Author: Karen Hilliard Art

Still Walking…Arrived!

The walk to the city of Aguas Calientes was a long one. A cool breeze and shade from the trees made the temperature bearable. Chris and I had long sleeve shirts and pants on to keep the bugs at bay. I wanted to tell you about the collage photos in my last blog, “The Walk to Aguas Calientes.” The photos show Chris walking on railroad tracks, which we both did to pass the time. He made up a game of how long we could stay on the tracks hopping from one section to the next. The rails were super slippery and I did not last long but we think he made it to 40 in a row. We had to jump off when a train was coming of course, so this hindered the game a bit, or made it more exciting. We did this for a long time so several of the miles. I love that we always invent new games to play depending on our surroundings and try to fully immerse ourselves in every situation we find ourselves in.

Train.Peru Series Number 3 — **CLICK HERE FOR THE ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR**

It was fun watching for trains because our injured friend had to take the train into the city instead of walking the last 19 miles. She had hurt her leg and could not make the journey until it started to heal per the doctor’s orders. Stitches are nothing to mess with especially on a trip in another country. As we walked and had to hop off the rails, we would wave and wonder if she was in the train. After several hours passed we actually saw her in one of the train cars and waved. She did not see us but we saw her and were super excited!! I had taken a picture of this exact train as it was coming and then she was on it! What are those odds, we thought? So when I got home, back to the States, I did a little watercolor of the painting to always remember the moment. I later created a watercolor of that same picture for the world to enjoy and I hope it brings much enjoyment. Trains are a wonderful form of transportation and bring to mind so many happy memories for me of the winter season. I often drift off to think about the Polar Express or the Hogwarts Express. It was cute watching Chris wave and hearing, “Do you think she saw us?”

Another thing Chris did that was super sweet was to carry my wet clothes. He tied them to his backpack so they could dry in the sun. He said he would be my clothesline. So sweet! I had taken a shower before we left for ziplining and put my clothes in a plastic bag to dry them later. My sarong acted as my towel for everything this trip. I always carry a sarong after a trip taken in Barcelona, Spain with my cousin before I met Chris. Maybe I will blog about that one sometime as it was just as interesting. Back to the moment of wet clothes…Basically, he got several looks and heads were shaken, to all of this he just smiled and carried on. He is full of wonder and great ideas. My clothes dried by the time we reached Aguas Calientes which was good because it was getting dark. We arrived at dinner time and met up with Papi for room assignments. I will share more about this on Wednesday and the ice shower.

Happy Monday and have a great start to your week. Thank you for reading!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags Inca Trail, New Blog, Peru, watercolor painting

The Walk to Aguas Calientes

Ziplining was quite a remarkable experience! Our favorite part was when Chris got an eagle soaring next to him on video. On the last line of the day, Chris had to go tandem with the guide because of what happened in the second line. Everyone wanted to make sure he stopped in time. The lines were not originally made for super tall people so his height and weight made him go super fast. The guide went with him, sitting in Chris’s back, while he was laying in the Superman pose. A fitting end to the wonderful, remarkable, day. We wish we could share the video with you all but unfortunately he lost his phone a few years ago. Life’s lessons in always having a back up! One memory we wish did not happen was our friend getting hurt. Right after she got off the line, there was a jagged rock and she tripped on it.

After our friend got taken by ambulance to the hospital, we all piled into a van to go and meet our temporary guide. We were escorted to a restaurant with delicious food and had a nice relaxing time together before we met turbo. The hike ahead was going to be our longest daily stretch spanning over nineteen miles, on foot, in a few hours time. Being very mindful of this, we decided to linger at the restaurant, eat as much as we could, drink relaxing teas, engross in conversations with friends, and prepare mentally for our new guide. We all took a deep breath and laughed when it was time to go. Papa had warned us about the pace set by others and told us to go at our own. When we left the restaurant, things changed.

We met up with not only our new guide, but a new group. They were all adrenaline seekers. Every one of them looked super tired, had bug bites with welts all over their legs, and their feet were in sandals with cuts and boils. The five of us looked at each other and made the decision to chill walk no matter what. Our guide took off and luckily there were so many people on the last leg of the trail that we just followed along. Our guide stopped for us three times at different sections. The problem with this is that the guide and the fast people were done with their break, fully watered, stretched, and ready to go. The five of us just arrived and they all wanted us to start walking immediately because they were ready. The first time our initial group did not take a break and kept going. The next two stops we did not worry about what the new group thought because we had to take care of ourselves at that point. Another lesson learned…take the breaks on the Inca Trail!!

