little too much fun already!..
Our next adventure was Machu Picchu. I was so excited since I had only seen pictures of Machu Picchu . I was so excited to see something that many people only dream of. This was an” AHA” moment for me that was just beginning. We took what was then called the PeruRail. Such a beautiful trip as we went through town, then farms, then mountains with snow!! Absolutely breath taking.
Once you arrived at the base of Machu Picchu, you take a bus to go the rest of the way to the top… Whoo was that a little scary, but the drivers are used to it all day long..
When we got to the top it was like a scene out of Jurassic Park!! My eyes couldn’t take in the vastness of it!! It just didn’t seem real!! It was absolutely breathtaking. Another “AHA” moment!!! There were Lamas all around us and were even able to pet them. Just be careful they do spit!! LOL
The next day trip we headed to Puerto Maldonado..to Sede Gobierno Regional Airport, when I was greeted by my dear friend and Pastor Italo. For from there as the group stayed at hotels, My dear friends Italo, Rebecca, and David would be having me as their house guest. It was so wonderful and a blessing to be sharing such an important part in their lives.
The next days we made our way into the Amazon Jungle, where the future orphanage was to be built. It was work mode time. We entereed Madre Di Dios. It was definitely a growth time for me as we made a make shift bathroom outside like a hut, and our dear friend Italo’s sister made us lunch right there on site.
As we took another day to check out the sites, another favorite of mine was Monkey Island! Now I love little monkeys and I had the chance now to enjoy them up close and touch them. We all had so much fun introducing them to Sprite, and feeding them crackers right from our hands. These little creatures are so beautiful and it was so sad to hear about poachers that try to come and capture them….
My friend Rebecca and I took a day and visited some of the most poorest areas, as to which a lot of these children were going to be coming to the orphanage at a later time. You don’t realize just how blessed you are!! Again another “AHA” moment. These children were so happy to see us. Despite their conditions they were so happy and playful, even when they only had a straw roof covering them and had to wash their clothes in a dirty stream.
In contrast we stopped by a beautiful government building with carvings from all the local things they are known for and enjoyed some last precious moments with my dear friends.
It was time to leave Puerto Maldonado and head back to Lima.
From there we made our way back home to Florida. As I pondered on all the precious friendships and memories made I left a changed person. An added sense of gratitude and humbleness which I pray I will never forget and cherish each and every day!
Finished orphanage as of today….
In His Love,
I pray you enjoyed this adventure with me and encourage you to follow me on any of my other social media sites….Have an awesome day and until next time, have a blessed day…Talk soon