Back to Cusco

We left Machu Picchu in the afternoon and had to keep a steady pace in order to have time in Aguas Calientes to gather our bags, run around a few shops, and then catch the train back to Cusco. Our first thought was to take our time down the steps leading back to the city. We chose to side step the whole way back to save our knees after Papi told us what happened to his. He said he was foolish in his younger years and was living with the consequences now. In order to protect our knees we watched and made sure our knees were not going over our toes and we were not taking giant steps forward. Instead, the side stepping and keeping our hips in a perpendicular line or 90 degree angle was our goal. There were so many steps to navigate. We found some cool stones on the way down that looked like the “Stairs of Death,” and got some great pictures! We trekked onward to get to the city.

Down, down, and down we went until we reached the hiking sign and the bridge. It was nice seeing everything in the daylight and we got some great photos to remember those moments. The bridge we walked on in the morning was even nicer than we previously thought and the water flowing beneath it was breathtaking. As we crossed the bridge, we recalled our time on Machu Picchu. It was such a magical place based high in the mountains encamped by morning midst and we will remember it fondly for all time. Saying goodbye to something on our life’s bucket list felt strange because we waited so long to see it, hike the trail to it, and to just be present in Peru. We were both smiling as we walked into the city of Aguas Calientes feeling like something great had been accomplished.

Walking around the shops was wonderful. I really enjoyed all the colors and images throughout the city. We were on the hunt for produce to find a giant avocado. Luckily, we ran into our friends again from Taiwan and ended up finding an amazing market with produce galore. There, in the middle of the hustle and bustle of people and food stood a stand with giant avocados! We were really excited and picked out two that we would eat later at the hostel in Cusco. After saying goodbye again to our friends, we went to a few more shops and proceeded to go find the train. Chris had never ridden on a train so this was really awesome for him. We found a great spot and took some pictures, then our two friends boarded and joined us for our final hang out of this amazing trip. Everyone fell asleep and when the train stopped we were told to hustle off because the next stop was a long stretch away. Chris left his water bottle on the train and we learned to not ever rush, even if we ended up going the wrong way for hours on end. Taking the tortoise cow is our way. I hope you all have a wonderful day and thank you for reading!

-Karen Hilliard

Big News!! My painting, “Machu Picchu Llamas Number 2” won Second Place in the Nevada Watercolor Society Spring Exhibition. If any of you live in Henderson, Nevada…you can check it out at the Multicultural Center!!

Machu Picchu Llamas | llama | Karen Hilliard Art | Watercolor
AVAILABLE CLICK HERE

Also, if you would like another way to show support, I have a few options. “Buy me a coffee” which is a way for anyone to contribute to the creative process behind the paintings. Fuel the artist so to speak. Here is the link if you are interested. The funds go to supplies and gas to get out to the trails. I truly appreciate the support and the fact that you are liking these blogs, as well as my art posts. I am working hard to bring you all fresh content! Here is the link to my Instagram where I try to post daily. You can also find me on Facebook at my art page Karen Hilliard Art.

If you would like to, please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! 🙂

Thank you again for all of your support! 

Karen Hilliard Art | Blog | Support for the Artist | Art Support
Please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! If you would like to 🙂

Ziplining in Peru

ris 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.

Karen Hilliard Art Blog

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 Marvelous Monday and thank you for reading! Tomorrow will be about the walk back to Cusco! If you would like to read about our time at Machu Picchu, you can click on previous blogs! All on the Inca Trail.

-Karen Hilliard

Also, if you would like another way to show support, I have a few options. “Buy me a coffee” which is a way for anyone to contribute to the creative process behind the paintings. Fuel the artist so to speak. Here is the link if you are interested. The funds go to supplies and gas to get out to the trails. I truly appreciate the support and the fact that you are liking these blogs, as well as my art posts. I am working hard to bring you all fresh content! Here is the link to my Instagram where I try to post daily. You can also find me on Facebook at my art page Karen Hilliard Art.

If you would like to, please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! 🙂

Thank you again for all of your support! 