Next week I will write all about Aguas Calientes and the colorful shops at the base of Machu Picchu! Have a safe and happy weekend!!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, Peru

Ziplining Through Peru

Chris and I woke up and spent some time together, then we packed up our gear and headed out to breakfast. Everyone was already sitting and pretty much done eating when we arrived. Unfortunately we got the times mixed up and were a tad late to the party. They had all scheduled zip lining and we were not originally going with them. As we all sat around chatting with one another, they convinced us to join them, and we were so glad we ended up going. What an adventure!

Inca Trail | Peru | Machu Picchu | Karen Hilliard Art Blog

Everyone waited for us to finish ordering and eating. They all got hot beverages to sip and enjoy so we felt relaxed instead of rushed. Again, we could not have gotten placed with a better group of people. All the other groups we saw had tired tourists with sores all over their legs from bugs and bushes. The other adventure enthusiasts said their guides had such a quick pace that they could hardly keep up! Needless to say we were so grateful to have Papi as our guide. He was so patient and waited for all of us to go at our own pace, take pictures, and talked us into pretty much all the excursions. When we finished eating, we were on our way to a great experience.

Upon arriving at the zipline course we saw a foosball table. Everyone in our group had a turn as we waited to sign up for the ziplining. There were 3 lines we were going to try and one was super long and the other very fast. The first one was a warm up to get to the longer one’s destination. Chris got the nickname superman after the second one. He decided to try the monkey pose where the person on the zipline is upside down hanging from their waste harness. He thought our guide said to pull up after he saw the river and there was a grave misunderstanding. As I saw him plummeting to his beheading I threw my arms up and screamed “pull up!” Well, he could not hear me because he was too far away and he just gave me a thumbs up, like yes, this is fun! He pulled his head up at the last second, literally, and I almost watched him get beheaded on our honeymoon. The others in our group got it all on tape which was nice because he did not believe us until he saw it. So the name stuck and he became Superman for the remainder of our trip and still to this day. If you ever go ziplining please double check with your guide on what they say to do.

At the end of the last line, our friend tripped over a rock and hurt herself. She had to go to the hospital and Papi had to give us to another guide. This is why I told you all about the other guides and he was no different. The pace was fast and tiring but Chris made sure we went at our speed and stopped for breaks. He said, they won’t leave us here, Papi will be mad. Papi was scheduled to meet us at the entrance to Matchu Picchu and he told this guide we better all arrive in one piece, and we did. So we continued to take breaks but did not meander as much or take as many photos for the last stretch to Aguas Calientes. I feel we took plenty though and had an amazing time. We were glad because everyone in our group decided to stick together and make the guide wait for us so none of us got left behind. They were wonderful people.

Have a fantastic Wednesday, and thank you for reading! Friday will be about the walk to Aguas Calientes!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, Peru, watercolor painting, ziplining

Santa Teresa

Finally reaching our destination for ultimate relaxation was wonderful. There were showers where we could rinse off before getting into the magical waters. The divine hot springs of Santa Teresa were there for years prior and in our lifetime they had been sectioned off by mankind into various size pools for mankind’s enjoyment. We were grateful to relax and rejuvenate after a very long hike through the jungle.

Our entire group got ready and went into the waters while Chris and I sat outside of them and waited. The lighting was perfect and the sun was ready to go and sleep behind the mountains. I had a little bit of time to create a painting in my travel sketchbook so I decided to enjoy that moment before dipping into the hot springs. Chris chose to hang out with me and talk to me while I painted. The rest of our group soon realized I was an artist and it became a point of interest in every stop we had after this.

When the painting was finished, Chris and I went into the waters and just looked at each other with a smile on our faces. It was a magical moment for sure. One of those times where everything just felt right, calm, peaceful, and yet exciting all at the same time. When we all got out and the sun had set, we finished the day in Santa Teresa. Our sleeping arrangements that night were wonderful and the group decided to give Chris and I a room to ourselves. Papi and the wonderful people chose to gift us a private room for the rest of the trip as a honeymoon gift. They were all super kind and this was an amazing experience for Chris and I. We slept so good and woke up, joined everyone for breakfast at a local restaurant, and got to walk around the town for a bit.

