After a charming time in Copacabana at Lake Titicaca (the highest navigatable lake in the world), we went on to Cusco, which is the starting point for the famous Inka Trail to the hidden Inka city, Machu Picchu. The four day trek was amazing with its beautiful views over high green mountains, but I think that we will remember this trip best for what happened when we reached our goal: When we finally arrived at the stunning Inka remains, Rob pulled me a bit away from the others, got down on one knee and proposed to me! After a moment of assuring myself that he was serious, I said yes, with the result that we are now engaged to get married!!! He had bought a local indigenic ring for me already in Belem, Brazil, more or less as a back-up because he couldn�t find any other beautiful jewelry here (it is all very flashy...). But back in Cusco we very quickly found a very beautiful and elegant ring for me (one that Rob would have bought himself if he would have found it before - perfect!).
After calling home with the news and getting absolute touching reactions from everyone being happy for us, we went on here to Arequipa, where we have been on a two-day tour to the Colca Canyon. Besides the beautiful landscapes, the highlight was the condors that we were so lucky to see at this place! These huge and majestic birds were flying straight over us, smaking very clear why they were looked upon as gods by the Incas.
Today we have been visiting a museum with mummies that were sacrificed to the gods by the Incas and the stunningly well-preserved remains gave a very authentic picture of how life must have been like at that time. Very interesting and informative!
Tonight we are travelling on to Nazca to take a flight over the huge mystifying figures in the ground that the city is famous for. After that we go to Ica for some sand boarding which I have no experience in whatsoever... Rob is pretty good at snow boarding it seems, so let�s see how it goes: Wish me luck!