Christmas 2008

Close to Heaven
This year we spent Christmas in Huaraz, Peru. Bart's parents were visiting from Colorado so we traveled with them a little after showing them Trujillo. Huaraz is a mountain town that sits at 10,000 feet. We were surrounded by the white peaks of the Cordillera Blanca. To me it looked like the Rocky Mountains on steroids. I had never seen anything so beautiful. Christmas Eve was spent hiking around a turquoise lake called Laguna Llananuco. The minerals in the water cause the water to change to a beautiful green hue. It was chilly and crisp which was fine by me. I was glad to be wearing a coat since a warm weather Christmas just doesn't feel right. (The mountain that looks like a cloud behind us is the highest peak in Peru).


On Christmas day we lounged around the mountain lodge where we were staying. The boys had fun climbing around rocks and playing with the owners four dogs. Since is was owned by Canadians, we were able to enjoy a traditional North American Turkey meal with all the fixings. The next day we had a special treat as the owner taught myself and the boys how to saddle up a horse after brushing it and cleaning it's hooves. Solan and Aidan took turns riding around a training ring with their horse, Rumi. I was taken on a ride up a ridge overlooking a valley and glacier capped mountains. We ran the horses past children shepherding their sheep-very in tune with the Christmas season.