Inca Trail Series 1 Number 1 | Karen Hilliard Art | Peru

I hope you all have a marvelous Monday. Here are the paintings in this Inca Trail Series so far…Number 1 is from Blog, “Trekking to Santa Teresa.” Number 2, is a work in progress. Number 3 is from Blog “Delicious Fruit.” Number 4 is from Blog “Hot Springs.” Thank you for traveling around Peru with us, reading these blogs, and Wednesday we will take you on our zip lining adventure!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, Peru, watercolor painting

Hot Springs

After taking our moment to relax by the river it was time to trek onward. One girl from our group took off at a very brisk pace to get her workout in so our guide kept up with her, and the rest of us meandered about until we met up with them. We kept a nice relaxing pace so we could take in our surroundings. The smell of fresh water hitting the rocks and the breeze of the trees in the air was magical. All of us helped each other over large boulders and made sure each person did not slip in the wet rocks. It was quite an adventure in many ways leading up to the treat to cross the river.

As we approached our guide, we got our bearings and faced a wire pulley system. There was a person at the end on the other side of the river sending the swing back to where we were. It was a two person swing, no more, no less. The weight was to be distributed perfectly. What we did not know was how fast we were going to fly across the river. Chris and I managed to get a quick picture of our boots crossing the river to remember the experience. Since he and I were so tall they instructed us to keep our feet raised in the air the entire way. They said this was the only way to ensure we would not break our legs at the end due to all the rocks. Well, raising the legs as high as we could, using our core muscles, and holding hands…we crossed the river on a “swing” pulley system. We both laughed as we landed on the other side since it was a sharp, abrupt stop.

**CLICK HERE FOR THE ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR!**

We got out with shaky legs and hands to find another hike ahead to the hot springs. There was a very tall tunnel we had to walk through and it was nice to see the light at the end of it. Luckily, we brought our headlamps so it all worked out. As we neared the sunshine we saw creatures in the distance and were met by some beautiful wild horses. They were dark umber and raw sienna in color and looked completely content around people. Behind them we saw a gravely trail and were told it led right up to the hot springs. The hike to the magical waters was exaggerated and we came upon them quite quickly. After taking photographs of the horses from a safe distance, we walked on through beautiful mountains to take a soak in some lovely natural springs. Next week I will take you into Santa Teresa and write about our ziplining experience. Stay tuned, and have a lovely weekend!

Thank you for reading!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, Peru, watercolor painting

Delicious Fruit

Trekking to Santa Teresa Part 2

We set out to finish the trek to Santa Teresa with our bellies full, bodies strengthened, and minds rejuvenated. What goes up must come down is a fun saying and an even truer statement for this hiking experience. After walking up almost the whole way from the hostel to the little store, then onward to the restaurant, we now were going down towards the river. We walked along the river’s path hunting for wild orchids and butterflies. Chris and I saw a beautiful blue butterfly and followed it while keeping up with the other humans in our group. We constantly have fun and jump in and out of our imaginations. This kept the whole trip on the trail quite stimulating and exciting.

Nearing the end of the trail to the river, we came to an abrupt stop. This is where Papi told us what we would be doing next. There was a bridge going over the entire river that we had to cross. It was modern and very wide so we were not nervous but we did have to walk more staggered and less altogether to keep the weight even while walking across. At the end of the bridge there was a nice older woman selling fruit. Chris and I bought some and they were quite refreshing. The peel looked like an orange but when we opened it up they had seeds like a passion fruit and tasted like a cross between both. Sweet and citrus flavoring touched our tongues and continued down our throats nourishing us with hydration.

**CLICK HERE FOR THE ORIGINAL PAINTING!!**

These were a wonderful treat to sustain us for the hike ahead. We had a ways to go before we could cross the river on a pulley system. We decided to savor the moment and enjoy the delicious fruit as we looked around at marvelous beauty. The rocks along the river were breathtaking. I am always fascinated that a river can rage and run so rapidly yet the foliage near it can be calm and wispy blowing lightly in the wind. I look forward to sharing the rest of our hike with you and taking you to the Hot Springs of Santa Teresa.

