Memories from an adventure I haven't exactly taken yet

My parents came to visit recently and it was so fabulous to be with them. I'm not sure that I have ever gone this long without seeing them in person, but gracias to Skype, we get to see them through the computer every week or two.


They read stories to Simon, who shows them his toys and new skills. This familiarity paid off when Sam and I came down with food poisoning mere hours after my parents arrived in the middle of the night. They came over after breakfast, Simon greeted them like an old friend, and they commenced playing. Sam and I rested and recuperated for the next day or two, while Simon and his abuelos went to parks, out to eat, played in the apartment, etc. I was so thankful Simon was happy to hang out with them (without Sam or me!) so quickly, needing zero transition time at all.

Several days later, we departed for Cuzco, 11,000 feet high in the mountains, for a trek through the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu. But as I came down with another round of food poisoning immediately after arriving, plans changed. I spent five days in hotel rooms while everyone else explored and played with Simon. 

Mom and Dad made it to Machu Picchu but Sam and I didn't; we are hoping to visit when his mom comes. While I was incredibly bummed to essentially miss the vacation with my parents, I was relieved no one else was affected and that there were so many extra hands to help with Simon.


I loved seeing the photos from everyone's cameras when they returned each day. These are some of my favorites.

There are amazing Inca ruins, called Sacsayhuaman, just a short walk from Cuzco's main plaza. Seeing how tiny Simon is compared to some of these rocks helped put their size into perspective for me.

You can see a puma's paw in the rock design above Simon and Sam's heads.

At Sacsayhuaman, the Incas constructed slides for all-ages fun. Kids from Cuzco go to play there all the time, according to Sam's guide. Simon had a blast going down the big slides with Sam and the "baby" slide all by himself.

We frequently saw women or children dressed in native dress, approaching us or other tourists to ask whether we wanted to take their photograph... for a tip (una propinita). A couple of times we did.

And based on the number of times people took Simon's photo or asked to do so, we started joking that we should ask for una propinita too! The family that took this photo ran up to remove Simon's baseball cap so his blond hair would show in all its glory.

We visited the workshop and then walked to the market puesto of Juan Cardenas, the elegant gentleman I mentioned during Manos Amigas' capacity-building training. 

Juan Cardenas, walking up the hill outside his home & workshop, taking us to his market puesto

I was particularly fascinated by the jewelry his wife crochets: the silver threads are thinner than a human hair!

Simon's capacity for joy in any situation is a lesson I keep trying to learn... at this restaurant I was feeling grumpy and was certainly not a nice travel companion. Yet here he was, finding happiness in getting tickled by yarn.

We returned to Lima and I enjoyed the last few days, all too short, with my parents. On their last evening, we ate fantastically fabulous food at El Señorio de Sulco. 

And then, several hours later, they left in a taxi, headed for a midnight flight home. So lovely to have them here; so hard to see them leave.