South American adventures

My travel buddy!

Back in October or so, Liza mentioned taking a trip to Peru to visit Machu Picchu. Well, I had been waiting for the chance to return to South America ever since the day I boarded a LanChile flight back to Chicago. We chatted a few times about the trip, in passing and then came a week in January or February where the talk turned into action. We devised a plan - go to Peru, Argentina and then end in Chile. We did not really think about geography and the distance between Lima and Buenos Aires. Or the fact that southern Chile is enveloped in rain and snow during the winter months. We actually did not plan anything other than our flights and we knew we were going to take Spanish classes in Buenos Aires.

The trip turned out beautifully. We were in Cuzco during an old Incan gods festival, Inti Raymi - Festival of the Sun. The festival takes place the week of the winter solstice, when the sun is furthest from Earth. The Incans sacrificed an animal and called for blessings on their crops and animals. The festival is still huge today. We were in Machu Picchu on the largest and most important date but we were in Cuzco for the days following the winter solstice. As we were enjoying an espresso at a cafe on the Plaza de Armas a large group of people starting parading around the plaza with signs, banners and music. Within a few minutes we realized it was a Christian parade and they were celebrating Jesus! It was a beautiful thing to see. In the midst of their traditional cultural event where the Incans worshiped a sun god, the Christians spoke up about the one true God, our Savior.

To me, seeing a Christian parade in Peru was inspiring and an act of true faith. The Peruvian heritage is Incan and Spanish conquistadors. The family tree includes branches and branches of Incan blood but Jesus was revealed to them and now the Christians in Peru have a cultural history that includes the intelligent and advanced Incan civilization, lost to the world mixed with the one Truth, Jesus Christ.

Back to Liza... she is an AWESOME traveling friend! For 35 days she survived my craziness. Thanks Liza for the idea and your positive energy :)