Cuzco, Peru (World Heritage Site - Capital of Inca Empire)

After our time at the beach we jumped on a flight and crossed South America into Peru for a much more challenging and informative part of our trip.

We stayed at the new Marriott in Cuzco (city is at an altitude of about 3400 m, 11200 ft).  The hotel actually sits on top of old Inca and Kilke ruins which they have done their best to preserve and also leverages some of the San Agustin convent walls and arches as part of the hotel itself.  Another great example of one empire building on top of another.  The Inca on the Kilke and the Spanish on the Inca.

Bell Tower of San Cristobal

Middle of San Blas Neighborhood

Night Parade with Lit Animals

It didn't take long for us to feel the effects of being at an altitude of over two miles high (compared to our normal 400 ft).  We of course listened to all the local experts on how to keep the affects in check and they seemed to help.

San Pedro Mercado - Anything

Cuzco had a very Spanish colonial feel and even looks like some of the towns/cities you'd find in Southern Spain today.  It's right in the middle of the Andes and you can get a great bird's eye view from Barrio de San Blas or Saksaywaman which we slowly walked up to through the thin streets as we acclimated to the altitude.

I am the only one who smiled!?

Jolene quickly fell in love with all Peruvian children and all of the exquisite crafts that were hand made by the people of Cuzco.  This made shopping in the local mercados with my broken Spanish one of her favorite activities.  It always took a moment or two before she would start touching and asking questions but before you knew it she'd be in the little shop petting the fabrics and inspecting all the trinkets.

She also developed a fear of dogs (at least for a couple days) after one snuck up to bark and lunge at her.  The good news is she didn't let this impact her desire to just pick up a baby llama or alpaca without a second thought.  Every time I turn my back she's out making new friends.

Amigas! 

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Obrigado)

As has become our style ... we planned a big trip to mark the end of one of my projects before shifting to the next.  This time it included us getting Brazilian visas, a bunch of shots, and a chance to cross South America off Jolene's list of continents she's never been.

Christo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer)

Copacabana Beach

Estadio do Maracana

After taking a red eye into Rio, I did a crash course of popular Portuguese phrases and we headed to our place in Copacabana.  We spent a good amount of time enjoying the beach and the local cuisine.  Whether it was a basic chicken, beans, and rice or we kicked it up a notch and got picanha, the food was always good.  Farofa was always on the side to mix in as needed and cold Brahma or fresh juice to drink to make sure you fit in with the locals.

We did take our hotel's advice and setup a day tour with a group to see the main sites of the city.  Danielle led us around with a small group of people from El Salvador and Columbia.  It was pretty interesting trying to understand the day in a mix of Spanish and Portuguese.  I must have nodded my head too many times in agreement because it was quickly decided that nobody was going to try to explain anything to us in English.

Catedral de San Bastian

                                   Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain)

Parque Nacional de Tijuca - Fighting Monkeys

Fun Memories
*  Being told by a local that I sounded like a Brazilian in response to whatever I had just said in Portuguese (Jolene said my eyes lit up and I started strutting around like I owned the place).
*  Picking a sweet spot on the beach under an umbrella for the day and somehow still finding a way to get too much sun.

The End of the Project that Started it ALL

Finally, the project which pulled us across the pond to London to live abroad and was the sole reason we started this blog has come to an end. So many interesting/great people made it an experience we won't soon forget. It took us to London, led us to that interesting spurt of time in Reading and Barcelona, and then dropped us back in the states in Nashville where we now sit together looking and thinking about what is next. 

This picture about sums it all up.  Fun, interesting, stressful, and at times just a little too strange to explain how this project and the people have changed us forever.  (Yes - she wears sunglasses at night).







Thanks to everybody who made the experience possible and of course made the related project releases such a success.  A special shout out to a group of people in Manila who helped carry me through some interesting work situations the last couple years.  You know who you are... we'll keep in touch.