Karen Hilliard Art | Blog | Support for the Artist | Art Support
Please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! If you would like to 🙂

The other blog on Machu Picchu is “Love for Peru” where I write about my experience with llamas! Check it out.

Santa Teresa Hot Springs

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 the enjoyment of humans. We were grateful to relax and rejuvenate after a very long hike through the jungle. 

Karen Hilliard Art Blog

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.

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

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.

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 next week we will take you on our zip lining adventure! Have a wonderful weekend!

-Karen Hilliard 

Also, if you would like another way to show support, I have a few options. “Buy me a coffee” which is a way for anyone to contribute to the creative process behind the paintings. Fuel the artist so to speak. Here is the link if you are interested. The funds go to supplies and gas to get out to the trails. I truly appreciate the support and the fact that you are liking these blogs, as well as my art posts. I am working hard to bring you all fresh content! Here is the link to my Instagram where I try to post daily. You can also find me on Facebook at my art page Karen Hilliard Art.

If you would like to, please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! 🙂

Thank you again for all of your support! 

Karen Hilliard Art | Blog | Support for the Artist | Art Support
Please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! If you would like to 🙂

Adventures on the Inca Trail…

Part Two

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 lovely way 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.

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. Friday, I will take you into Santa Teresa and write about our ziplining experience. Stay tuned, and have a Wonderful Wednesday!

Thank you for reading!

-Karen Hilliard 

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.” Number 5 is from Blog “Climb to Machu Picchu.”

Also, if you would like another way to show support, I have a few options. “Buy me a coffee” which is a way for anyone to contribute to the creative process behind the paintings. Fuel the artist so to speak. Here is the link if you are interested. The funds go to supplies and gas to get out to the trails. I truly appreciate the support and the fact that you are liking these blogs, as well as my art posts. I am working hard to bring you all fresh content! Here is the link to my Instagram where I try to post daily. You can also find me on Facebook at my art page Karen Hilliard Art.

If you would like to, please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! 🙂

Thank you again for all of your support! 

Karen Hilliard Art | Blog | Support for the Artist | Art Support
Please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! If you would like to 🙂

Eco Hostel in Peru

Karen Hilliard Art Blog | Machu Picchu | Peru

We stayed at an amazing Eco Hostel in the Mountains on our way to Machu Picchu. Lunch was wonderful 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 history of the hostel in the mountains. How every item needs to be carried up the long trail as no vehicles can drive on such narrow paths. 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 were no guinea pigs on their menu even though it is a delicacy in Peru.

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. This post backtracks a bit but I wanted you to all understand why I could not eat the llamas. They were everywhere and just had the sweetest faces. 

Karen Hilliard Art Blog

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 on this trip, so for me, this bracelet symbolized my and Chris’s bond. 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.

I hope you all enjoyed this blog. Thank you for reading and have a Wonderful Wednesday!!

-Karen Hilliard

Also, if you would like another way to show support, I have a few options. “Buy me a coffee” which is a way for anyone to contribute to the creative process behind the paintings. Fuel the artist so to speak. Here is the link if you are interested. The funds go to supplies and gas to get out to the trails. I truly appreciate the support and the fact that you are liking these blogs, as well as my art posts. I am working hard to bring you all fresh content! Here is the link to my Instagram where I try to post daily. You can also find me on Facebook at my art page Karen Hilliard Art.

If you would like to, please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! 🙂

Thank you again for all of your support! 

Karen Hilliard Art | Blog | Support for the Artist | Art Support
Please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! If you would like to 🙂

Rainbow Mountains of Peru

Oh the Rainbow Mountains!!! Yes, 3 exclamation points and should be more for the excitement we felt walking at 16,000’ to see them. We had an interesting experience to get to these mountains. The tour was booked before we left the USA through a different guide than our Machu Picchu trip. A pick up time of 3:45am at a church turned into us getting left and luckily picked up by a taxi at 6am. The bus had gone to our hostel by mistake and the company sent a taxi for us later when they realized we had been waiting at the church. We had warm clothes and were fine. I am so pleased we waited because seeing the Rainbow Mountains is something I will always remember.

