Ryan
Dear Jack,
Happy Birthday!!!! You will probably not read this until the thirtieth but even if so, Happy Birthday!!! I'm so sorry that I couldn't be in Denver for your birthday and that I will not be able to wish you Happy Birthday over the phone or Face Time. When I get home I want to hear all about what you did today and what you got. I got you soooooooo many things even though I know that it will not make up for the fact that I am not there. I hope you had a great day and I'll see you soon.
Love,
Ryan
McKenna
Hey Home,
I woke up this morning to butterflies in my stomach. I was not nervous... I was filled with pure excitement. I knew today was going to be a day I would vividly remember for the rest of my life.
When we arrived, we started our small hike to a ledge that would look out onto the most breathtaking ruins in the world, Machu Picchu. I decided to refrain from any small view of the ruins before we got there. I did this so that when I opened my eyes I could take a picture in my mind and store it away forever. The ruins were extraordinary and they looked as if they were in a dream. We began hiking around learning all about the architectural, historical and meaningful aspects of the ruins. I had to remind myself about every five minutes that this moment was real. Towards the end of our exploration, we began giving our speeches. While I was giving my speech I could feel the emotions building up inside of me. As soon as I finished I sat down and tears started to fall. I was not crying in sadness, but in happiness. I have never experienced such a day filled with so much meaning. This day will forever stay with me as one of the most important days of my life.
Love and see you all soon :)
McKenna
Anna Sophia
Hello! Machu Picchu. It's one of the seven wonders of the world. Waking up at 5 is hard; I was so tired and drowsy. But it was all worth it since we had an amazing time. When we finally got up to the top, I felt the coolest feeling in the world. I felt a little opening in my heart. It was amazing and felt like Christmas morning. Everything around me fell into silence and my eyes widened as the little drops fell on my face. The rocks were green with life. We walked around the ruins, then after a few hours, we had to do our speeches. As they progressed, my hands started to sweat like crazy. All the speeches were so deep and my heart was beating plus my eyes were watering. It was then my turn to go. I nearly cried but at the end everyone was bawling. That was my day. Bye!
Andrew
Today was one of the coolest days of my life. When the group was walking the final steps to see the amazing view of Machu Picchu, everyone gasped. At first you couldn't see much since the ruins were hidden by the clouds. But once the clouds cleared out you could see everything in sight. So far this trip has been unreal and the memories I have made I'll remember forever. Stay chill, Andrew
Max
Machu Picchu was one of the most amazing places I have ever been. Being there was very overwhelming, but breathtaking as well. It was amazing to see everything that the Incas built. We got to see a bunch of llamas which was really cool. At the beginning of the day there was lots of mist around Machu Picchu, and it was amazing to see it dissipate from the mountains. See you guys in a couple days, Max
Grace
Everyone has started out their blog with Machu Picchu, so I will start with llamas. I had been waiting this whole trip to see some llamas. When I first came to Peru, I thought I would see llamas everywhere. I did not, however, see any until today. They were pretty cool; they let us take selfies with them and come right up next to them.
Now Machu Picchu.
There are only three things I can think of to describe Machu Picchu: AMAZING, absolutely breath-taking, and all around you. It just engulfs you and it is nothing like the pictures you see. It is so completely massive. The clouds touch the mountains and they make you feel safe. It feels like you could jump off the mountain and the clouds would catch you. We could never see beyond the clouds until the wind blew them away. The wind revealed the city and we had to scramble to take a group picture before the clouds came back. When we all said our speeches, almost everyone started crying. It was just a great, once in a lifetime experience overall. I loved it. I am really sad to say goodbye to Peru soon, but I'm excited to see all of you too.
Grace :)