Greetings from Peru!

Hello, one and all -

I want to apologize for being such a terribly absent blogger. I hope that you can all take this lack of communication as a testament to what an amazing time we have been having. So much has happened since I've last posted, I won't even attempt to share it all with you. With that said, I hereby resort to the highlights reel:

Ecuador: After Manta, we found ourselves in lovely Canoa. Canoa is so dear to us that I don't know where to begin. Suffice it to say, we met wonderful people and stayed for two weeks. Please ask us about Canoa later - there is so much more to tell. From Canoa, we had a brief tour of Puerto Lopez and Montañita, before making our way down to Guayaquil to catch our flight to Chile.

Chile: We arrived in Santiago on a beautiful, sunny morning, and were warmly greeted by Magui's friend Cristobal and his family. They were wonderful hosts during our time in Santiago, and we are so grateful for their generous hospitality. Our stay in Chile also included some time on the coast - in Viña del Mar and in Valparaiso. In Viña, we had the great opportunity to see Reik and Don Omar in concert at the Festival Internacional de la Cancion (the International Festival of Song). It was a great show and a very fun night. (We think we might have even appeared on Chilean TV!) We had a couple of days to enjoy Valparaio before the earthquake hit. All I can say is that we both feel so lucky to have made it safely through that night and out of Chile. Our hearts are with all those affected by and still recovering from the earthquake.

Argentina: After the earthquake, we departed Chile for Mendoza, Argentina. Mendoza is a beautiful, lively city. We thoroughly enjoyed touring local wineries and a nearby olive oil factory, and we had the good fortune of being in town during Mendoza´s Italian Fest (three nights of Italian food and music in a nearby park). From Mendoza, we headed to Cafayate, a wonderful small town in the north of Argentina. There, we enjoyed a strenuous mountain hike to see several beautiful waterfalls. We also rented bikes, and spent an afternoon cycling to local wineries. From Cafayate, we made our way north to Bolivia.

Bolivia: By far, the highlight of Bolivia was our four-day tour of the Salt Flats and surrounding area. It was four dusty days in a crowded jeep at high altitude, made worthwhile by the wonderful people and the incredible scenery. We have some great photos of the Salt Flats, which cover a surface area of 12,000 square km and are 8 meters deep! It was on our tour, which began in Tupiza and ended in Uyuni, that we met a great Canadian named Aynsley. From Uyuni, we headed to La Paz, where we picked up our friend Lindsey. So, we are now four - Aynsley, Lindsey, Magui, and Betti. We left La Paz and spent one great night in Copacobana on Lake Titicaca before making our way into Peru.

Peru: Our first stop in Peru was Arequipa, the second biggest city in Peru. Due to its size, we didn't expect to like Arequipa much. But this beautiful, friendly city won us over, and we ended up staying for a few days. Next came Huacachina, in the Ica desert, where we went sandboarding! Very fun - we recommend it to all of you. From there, we made our way north along the coast, all the way to Huanchaca, a small beach town just outside of Trujillo. Now, we write to you from Mancora, another coastal town that we are excited to explore.

If you've made it this far, I commend you and THANK YOU for reading. As a reward for your interest in our travels, we would now like to share with you some of the more delightful English translations that we have found on restaurant menus down here:

Shrimp Empanadas: "Fried masses to the shrimp's cheese"
Stuffed Avocados: "Avocado refills"
Mashed Potatoes: "Attacked potatoes"
A Pineapple Dessert: "Pine cones to the juice with cream"

Hope you enjoyed those - we laughed until we cried when we found them.

Thanks so much for checking in. We think of you all daily!

Cuidense,

Magui y Betti