Karen Hilliard Art Blog

Chris and I had a lovely quick breakfast and then the ride to the top of the mountain. The oxygen was super low and the trees stopped growing at one point as we walked. We saw llamas, sheep, and horses. These people who work on the mountain are amazing! They pick people up at any point on the super hard to breathe trail and then take them by horseback up the mountain. Now, let me explain. The people hold the horse by the reins and run by foot up to the top of the mountain, then drop the rider off and run down the mountain for another fair. These workers do this all day long while tourists struggle to breathe just walking the trail. How impressive to be so adapted to that life.

My fifth painting in the series is one of the mountain range. The trail to the top was brown, green, and blue skies. Once on the top the sky opened up, rained, snowed, and was really cold. We got just enough pictures before this happened. The colors of the mountain are breathtaking just as much as the hike to get to them. I did not have time to sketch up there because we arrived late but I am grateful for pictures, and the ability to paint from them later. The runners with the horses offered me a ride many times going up the mountain as I was not doing well. I made it walking thanks to Chris. Again, the best person for me to travel with or do anything in life with. I wish you all have someone fun and amazing to travel with. This place is worth seeing! Thank you for reading and have a Marvelous Monday!!

-Karen Hilliard

Also, if you would like another way to show support, I have a few options. “Buy me a coffee” which is a way for anyone to contribute to the creative process behind the paintings. Fuel the artist so to speak. Here is the link if you are interested. The funds go to supplies and gas to get out to the trails. I truly appreciate the support and the fact that you are liking these blogs, as well as my art posts. I am working hard to bring you all fresh content! Here is the link to my Instagram where I try to post daily. You can also find me on Facebook at my art page Karen Hilliard Art.

Please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! If you would like to 🙂

Thank you again for all of your support!

Karen Hilliard Art | Blog | Support for the Artist | Art Support
Please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! If you would like to 🙂

The Inca Trail

Peru is an interesting destination filled with glorious things to see. My husband and I decided to go ziplining through the jungle on the way to Machu Picchu as part of our package. We had not signed up for it but got talked into it by our wonderful group of travelers we met there. One of the once in a lifetime experiences we didn’t plan on, but oh my goodness, turned out to be amazing. I did not get a picture of this but was able to do a quick sketch in our travel book of Chris with his helmet on which I will share with all of you. After this great time, we continued on the trail to some hot springs where we relaxed and I did a little painting of the mountains.

We continued our hike along the Inca Trail the next day and walked along the railroad tracks. Chris had fun walking on the tracks and counting the rails. We forget what number he got to before he fell off but it was exciting and kept our minds busy while trekking the 19 miles that day. When the trains came, we would get out of the way and head towards the bushes…but we did get a really nice picture of one of them to remember the experience. I decided this would be Number 3 in the series of Peru Tiny Paintings. We continued on this trail all the way to Aguas Calientes…the city that sits at the bottom of Machu Picchu.

Number 4 in the series is a llama eating the grass on the tiers of Machu Picchu. The morning is filled with foggy midst and a quiet calm. I loved being in this place so early after hiking up 1,600 steps to the top. Each step is about 2 American stairs put together. We really had to hike our knees up to make the step and Chris is 6’ 4” and I am 6′ 1” and these were high steps for us. Entering the ruins was marvelous and seeing the llamas serenely chewing their breakfast instantly slowed my heart rate. This had to be the 4th painting. I really hope everyone feels calm when looking at it.

I hope this post inspires anyone who reads it to travel outside their comfort zone. This world really is filled with kind people. They are in every crevice. Have a fantastic Friday and thank you for reading!

-Karen Hilliard

Also, if you would like another way to show support, I have a few options. “Buy me a coffee” which is a way for anyone to contribute to the creative process behind the paintings. Fuel the artist so to speak. Here is the link if you are interested. The funds go to supplies and gas to get out to the trails. I truly appreciate the support and the fact that you are liking these blogs, as well as my art posts. I am working hard to bring you all fresh content! Here is the link to my Instagram where I try to post daily. You can also find me on Facebook at my art page Karen Hilliard Art.

