Maine to Peru (Molly)

Nick and I are sitting on the veranda of Ollantaytampu Hostel, which looks out onto Incan ruins from around the 15th century. Admittedly the veranda is a bit rickety and looks like a strong shake might cause us to fall through, but this is more than made up for by the lovely breakfast of fresh bread with butter and jam, scrambled eggs, juice, and (most importantly) coffee, made by a Quechua woman carrying her child on her back in a multicoloured blanket.

View from our breakfast table in Ollantaytambo

Yes, our trip is in full swing! But let me go back a moment...

Nick and I left an overcast Wellington and a rainy Auckland but went in different directions - Nick to pick up Grace and I to San Francisco to meet up with one of my closest friends in the world, Patricia.

Patricia and Molly - 13 (!) years on

San Francisco was lovely, and every time I go I think I would be very happy living there. We stayed with a friend of a friend in Haight Ashbury, in a lovely old villa near the park and an excellent coffee roastery (do you see a pattern here?) We spent a lot of time walking and biking, to tire out her active two year old, which was an excellent way to see the sights and chatter away. Patricia and I tend to pick up wherever we left our last conversation, which I think is the mark of a lasting friendship. I also met up with a high school teacher who was an old mentor of mine, who happened to be in the area at the time with his family (discovered very belatedly through the magic of Facebook).

After a few short days I met up with Grace and Nick in Maine. It was late, so we all fell into our beds and straight asleep in the cool dark. We woke up to this:



The next 10 days were a lovely blend of family and activities that have taken place at our family's cabin for over 100 years. Here a guest quote from Nick:

Once again, a fantastic holiday in Maine. Yesterday alone we saw two bald eagles, a beaver, a hummingbird, a painted turtle hanging out on a lily pad, a bullfrog, dragonflies, some Canada geese, and a chipmunk. Pine and oak forests, kayaking among the lily pads and rushes, blueberries, lobster...I feel like I'm in a classic American movie.

The 100+ year old family cabin in Maine

The trip was made all the more special by the wonderful family who came from all over the East Coast to see us. Grace was running wild around the property, making fairy castles with her second cousin and the girl on the island just across from us, which is exactly what we hoped for.

After all too short a time, we were off to Lima...