An "awe"some day

Today held two amazing experiences for us ... even though we managed to sleep in until almost noon. After some much needed R&R we took a short hike up the hill to see one of the nearby Incan Ruins called Sacsayhuaman (prnounced like sexy woman). It was a pretty steep hike, but Dan took good care of his big sister and we managed to make it to the top alive. Once there we saw incredible stone structures forming three distinct zig zag lines that formed a fortress for protection. We wandered through the giant rocks (some are said to be as big as 8 meters and over 300 tons) and marveled at the way they were so perfectly fit together. We were also able to get some killer views of the city and its rolling hills from this hot spot.

This afternoon we went for a private tour of the Niños Project, a place dedicated to helping 500 children find the food, nutrition, medical attention, and school support they need to be more successful than the thousands of less fortunate children in this city. We were impressed by the facilities and the philosophy, but our favorite impressions were 1) the bathrooms where every child had been given their own cup and toothbrush since almost all the children had several cavaties and no way to fight against them at home, and 2) the giant room set up as a children´s restaurant (instead of calling it a cafeteria) where the children eat at least twice a day (since many of them don´t eat at home) and get a variety of foods including protein, vegetables, fruits, and desserts (my favorite). Overall, it was a humbling experience that made us think about the power of one person doing the hard work it takes to make the world a better place.

And now we are off to eat a small dinner (lunch was a big one) and then start to get our heads wrapped around the adventure that still lies ahead. Keep sending us your positive (and warm) thoughts.