Please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! If you would like to 🙂

Thank you again for all of your support!

Karen Hilliard Art | Blog | Support for the Artist | Art Support
Please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! If you would like to 🙂

Love for Peru

I have a deep love for Peru due to the experiences my husband and I shared while there. Being fortunate enough to paint atop Machu Picchu was an unbelievable experience. My sketchbook and watercolor set go with me wherever I travel and remembering this trip with small paintings to look back on has been amazing. 

Our honeymoon was spent exploring in Peru. My husband and I both wanted to travel to Machu Picchu and actually talked about this on our first hike together in Nevada. Luckily, after we said I do, we started planning this magical trip. We booked a hike through a travel agency which he and I had never tried before and it was quite enjoyable on all accounts. We came across many plants, animals, and adventures as we walked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. 

When we arrived at this wonderful place among the clouds, we decided to hike around and see everything we could in the time allotted. We found a spot to rest and look at the ancient Inca ruins. I took out my watercolor sketchbook and a llama decided to come say hello. The creature was very curious about my paint set and lowered its head to sniff what I was doing. My husband took a picture of this lovely animal a little bit later as it was chewing some grass. I decided this would be my first painting for the Tiny Painting series of Peru. I just love how happy the animal seemed.

The second painting in the series was from the hike to the ruins. Our group stopped at a lovely restaurant in the mountains with hammocks and a river to entice the senses. The owners of the place were wonderful and shared amazing food with us. As my husband and I walked around the building we saw many flowers. Luckily, one had this large grasshopper and I loved the bright colors of the flower and the insect. I was so pleased we were able to capture this on camera and later share with the world through watercolor.

Peru Blog | Karen Hilliard Art | Peru Tiny Paintings | Watercolor

This was one of my most exciting trips I have ever been on and with my best person to travel with. We had so much fun, ate wonderful food, had many laughs, and saw so much of a wondrous place. To say we are grateful would be an understatement. The people in Peru are very kind and a true joy to be around. I hope one day everyone can experience this, just not all at once! If you have any questions, feel free to email me. Thank you all for reading and have a Wonderful Wednesday!

-Karen Hilliard

Also, if you would like another way to show support, I have a few options. “Buy me a coffee” which is a way for anyone to contribute to the creative process behind the paintings. Fuel the artist so to speak. Here is the link if you are interested. The funds go to supplies and gas to get out to the trails. I truly appreciate the support and the fact that you are liking these blogs, as well as my art posts. I am working hard to bring you all fresh content! Here is the link to my Instagram where I try to post daily. You can also find me on Facebook at my art page Karen Hilliard Art.

Please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! If you would like to 🙂

Thank you again for all of your support!

Karen Hilliard Art | Blog | Support for the Artist | Art Support
Please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! If you would like to 🙂

Goodbye Peru, it’s Been Grand!

We arrived back at the EcoPackers Hostel and decided to take one more romp around Cusco to find our mate gourd. On the first day we found the perfect gourd in a tiny shop but wanted to wait until we did our larger shopping for everyone. Then, we could not find it!! We looked everywhere and down every alleyway. We wanted to give it one more go and put the effort in before we headed to the airport in the morning. Luckily, we found it!! This gourd was super beautiful and hand carved, still is to this day. We take great care of it. The carving is of Machu Picchu, and three animals representing Cusco and the Inca people. They are the serpent, the condor, and the puma to represent the Inca civilization and the realms of the living and the dead. The words carved on the gourd read “Machu Picchu.”

As we looked at this treasure we reminisced about the Inca Trail, the ruins, llamas, and overall amazing experiences we shared. We went back to the hostel to pack and get ready to leave in the morning. Two people were in the room where we slept talking about Rainbow Mountains and how they bought their own oxygen, rode the horses up, and still had to come back to Cusco without seeing the mountains. They planned to go back the next day. Chris and I just looked at each other and smiled with pure joy that we saw them and a hint of achievement that we always persevere. We both talk about how it is the athlete in us that will power through. One thing we both liked about sports growing up was the discipline and drive it takes to power the body and mind. I am grateful for the discipline and determination because I think it carried over into my art career. Writing these blogs three times a week, painting, and staying up with social media has been challenging at times. Just like the trip up the mountain, persistence weighs out in the end. We both were ecstatic to get under the warm blankets, lay flat, and drift off to slumberland.