Have a Wonderful Wednesday and thank you for reading!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, Peru

Trekking to Santa Teresa

Part One

The hike along the trail was a stimulus of all our senses. The sun was bright overhead and shining it’s warmth down upon us. We were blessed with cool weather which was nice since we wore long pants, long sleeved mosquito repelling shirts, and hats with a sun brim. REI in the United States is a magical place to shop for any outdoor excursion needs. We found everything we needed there right before we left. We were confident in our hiking boots and they kept us blister free the entire time in Peru and beyond. The brand we chose was Solomon. They were and are very comfortable to hike in. Our feet were very dry in the boots and water did not get in when we hiked through streams or rivers. I was super happy to photograph our boots on the Inca Trail for our memory book.

The hike had many down and uphill gradient changes with steep stairs in certain sections. The trail was carved out nicely through the forest due to many people walking on it. We loved that everyday was a workout and found everything in Peru eventually went up. The stairs to climb had very high steps which I will write more about in my blog on Machu Picchu when we get there. For now, I will stick focus on our hike to the hot springs. Before we could reach the springs, we stopped for extra water and some souvenirs along the mountain pass. These Peruvian People put a little store on the trail for tourists to take a break and it was lovely. We got to see what happens to a Poinsettia Plant when given the opportunity to grow naturally and not trimmed down. They are huge, and look like trees filled with red or pink leaves, depending on the type of Poinsettia. After this sweet little stop, we traveled on to have lunch at a local restaurant right on the river.

Exotic Flower. Peru Series Number 2 — **CLICK HERE FOR THE ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR!**

We set our small backpacks down in the restaurant and had some time before food was served. As we walked around the perimeter of the building we came across hammocks the owners hung outside for weary travelers to take a nap in. It was lovely to take a break and listen to the roar of the river alongside the hammocks. We also spied a beautiful green grasshopper bug inside of a brightly pink colored flower. When we were finished walking around the food was also finished being prepared. All of us gathered and sat at the table and were served to eat family style to just grab what we wanted to eat. It was a wonderful middle of the hike and we all just wanted to stay and lay in the hammocks for several hours, but we had to trek on to Santa Teresa.

Have a Miraculous Monday and thank you for reading!

-Karen Hilliard

The Inca Trail Begins

Lunch was amazing and each dish had flavors abound just by incorporating different vegetables. We were fascinated that no spices were used, just the natural palette of a garden variety. As we ate our meal, we were told about the hike to the hostel in the mountains for our overnight stay. This hostel was such a lovely experience. We had our own room and a community shower beneath us. We slept high in the mountain range and woke up staring at the most amazing view of the clouds rolling over the mountain. The people at this Eco Hostel were super friendly and had us help make dinner. I got to peel the potatoes while the guinea pigs ran around my feet collecting scraps. Such pleasant sounds were coming out of these tiny creatures while we were making supper. They are also wonderful little garbage disposals. Luckily, there was no guinea pigs on their menu even though it is a delicacy in Peru.

Llama from Peru/Karen Hilliard Art/Machu Picchu/Llama

Chris and I were served llama so I scraped mine on to his plate while no one was looking. I made sure to do this in segments so it looked like I was eating it. Did not want to be rude. These people walked all this food up the mountain to their hostel just to feed us. The garden items were grown on site. They also made us fresh coffee in the morning from beans they roasted and ground themselves. It was delicious. While we had our morning coffee, our tour guide wanted to decorate our faces with pollen from a local flower. He said it also would deter any biting bugs. I would have been the first in the chair if I had heard him first. Bugs bite me all the time and I did not want any mosquito bites in South America while hiking through the rainforest. I put pictures of my and Chris’s “face paint” here in the blog. After we both got these drawn on us, we were shown some lovely handmade jewelry.

The owners brought out their handmade items on boards and explained they made these to help them be able to afford food for their guests. We bought two friendship bracelets and two necklaces we wore the entire trip. Peru happened in the summer of 2017 and I just wiggled my bracelet off in April of 2023. This bracelet still had not fallen off even when my dog ate one of the connecting strings. I did not bring my wedding ring so this bracelet symbolized my and Chris’s bond for me. I am so glad I let the woman tie the bracelet on because I did not want it to fall off, and it never did! After we purchased these very sentimental items, it was time to depart. We reluctantly left the slice of heaven, high in the sky on the Inca Trail, to walk on to Machu Picchu with the understanding there would be more cities and stops on the way.

