Planes, trains, automobiles and a backpack

With adventure calling us, we traveled to South America for the first time flying to Cusco, Peru. At an elevation of 11,152 ft above sea level, altitude sickness was a real possibility. We made sure we were well hydrated and began our trip with Coca Tea.

The Plaza de Armas in the center of the historic district of Cusco. We gave ourselves a day to acclimate to the elevation and slowly explore Cusco.

We visited the Santa Domingo Basilica a spanish church that was built on top of the Incan Temple of the Sun and Qorikancha (the Incan site of gold).

Everyone got to hold an alpaca.

Inca Kola, a favorite among the Peruvians and the Gillelands.

We drove two hours into the Sacred Valley from Cusco to Ollantaytambo (hard to get more Peruvian than a potato truck with the Andes in the background). 

We boarded the train to Machu Picchu in Ollantaytambo.

View from the train ride.

Our Machu Picchu Day was upon us. We met for breakfast at 5:00am and got in line for the bus at 6:20am.

It was a bit foggy when we first arrived......

So we visited the llamas......

And then the fog began to lift.

It was truly spectacular!

After exploring the ruins, we hiked the 3,000+ steps to the top of Wayna Picchu.

It was quite a hike! We were not smiling like this the whole time.

The view from the top was definitely worth it.

Emma in the clouds.

Resting on our return to our basecamp.

We took the train back to Ollantaytambo and spent one night there.

There were ruins to climb there too.

We stopped at a textile shop on our travels back to Cusco. The local women showed us how they created their beautiful items, from spinning the thread, dyeing the thread and the weaving itself.

From Cusco, we flew to Lima to see the city of 10 million people.

We enjoyed the Parque del amor.....

and the ceviche.

We ate dinner and toured another archeology site in Lima, Huaca Pucllana. Emma took it all in. 

Until next time South America......it was a fabulous adventure.

A Summer Trip to St. John

With Jacob safely at camp, Geoff, Emma, Elle & I flew to St. John for some well deserved rest and relaxation.

We picked up our jeep in St. Thomas and boarded the car ferry for St. John.

Our morning coffee view.

Our first snorkel was at Waterlemon Cay.

We saw more fish than we had ever seen before.

One of the octopuses that Geoff found hidden in the coral.

Everyone needs to stop at Skinny Legs.

Sunset at Maho Bay.

The next morning we snorkeled at Trunk Bay not expecting to see much. We were pleasantly surprised.

A school of cuttlefish was one of the best things we saw.

We got our fill of turtles at Hawksnest Bay.

We saw so many that we lost count.

A little underwater photography fun.

We ate fabulous food, all restaurant researched and picked by Emma and Elle.

Elle captioned this one "Cuddlefish."

One of the most interesting fish we saw.

Resting at Cinnamon Bay

Look out for the wild donkeys.

Soaking up the last bit of our view before we left.

Spring Break in Puerto Rico

We spent a week in Puerto Rico for spring break. Time together, relaxation, sun and snorkeling......just what we needed.
 

On the plane and ready for some island time.

Once we arrived in San Juan, we took an 8-seater plane to the island of Vieques.

We spent the first day snorkeling and beaching on the southern end of Vieques. We spent time on the beaches Pata Prieta and La Chiva.

 

 

 

 

 

A little afternoon siesta.

We saw the biggest puffer that we have ever seen at Playa Arena on the western side of the island.

We snorkeled at the pier on Vieques. The water was deeper than we are used to snorkeling in and made for a very different experience. We saw a lot of fish and some turtles.

Yes, we did buy an underwater camera. Here is Jacob underwater.

Having a snack on the pier after our snorkel.

Emma enjoying the beach at La Chiva.

La Chiva

 

We took a kayak tour of The Bioluminescent Bay on Vieques. It was a highlight for all of us.

The camera could not capture the beauty of the bay. It looked as though there were diamonds shimmering in the water everytime there was movement. It was other worldly.

Our home on Vieques.

Jacob was the copilot for our flight to Culebra.

Getting ready to snorkel off our rental property. It was one of the prettiest reefs we have snorkeled.

Emma underwater.

We found some turtles at Tamarindo Beach just north of our apartment.

Emma got this shot.

The underwater trio

Just out of the water at Tamarindo.

The guys at Playa Flamenco (Flamingo Beach), one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

The beach even had tanks!

Jump Jacob, jump!

Jump Geoff, jump!

The reef off the beach at our apartment.

Geoff saw a lionfish.

Sunset on Culebra from our terrace.

The Gilleland Five

Twilight on Flamingo Beach

Leaving Culebra, our apartment was one of the three on the hillside.

We all enjoyed one night in Old San Juan before heading home.