Ready

WE are ready and I am nervous. To imagine ourselves at 13000 ft high, climbing 6500 of them in 3 days, while sleeping on the ground every night and carrying a weeks worth of stuff, is to imagine the near impossible for me. It is so much easier to plop down on a beach and have margaritas delivered with ease. But this trip is different. I have a sense of nervousness that I have not experienced before. The reality of the challenge ahead of me has certainly sunk in. This is going to be the most difficult yet most rewarding trips of my life thus far.

In the end, the rucksacks have been packed and re-packed, the trek site memorized, the travel blogs read. There is only so much planning one can do, and then it is time to just go and do it, with no regrets and only success within our reach...

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain

So Not Ready!

So as most of you know, I am an organizer, a planner, a one month ahead packer. But for some reason, for our 4 Year Anniversary trip, I have completely fell apart. It is T-4 days before we depart to Peru and the mess you see before you is our "packing" thus far. What I am afraid of is not finding our way out of the ruble to actually make it on the flight to Peru. Can you imagine?!?!?!



If for some chance we actually pull ourselves together to get this mess in a rucksack and get on the flight, here is where you can find out where we are on our trek to Machu Picchu:

http://www.inca-trail.com.pe/maps/tracking.php?lg=en&id=1942498684&simul

Once you access the link, you have to type my full name: Sonja Rhea Figueira

We leave for Peru on Monday, May 25th, begin the Trek on Thursday, May 28th and should wake to the sunrise in Machu Picchu on Sunday, May 31st. Wish us Luck!

"The Best Vacation of My Life" -- Fernando Figueira

The Figueira Family was in full swing as of last Saturday, finally Pai and Gu arrived by train from Seattle, and we were in full force. Usually, life is pretty quiet for Rafa and I in our home, but once the Figueira's arrived, we were no longer the quiet street on the house. The package Figueira deal, is late nights, loud laughter, Rafa and Gu playing XBOX to wee hours of the night, and Pai smoking the house every night with his cooking. We have been able to share in the small delights of dinners around the table, casual conversation, good wine, family stories, and a lot of translating for me : )
And let me not forget to mention the HUNDREDS of shopping trips the Figueira's's took (poor pai) But thanks to them, the USA is on its way out of the recession! We should invite them back more often.

Before Gu and Pai arrived, Etna, Raquel, Rafa and I at the water front after shopping at Saturday Market



My favorite part of the week, The Oregon Gardens in Silverton, Oregon:



The Oregon Garden Resort where we stayed the night:



Lovely yellow flowers at the Oregon Gardens:



Fernando, Etna, and Rafa at the beautiful Oregon Gardens:



Pond at the Oregon Gardens:



Etna and Fernando walk the Oregon Gardens



After the Oregon Gardens, we went to Silver Falls Forest. Here the Figueira's and Bella take in the Silver Falls Forest:



Pink flower along the trail during the forest:



The Figueira's at the falls, just as the sun came out:



And like any Spring day in Oregon, the drive home gave us something to be thankful for, dramatic skies and lovely green trees:



And tonight, we share in one last meal together (Pai leaves tomorrow) and what better way to do then a round table of family and fondue.

Hugs until next post.

Sonja