Samaipata

We had the opportunity to take a few days off this week and head 2 and a half hours west to a little quaint town, Samaipata. We left at just the right time, as the days here at home were stifling hot and humid, but up in the mountains where we were, it was beautiful.

We took a taxi on Sunday afternoon, which turned out to be a great transportation option. It's cheaper than taking your own vehicle, and you can sleep while someone else drives. We arrived just in time for supper. The place we stayed was very nice, owned by a German family with many gardens and cobblestone sidewalks. Our little cabin was perfect, tucked away among the trees and flower gardens.

The next morning, we headed off to El Fuerte, which is an Incan Ruins site. I had been there 10 years ago, and Carl as a toddler, so we were excited to take our kids there. Again, we took a taxi up the mountain, and he agreed to wait for us for 2 hours and then take us back, all for under $12.

When we arrived, it was quiet and sunny. We hiked along the trails to the ruins and right away noticed how things had changed. There was a new visitor centre, the trails were marked off, and boardwalks were being built for the guests to walk on. It was all very nice, and it was encouraging to see how they were improving the site. The only disappointment was that we couldn't actually go up to the ruins to walk along the carvings in the stone hill like we had been able to years ago. Carl was disappointed that he couldn't get a picture of himself and the kids on a particular inscription where he himself 35 years ago had a picture. Well, we understand they are trying to protect an ancient site, and the threat of 6 year imprisonment if you crossed the line was also a deterrant!

The kids enjoyed themselves. Joel had lots of energy and ran most of the way. Kezia just looked and looked and looked. Asha on the other hand had to be convinced to even walk for 5 minutes. We kept playing the Let's Go Touch That Log Up There game. It worked for a while....

We stopped and had a little snack before we continued. By the time we had finished, we had seen quite a lot and enjoyed our little excursion. We arrived back at the taxi one minute shy of 2 hours.

Once we got home, we all had a nap.....we were so tired! After, Joel and Kezia attempted to swim in the pool, but it was already in the shade and quite cool. At least they got their feet wet.

We made supper and the kids did some puzzles before bed. It was a quiet evening and it was nice. Though we enjoy living in the city, sometimes all the constant noise gets a bit much. It was a nice calm for the ears to hear nothing except the leaves russling in the wind.

The next morning it was raining, and so our plans of heading to the waterfalls had to be postponed until next trip out. We had a leisurely breakfast and packed up slowly. We took a taxi to the local museum and then ran through the rain to the restaurant for lunch. The food was great. The kids had pancakes with honey and Carl and I had the special, which included zuccinni soup. Mom Heppner would have loved it! At the restaurant we met an older couple from Montreal. We chatted with them for a while, and they complimented us on our kids. They really had been great at lunch; in fact they had been great our entire trip.

Then it was time to head back home. We picked up our bags and called a taxi to drive us home. I was wondering if the roads would be blocked with landslides from the rain.....

And sure enough, we arrived at a blockade at 1:42. The road had been closed at 1:30 so the crews could clear off mud and dirt from the road. It was a controlled landslide, but the road would be closed until 4:00. Ug. Too bad we didn't arrive 10 minutes earlier. So the taxi driver stopped the car and got out. Kezia was still sleeping, so I stayed in the taxi for a while.

We killed time by going for a walk, taking the kids to pee in the bush, eating sandwiches from the cooler, playing with the other waiting kids, listening to the driver's 80's dance mix (Annie, you would have loved the album!) and braiding Kezia's hair. The time didn't seem too long and at 3 minutes to 4, our driver was shouting for us to get back into the vehicle. It was like the beginning of a race with all the vehicles pounding to the front of the line, trying to be the first one off.

About 20 minutes before getting home, Asha was done sitting in the vehicle. It had been almost 5 hours and she was anxious to get out. She kept saying "allí" and pointing to the off roads. I think she figured if the driver would just get off the ring road, we'd be home in no time!

Well, she made it and so did we. It was such a nice time away. The weather was beautiful, wasn't too hot and we got to spend some good quality time together as a family.