11 Days and 2 to Go - Rafting in Peru

After waking up particularly early (pleasantly not to the sound of roosters at 3 AM), we ate the usual traditional Peruvian breakfast at Las Orchidias Hotel and then headed out. We travelled 20 minutes in vans to Urubamba River (the rafting site); here, we put on our cat-woman wetsuits and were tormented by our peers' jests and later by the freezing waters of the Class 3 rapids. Just so you get the point of the temperature - we were rafting alongside snow covered mountains. Although most people were having issues distinguishing their lefts from their rights (due to freezing bodies or maybe they did not listen when the guides were explaining paddling commands....eep), we definitely had so much fun that the freezing water collecting in our wetsuits began to add to the overall positive attitude of the group instead of bringing us down. At regular intervals, our guide would let us "relax", and we would pretty much just take a nap while hanging off the edge of the raft. Another often mentioned command would be "war music", which meant hit the raft to the beat of We Will Rock You then destroy opposing rafts filled innocents (splash wars just to clarify). About halfway into our 2 hour rafting adventure, our guide pulled us over to pick some wheat plants to put into our helmets like Native American feathers; this certainly added to our raft's intimidation factor. After we finished our rafting trip and were beginning to struggle to get out of our rafts and wetsuits, one of the guides asked if anyone wanted to jump off of the bridge. Half kidding and being the absolute psychopathic person that I (Alanna) tend to be, I consented. Cayce and Blaire also joined in this terrifyingly fun activity. (For the record, when he said, "Okay, jump on 3", I said, "No...", but that didn't mean he couldn't push us in.) Meanwhile, the rest of us were catching up on some sun and enjoying a lunch consisting of pasta salad, avocados, cucumbers, tomatoes, bread, and tea. After most of us passed out in the grass for a nice nap, we headed back to Ollantay for the rest of the afternoon/evening. Hot chocolate and brownies at the Hearts Cafe plus a little shopping were nice finishing touches to a great day.

Love, Lauren B. and Alanna

P.S. Hola to Mom, Dad, Brett, Gramps, Mittens, and Daisy! I miss you all and can't wait to tell you all about this amazing trip! Love you and see you Sunday : )

P. P. S. Hey Mom, Dad, Rachael, and Mike:) I'm having a great time here, and I haven't had any injuries resulting in lack of communication skills yet....so no worries - Love you all and see you soon!