Thank you for reading and have a wonderful weekend!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags Eco Hostel, Inca Trail, New Blog, Peru

Biking Down the Andes

After waking up from a glorious warm nap we met up with our guide for the excursion ahead. We booked a trip to Machu Picchu on the Inca Trail that was scheduled to start with a mountain biking journey through the Andes Mountain Range. Our guide Papi was amazing and it was his last tour with the company so he went all out spoiling us with adventure and a relaxed pace to all destinations. He was an amazing guide and we went to all local places as he wanted to support his friends’ establishments. When he met up with us he told us to bring our small backpacks instead of our large ones and we were forever grateful. We left the larger rucksacks downstairs in the locked closet the next morning and set out on a wonderful adventure through Peru.

Our first stop was to meet up with Papi again and hop in a van from his friend’s company. We were driven all through the streets of Peru and eventually through farms then up a mountain. At the top of the mountain we saw the beautiful tip of the Andes and the glacial magnificence. Bikes were waiting for us, as well as riding jackets, pads, gloves, and helmets. As I wrote before, an amazing tour guide. He made sure we were all safe and happy the entire time. There were 6 of us total. We had the pleasure of traveling with 3 women from Taiwan and their cousin from San Francisco. This trip was an overall out of this world experience of pure joy. Biking down the Andes was a rush like one I never experienced. Luckily the bikes were comfortable, the gear fit, and we had several stops to take pictures and enjoy ourselves. There were a few scary moments on this magical ride as well.

The mountain pass had tight corners and long windy stretches where buses and cars were traveling on it as well. We would be flying down the mountain and come to a tight curve and a bus would meet us head on coming up the other direction. Safety was in the front of our minds and yet we had the time of our life on that ride. Papi and the San Francisco chap road down first at a very fast pace but our guide made sure to stop and wait for us at several sections. He would leave no man or woman behind. He was like a Papa Bear looking after his wandering cubs. I think this is what we liked the most…the space to explore and enjoy at our own pace, yet the care of someone looking out for us. He was filled with vast information as well. At the end of the ride we stopped at a local store for fruit and drinks and after a long van ride we stopped at his friend’s restaurant for an amazing lunch. The table was filled with food and the people were smiling ear to ear sharing the meal they made.

Have a wonderful Wednesday and thank you for reading.

-Karen Hilliard

Tags Andes, Cusco, Mountain Biking, Peru

Cusco Streets

The excitement was looming as we touched down in Cusco. The altitude and temperature were very different from what we were used to. The weather was a huge change from the humidity in Ohio and Chicago with a cool breeze that awakened our senses. The staff at the airport were very nice and helpful when we needed to call the hostel to get a ride into town. Eco Packer Hostel is amazing!! Could not rave about this place enough. They sent a car to the airport to pick us and our bags up, then drove us around on the streets of Cusco. The history and colors were breathtaking and we were so happy to be in the presence of such a rich culture. Upon arriving at the hostel, we checked in, and went up to our room. We chose the option of bunk beds with other people which was very cost efficient for us. This hostel also stored our larger bags in a closet downstairs to keep them safe when we took longer trips.

After settling in we decided to walk around the city. It was the afternoon and Peru was alive with dancing, parades, and so many interesting masks. This was a wonderful way to experience Cusco. The steps leading to the capitol building in the center of the city were filled with tourists and locals. Each person was either deep in conversation, trying to sell art prints, sketching original art themselves, or taking photographs of all the stimulation surrounding them. The men dancing in Gorilla Masks were the most intriguing to me. I also loved the women walking around with alpacas. The little baby alpacas were my favorite. The colors of the blankets the women wore to carry their children and their goods were vibrant and made the City Center come to life. Chris and I stepped into a new world on that day and were very happy to be there.

We walked around mapping out shops we wanted to revisit toward the end of our stay to bring home souvenirs for loved ones. We found an amazing gourd for ourselves to drink Matcha out of and decided to come back for it later. This gourd ended up becoming the most challenging thing to find again. I will write more about this in a later blog, it was an interesting experience. After the on level shops were explored, we decided to travel up a long hill to more shops. In a tiny alleyway, hidden away, we found an amazing watercolor artist. This wonderful person had shown his work in a New York gallery many years prior and we all tried to have a conversation about it, which was nice. We ended up coming back to his stand at the end of the week and buying one of his paintings. Later on, after all the uphill stores, we were getting quite sleepy and decided to go back to the hostel where we relaxed in the courtyard. Both of us ended up falling asleep with the sun high in the sky overhead and were wrapped in its blanket of warmth.

Have a meaningful Monday and thank you for reading!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags Cusco, Peru