They walk us to our boat	Time to say, "Good bye!"
	The last supper on the boat; note the matching drapes
The animal decorations are made locally...	....and play a big part in their economy
This time the musical as well as culinary talents of the crew...	...are on display
We are up (almost) before dawn...	...for a magnificent breakfast send off...
But we have an unexpected ride to the airport	Because there is a strike in Iquitos, the only road to the airport will be blocked. So we must take another boat, rather than the van, to get there
We will have a 3 hour ride on parts of The Amazon no longer traveled by tour boats, due to the presence of drug traffickers and pirates	Fortunately all we encounter are children playing in the water..
...and the villages in which they live	We safely reach the shore, and the crew unloads our luggage
A short ride to the airport,	passing tuk tuks along the way
A last chat with Niguel	A last look at the sunny skies that appeared most every day of our trip
Only to return to soggy Charleston...	...and a downtown so flooded, the bus can't reach the airport on time

Renee's husband brings us home...to a jungle of our own!

*****

  Our travelogue started with a quote from my maternal Grandmother.  I will end it with a reference to my Mother and my favorite English teacher.

Anyone who knows me, comes to know the fact that, when I was 10 years old, my Mother won a car in a raffle that was so big it was part of a program held at the International Amphitheater in Chicago.  Anyone who had Ms. Shifrin for Sophomore English learned you should be able to summarize a 20 page term paper in one sentence. 

I can summarize the 450 pictures and words you've just seen in ONE word and describe my Mother and our trip, at the same time.

That word is LUCKY.

John and I were lucky to go, to go with wonderful friends and make others along the way, to stay healthy enough to survive the altitude, to experience overwhelmingly good weather, to return with great memories and gratitude.  But no where was our "luck" more evident than learning that the luxury train we took to Machu Picchu was involved in a major accident two weeks after our trip.  People were injured, and the cornerstone of travel plans seriously impacted.

As a Dragon Boater, I have learned "timing is everything."  Thus our luck is evident even now.

Thanks for sharing the good times of our journey to The Land of The Incas and for enabling us to relive it with you, in the process.

 Machu Picchu and The Amazon