I don't care about money, I just want to BE WONDERFUL- Marilyn Monroe: Love, Adventure, and Cameltoe

Six months after a very sad and teary airport goodbye, I got to spend a week with Joe in beautiful Peru. How long I waited for that week and how quickly it passed. In preparation for his arrival in Peru, I told him to expect love, adventure, and the worst cameltoe he has ever seen. As expected, my beloved host country delivered on all counts. I could write a book about this trip, mostly because it was my first vacation in Peru, but also because I got to spend it with someone I really enjoy. I will try to condense this as much as I can. Here are the highlights-

Good Food- I am poor. Joe is not. I get a minimal allowance in soles. Joe gets paid cash money in US dollars. Joe wanted to go to real restaurants, not just the cheap menu places I can afford. This was something I got used to rather quickly. While I fattened myself up on fresh fish with fancy sauces, overpriced pasta dishes, and giant breakfasts, I made Joe eat guinea pig, ceviche, lomo saltado, chifle, and a few other Peruvian treats. He even got his first taste of a Pisco sour. Fearless trooper, that one :)

A Pisco Sour Treat

Adventure sports!- Of course a trip with Joe would involve physical activity... and a lot of it. We surfed, went rock climbing, ran on the beach, and took a 6 hour hike to a glacial lake higher than 14,000 feet up.

Surfing: I stood up on my first try. Joe did not. Must brag about that. I'm never better than him at anything. Finally, something I can beat him at :) He did a great job though and we both had a really good time. I was surprised I was able to do it and wasn't a big clumsy mess. Really, I think the hardest part of surfing was getting the wetsuit on ;)

Rock Climbing: I forgot how hard this is. I took a rock climbing class in college, but that was 5 years ago. I had to sing to myself to stay calm. Miley Cyrus's "The Climb" may have made it into the mix coming out of my mouth. Joe did great though. I only did 2 climbs while he did 4... and I think he did all 4 of his in the time it took me to do 2.

Run on the beach: You might make fun of Vibram Five Finger shoes, but they are phenomenal when it comes to running in the sand. Of course, when both you and your bf are wearing them and yours are pink while his are blue... you should expect to be made fun of. We didn't see too many people on that lazy Monday morning though, except for a few herds of crabs on the beach- and they didn't seem to mind.

Hike: I can't think of many better ways to spend a Saturday in Peru than hiking to a gorgeous glacial lake. It was a nice long hike in a beautiful place. I will let the photos further below speak for themselves.

Climbing in Ancash

Lolling- While we did a lot of adventuring, we also took time to loll around in our cozy hotel rooms and read, watch YouTube videos, eat the treats Joe brought for me (cheese, Ghiradelli peppermint squares, caramels, etc.) and take in some Fox Life... the only channel available in English. Nothing like a little trashy TV to relax to.

Piñata Time!- The visit would not be complete without a trip to Ascope for the bf to meet the host fam. To give Joe a proper welcome, I bought a big fat piñata for him to break while he was here. Silly fun was had by all. Many many things were eaten that afternoon, as my host mom insisted that he was too skinny and needed to be fattened up while he was here.

His own Smurf Pinata!

Football (not futbol)- We allowed ourselves one American indulgence and spent Sunday afternoon, Joe's last trip day, in a delightfully American sports bar in Miraflores Lima watching the Packers go 13-0. Not a bad way to end the trip. Though we did hear a pretty strong Tebow chant. I had heard about this Tebow thing, but hadn't realized it had gotten that big... Good day of football regardless.

That's the trip in a nutshell. Here are a few pictures to maybe inspire my next round of visitors? Think about it, it's a good time. Just ask Joe :)