May 12

Hello all, I am back from the Inca Trail and I have lots of news to share with you. I know that I said that I was going to try and post before we left for our trek, but things did not go according to plan and there were some serious complications. Two days before leaving for the trail we decided to go rafting on the Urbamba river which runs through Cusco and goes all the way past Machu Picchu and through a good part of Peru. The night we got back from rafting Ben started feeling sick and the next morning we called a doctor to come and see him to figure out what the problem was. Ben had to be checked into a medical clinic and it turns out that he had salmonella, two parasites, and an amoeba. Since me and my friend Jill, who has been with us since Colombia, has been eating all the same food and doing all the same activities we decided to get ourselves checked out and it turns out that we had parasites as well. Needless to say Ben was pretty sick, and out travel plans suddenly became more complicated.
We all got meds but Ben´s situation was way mroe serious and unfortunately he was not able to get better before our Inca Trail trek began. Jill and I had to go on without him while he satyed back in Cusco and got better.
We just got back yesterday from Macchu Picchu last night and the four days that we spent hiking were absolutely incredible. The trail far exceeded my expectations and I had an amazing time. It was physically challenging but totally worth the time and effort. Our group was fun, our guide was great, the scenery was unlike anything I have ever seen, and all of the ruins were spectacular. I am so glad that I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do the trek and it is something that I will remember for the rest of my life. I took tons of photos and I look forward to sharing them with all of you.
Ben and I left Cusco first thing this morning and right now we are in Lima waiting for our flight tonight to Buenos Aries where I am meeting my mom for a few days. Argentina is my final stop on my voyage, and it is amazing to think that I will be back in the U.S. in just a week and a half.
Hope everyone is doing well and enjoyed Mother´s Day.