We then traveled to Machu Picchu, the lost city. Once there, you climb to the top of a hill and are able to overlook the entire city. It takes your breath away as you see the natural beauty surrounding the city and the craftsmanship that went on thousands of years ago. It is really quite mind boggling how the ruins were constructed, but completely understandable why thousands of people from all over the world travel to see them.

Here is the city of Cusco, our second trip. This city is full of charm, historical architecture, and some of the oldest and most beautiful ruins in the world!! And you can't forget the friendly faces of the local people as they strive to make a living. When I took my parents to Cusco, we found the same lady in the downtown market of Cusco to make our morning juice. Believe it or not, the first picture of the juice market was taken a year before.

Our first trip in Peru was to a city called Arequipa. It is in the southern part of Peru. The city has 1 million people, but even with that number it seems like a small town. The city is self-sufficient with supplying all of the vegetables and grain that the people need in the city and surrounding area. A lot of the farming is done the same as it was 1000s of years ago. It is all terraced and amazingly enough, irrigated. It was mind boggling the way that they were able to create a system to maintain irrigation for the entire area for 1000s of years. Everything is still being used today! We also stopped at an old Convent in the city called Santa Catalina. The convent was founded in 1579. It is about 3 or 4 city blocks. Unbelievably big. Everything has been kept in its original form except for the upkeep of plants and paint. Here is a picture of Arequipa and then Dan and I in the convent.

Now don't forget the beach. It is the best place to be in the summer, especially when the city streets are blazing HOT! Oh and WHERE IS WALDO??....I mean...WHERE IS WAYNE?

Here is a picture of the traffic problems we have. There are usually 2 to 3 lanes for you to use. Well, here they use the 3 and make it 5 or 6. And then if you are not sure what lane is going to be faster, you drive in the middle of the lane to make the decision making quicker. Even though it sounds pretty bad....it is so much fun. You never get borred doing the daily routines, and you never know what might happen around the next corner!

So for the last pictures of the day...I have some really beautiful pictures of Centro de Lima at night. It is quite spectacular at night with all the lights. If you were to go in the day and see the dirt and grime you would never believe that you were in the same place at night. It gave me goosebumbs and was quite enchanting!

Here is a view of the coast of Peru over the city of Lima.

Here is a map of Peru for those of you who have no clue were it is! We are in Lima, the capital. There are aproximately 8 million people. It is in the desert where the climate is very predictable. Only 2 days of rain all year and the summer is full of warm sunshine and beautiful beaches. In the winter it is fairly humid and mostly foggy. We are blessed to live in a valley where the sun shines most of the time summer and winter, whereas the weather closer to the coast is not as nice. We have all the modern amenities that you could ever think of, as well as some others that you wouldn't find in Canada, but are really important here. One thing I have to say is THANK GOD FOR STARBUCKS!!! When you are travelling or in a unfamiliar country, you can always find a Starbucks where the smells and surroundings are the same as home.

Seeing as we left for Peru right after our wedding, we did not have time for a Honeymoon. So we decided early on that we were going to take advantage of any time off that Dan received from work and travel and see as much of Peru and South America that we could. So I guess you can say we had serveral weekend honeymoons the first year, and have keep on with the tradition! Our first trip was mostly for me, "moving into a new home in a different country". So here are some pictures of our first home.

It all started with our wedding, January 22, 2005. The next day we left to start our lives in Lima, Peru. And the story continues....

Well here it goes. I figured since I enjoy seeing Kim and Steve's page, updating all of us on the progress of their baby, I thought it might be a good idea to let friends and family know how Dan and I are doing in the far off land of Peru.

I am going to back date some pictures and stories and eventualy make it current. Hope you enjoy getting to know us!