So..........what can I say........Really was one of the best trips ever!!! I just wanted to say a massive thank you to you, Elder and everyone else for a really amazing trip. I have to say you have a really great bunch of people over in Peru who have helped us experience a trip of a lifetime. Once again thank you and keep in touch!
I have never done a trip with a tour group before and I was pleasantly surprised. To be honest, I had imagined long white buses full of people taking terrible pictures out of windows. I loved that we were a small group, could decide where to go, where to stop, where to eat, etc. This is definitely the way to do it because the trip was more meaningful and personalised and we got to know each other and were able to spend more time with Aldo asking questions and telling stories.
It was an amazing trip, one of the best I've ever taken (right up there with my trek across Asia in 1990-91), and I'd have to say without question the best we've taken with the kids. I can't emphasize enough how much we appreciated Aldo and Oscar as guides, each great in his own way. Aldo is such a gentle spirit, an "old soul" in the true sense, and I especially loved what he taught us about Inca/Quechua spirituality and reverence for Pachamama. I think we all felt a bond with Aldo very quickly, and by the end he was part of the family. I felt no qualms trusting him with my children's safety on the trail, or anywhere else, which tells you everything you need to know.