May 14

On our several wanderings through the Witches Market we stumbled across El Caldero Chorreante. Well where else would you expect to find it? Anthea was determined to visit this establishment. Megan and Jason expressed similar interest as they had been reading the books. Jason’s parents ( Malcolm & Sharon) similarly thus expressed interest. Quickly it became everyone. Which proved a challenge to the staff as the interior was as cramped and circuitous as one would expect of an establishment of this name. However they graciously moved stuff around to squeeze us in. 

It had all the expected trappings of an establishment designed to reel in the tourists.  And we lapped it up. I partook of the Fire Whiskey. Thea and several others enjoyed their Butter Beer, complete with the “frothy” moustache. 

This was also the last night that the whole tour group was to be together. Ibolya, Péter, Neil, Nadia, Alexandra, Adrian & Lynn were to continue on with a different Intrepid trip through Bolivia. Megan, Jason, Sharon & Malcolm were ending their trip as were Thea and I. As we were enjoying our wizarding drinks Thea came up with the inspired plan to borrow uncle Simon’s idea of asking everyone’s high points and low points of the tour. Each person would tell their highlight and low light before nominating the next person. We heard the various retellings of the highs of the Inca Trail or Machu Picchu or the family stay or the museums of Cusco or Rainbow Mountain. And the lows of various encounters with altitude sickness or other challenges. 

Quite by accident I ended up being the last. As I was sitting there hearing most of the highlights, and realizing most of mine were getting “taken” mine occurred to me. The expectation and wonder on Thea’s face as we approached the Sun Gate and got our first view of Machu Picchu. The culmination of many years of expectation and planning seemed captured in the joy of that moment. 

And it made me quite emotional relating it to the group. As it does now just retelling it.