After the height of the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu, and the pure elation of the day touring the ruins and hearing tales of the Incas, we tiredly gathered onto the bus which would take us down to the touristy town Aguas Calientes. This is where you can find some Hot Springs and a variety of hotels and restaurants...where the lame people stay, you know, the ones who take the train up to Machu Picchu and get to have a hot shower each night! We arrived and had an hour to kill so were going to get some lunch when we realized that we had 10$ left and no credit card. Nice...we were hungry and tired so walked around through the market and bought a water and two huge mangoes...then we were broke. But I must say the Mangoes in Peru and Bolivia are some of the BEST you have ever had....meaty and juicy...it really was just like a meal.
So we sat on a sidewalk and listened to a fun band near by...watched some children playing in the square and devoured our lunch of mango. The sun was still warm and gorgeous and I loved just sitting there with Ivan, laughing as bright orange mango juice trickled down our arms....it was a perfect way to end such a remarkable trip.
After that we met with our group and hopped on the lovely train and then bus for the very long ride home to Cusco. Everyone was very tired...thank god I was so tired as apparently the bus driver had a death wish and brought us close to it many times. We finally arrived at 8pm...we all quickly parted ways and went to our rooms to partake in a warm SHOWER!!! It felt like heaven....I didn't rush....but instead lingered in the warm water and scrubbed every bit of my tired, dirty bod. It is amazing the things you take for granted in your daily life.
We were too tired to eat supper....YES dear readers, you can just imagine HOW tired I must have been to skip one of my favorite meals of the day (other than breaky, brunch, lunch and snack time). At 8:45 pm we drifted off to sleep with dreams of breakfast.
We awoke refreshed and feeling good ready to devour the buffet. That morning we had to check out early and head to our final destination...the final hotel. We had parted ways with our GAP group the night before and we were going to stay in a hotel that my boss had recommended....we both kept our fingers crossed that it was nice....we didn't want a repeat of the "romantic nature hotel." I was praying for a nice hotel for my own sanity and relaxation, and Ivan was praying for a nice hotel because he KNEW I would be a Royal pain in the ass if not. YAY ...it was a delight!!! The Andenes al Cielo was amazing.....again under normal Heather circumstances it wouldn't have been considered in such high regard...but I LOVED it. I was so happy....no spiders, no bugs....crisp, clean, soft, white sheets, a large shower with loads of hot water, a little flat screen t.v. Now THIS was the perfect way to end our trip...we had 2 days and nights of pure relaxation.
Each day we went for a massage, and lingered over some delicious foods...one of the best restaurants we went to was called Baco on 465 Ruinas st. It was gorgeous and delicious....certainly fine dining. Since we were going to meet up with some of the group who were still in Cusco, I slathered on the make up and put my best backpacker evening wear on....Ivan bought me some pretty earrings that day so I was feeling like a real sassy gal in my lipstick and hiking boots. The dinners were amazing....I was jealous of Ivan's Alpaca steak with wasabi cream and mashed yams....as my crackling pork dish was a little on the rich side for me....but heck...the Champagne did just the trick to make everything taste wonderful...it was a lovely celebration with the people we had just spent the last four days conquering the world with. One of the girls I didn't even recognize with makeup on....no one should be forced to not wear make up for 4 days straight....let alone, not blow dry their hair. Did I mention that a major tragedy happened at the start of my trip in Bolivia....the very first day...I got out of the shower, plugged in my blow dryer and flames came out right before it died. I was mortified....one full month of very very bad hair....and as most of you know...I already have hair issues....so I was forced to become "at one" with my hair for an entire month....needless to say, I wore a lot of hats!
We lazed about for our final day...doing not much of anything and a lot of relaxing, snuggling and eating...recounting the highlights and low lights of our trip...and imagining what the start of a new year would bring upon our return. As I sit here at my desk today, with every single amenity at my manicured finger tips...I feel proud of our month long journey through Peru and Bolivia, and will cherish the fond memories I have created....and remind myself when things get tough in life...I can always go to a nice clean bathroom whenever the fuck I want!
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