Karen Hilliard Art Blog

When we woke up, we slowly got ready, ate breakfast the hostel provided, and got in our taxi to head back to the States. Our taxi drove us for a while, twisting and turning down side streets, and we were quite concerned. Then we saw a hug protest going on. We found out all the teachers were on strike and the cab pulled over to the side of the road. He could not get through and motioned to us to take our bags and walk to the airport terminal. We were going to miss our flight if we did not listen right then and there. Chris grabbed both our large bags and I grabbed both the small backpacks and two carry-on blankets. We hoofed it and made it just in time for our flight. We were super thankful! I was so impressed with Chris, yet again, due to his strength with both bags in his hands, agility through protesters, sanity to not complain, and just got the task done! Overall, this trip was beyond interesting. We flew from Cusco to Lima and had a layover. This is where we ran into Miguel, the artist again. What a crazy ride this trip had been. There is so much more with the flights I would love to share. If you are interested, send me an email. Next week I will be writing about my trip to Alaska to see the Northern Lights, Auroras. This will go with my recent collection of 2023 Christmas Ornaments.

Have a safe and happy weekend and thank you for reading!

-Karen Hilliard 

Back to the Buses!

The sky started to change as the snow rolled in over the mountains. Our guide was hustling around telling people to head back down to the buses and herding everyone in groups to make sure no one was left behind. Chris and I took a moment, looked at each other, closed our eyes, and breathed in the cool mountain air. As we opened our eyes, we said goodbye to the beautiful rainbows ahead of us and started walking back toward the buses feeling forever grateful to have experienced such a wonder. These mountains had just been recently discovered when we visited in 2017 due to glacial melt and no one knew they existed. The exact date of discovery is unknown yet some say it may have been sometime between 2012 to 2015. We were blessed to have seen them near the beginning of the hype. As you can see in our photos from my Rainbow Mountains blog…there were a lot of people. I wonder if there are even more traveling there today.

As we walked back, we reflected on how fortunate we were to get the pictures of each other in front of the mountain. The snow came in quickly and we had already changed into our snow attire. I was so happy to have had my gloves because my hands get super cold. As an artist, I am very protective of my hands and fingers. We walked back at a faster pace due to the wonderful down hill gradient. I got to really look around and enjoy the things I missed on the way up. I saw men and women resting their horses and chatting with one another. We spied some more llamas grazing on the mountain in the distance. We counted how long it was until we came upon tree growth again. So many people were still traveling up the mountain and the horses were still working very hard to get them there. After an hour we came to the parking lot where the buses were and were thankful to finally sit down. The taxi was super tiny so we were happy to have really tall seats to sit in.

This did not last long! We were told to get off the bus and that we were on the wrong one. We looked at each other and thought, oh no, we are going to get left again. Chris told the guide no, we are staying on until you tell us where to go and we see our name on a clipboard. So after much discussion we were rerouted to another bus and that was not the right one either. At this point Chris was super frustrated, and we just wanted to make sure we would get back to Cusco. Just as Goldilocks needed a third time for everything in her world, we headed to the third bus. We sat, held hands, and fell asleep. The driver had been going for about an hour when we were suddenly startled awake. A woman started shouting “Chris and Karen are you on the bus?” over and over. Then, we woke up and said, yes! Then the bus started again and we were just shocked. What if we were not on that bus and why did they not check before we left? We just realized, this tourist attraction was so new at the time that they must have been working the kinks out. Any advice I could give you fellow travelers is…check the clipboard and don’t let any buses leave until you find your name!

Karen Hilliard Art Blog
Photo Taken at the end of our hike before we got back on our bus.

Thank you for reading and happy Wednesday!

-Karen Hilliard