kickin' the bucket

(...peruvian style!)

today marks the beginning of a very, very exciting adventure with him: machu picchu, yeti style!! 

machu picchu is on the VERY top of my bucket list... actually, it's the only thing on my bucket list, so i've been told it's really more like a bucket item. and lucky me, i'm ready to conquer that whole bucket list *ahem... item... in just a few short days! 

allow me to paint the picture for you....

it all begins with a romantic* rendevous in lima, peru... i will be flying to lima, from denver by way of houston, to meet up with my lovely, doting husband who is already in peru, pining away for his long lost love.

*romantic includes a blizzard in denver potentially delaying/cancelling a leg of my flight; my husband's already lost baggage which leaves him with ONE outfit that he will have been wearing for the past six days when we meet; packing a full-on pharmacy for any in-case, pregnant, high-altitude emergency; and arriving in lima a day before my husband, to then take a hotel taxi to my lonely hotel room overnight and then back again to the airport the next day to catch my husband on our shared flight from lima to cusco.

then, after the romantic 45 minute interlude at the lima airport together, we will gather all (hopefully) our bags and jet over to cusco* to prepare for the amazing hiking and views ahead of us.

*cusco flights are typically delayed, sometimes hours at a time, due to weather and clouds that happen at 14,000 feet. oh, did i mention cusco is 14,000 feet? it's like flying into a 14er and staying a while. and 14ers are typically as good as this little baby inside of me at making me puke.

after our lovely night's stay in cusco, we will then get up with the morning sun and board a train (with windowed ceilings!) to travel to the quaint* little town of aguas calientes, which sits neatly nestled at the foot of machu picchu. 

*quaint is what we say in america. in peru, aguas calientes is referred to as the armpit of the country. however, it's a low sitting armpit, only about 8,000 feet, so i'm sure my altitude-sensitive stomach will appreciate the new digs. 

the next day we will rise with the beginning of day* to catch a bus ride to the beautiful and grandiose machu picchu, where we will hire a local guide, eat at lunch at a fantastically indulgent buffet, and climb to the top of the high peak, huanya picchu. 

*meaning beat the sun, and be in line for the bus at 4:45am. AM!!

then, we will travel back to our cozy little hotel, cuddle up with some delicious dinner and enjoy each other's company. the next day, we will get up and retrace our traveling footsteps, back onto the train from agua calientes to cusco, a night in cusco, then cusco to lima, lima to houston, and houston to home... returning (again, hopefully!) with all of our baggage sometime midweek morning next week. then we'll swoop up our hound dog, who is bound to be missing us something fierce by then, and spend the late morning napping and recouping from an amazing adventure. 

i simply cannot wait. doesn't it sound romantic??