I kept waking up in the night because of excitement. I didn't want to be late for anything and I was so exhausted.
I came downstairs at 6:15am to quickly grab a bite to eat for breakfast. The man cleaning and serving was cute. Not in an I'm-attracted-to-you cute kind of way, but more of an endearing way. A non-English speaking woman picked me up from the hotel and I joined her in a van with some other tourists. At first I wasn't really sure if I was following the right tour or getting in the right van...but at this point, i decided to "Let go and Let God". I'm the only one who speaks English in the van. She brought us all to the boats and then our real guide was there to greet us. Alan (the guide) did an introduction of the tour to us.Alan explains to us the itinerary yet he fails to tell us the length of each highlight. Lucky for me, I had packed my snack of almonds I brought for my plane ride (which i took everywhere with me, because you never know when hunger strikes!). I could see the frustration in other people's faces as time on the boat went by.
The first stop on the island tour was Uros. The people here are beautiful and extremely friendly. Their cultural attire is vibrant and textured with bright oranges and blues. There was no way you couldn't spot them against the reed and water environment they lived on. We dock on one of the reed islands so Alan could explain the way of life for the people there as well as the relationship between Peruvians and Bolivians (in regards to Lago Titicaca). I took extra time to capture more photographs and also spent 10 extra Soles to get a ride on a reed-boat to the next island (as opposed to the motor boat we came on). As I wandered the next reed island, which was the Uros captial, I ran into the cute German couple I met from the Colca Canyon tour. We chatted for a bit and learned that we would be staying on the same island later that night.
On the boat ride to the island of Amantenie, Alan surprises us and lets us know that there will be a fiesta party for us tonight. How timely, I still get to ring my birthday in with a party. We would be provided with Peruvian attire so we can celebrate like real Peruvians.
I look around at the group and realize that I am once again surrounded by couples. Even the boat driver, Edwin, has brought his girlfriend. Love is everywhere.
Last night when Glen sent that picture text message to me...in my mind I recall thinking, we should just get married. Scenarios played in my head of what it would be like, but it was still hard to tell. There was no clear picture coming in. He has hinted in the past of what he wants from this relationship and how he would like to get married and every time I think about it, my heart flutters. Sweet moments like these outshine any flaws he has. Everything has come together.
Our boat docks and we are greeted by our homestay families. Alan divides the group and allocates according to space and couples etc. I am staying at Matilde's house with a couple from the Netherlands, Jenni and Richard (33 and 31 years old). Our first interaction happens soon after being showed our room in Matilde's home. Jenni says that she had seen me earlier eating some snacks and was wondering if I would spare some as she was extremely hungry. I give her the bag and tell her to take as much as she would like. Through conversation I learn that Jenni is a personal trainer and Richard is a finance controller. We talk a bit about health and wellness and our lives back home as we wait for Matilde to prepare our lunch. While waiting, we also meet Clever Jesus who is Matilde's young son. He's so cute, but Matilde assures us that he is also a handful and causes her some grief sometime. She had a sad look in her eyes so understandably, neither of us continued to talk about it anymore. Happier times are to be had.
At 4pm sharp, everyone met at the plaza so we could all hike to the highest point on the island. Alan explains that the shamans in the town would go there to make offerings and talk to the Gods. The climb to the top was topically not the same as last year's birthday Grouse Grind climb, but it was somewhat symbolically the same. The hike was about 2 hours long and the air got thinner as we got higher. Similar to last year's climb, it was a challenging one. This year's climb was challenging as it was because of the altitude whereas last year's was due to the party the night before. Both occasions, I may not have gotten proper sleep but at least I wasn't hungover or dehydrated this time around. Once we reached the top, we sat and took in the sunset that hovered and started to blanket Lago Titicaca.
During dinner, Richard, Jenni, and I continue our conversation from lunch about our lives, society, and travels. As much as I get to know them, they are getting to know a lot about me and my "previous life". They continued to say how proud they are of me and wished for me to continue in my new found path. I sat for a second and thought to myself...hey, I'm really proud of myself too. We forget sometimes that our self-perception is important to us too; it's not all just about what others say about us. Clever joined us and played as his mom prepared dinner (that's him in the picture).Matilde took us to her room to get us dressed for the party. Once we got to the hall I sat and observed the rest of the group drinking, dancing, and laughing, as we were serenaded by a young Peruvian band. I reflected on the year that has past and how this birthday was similar to the last, but nothing like it at all.
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