Peru

Bryce got home from Peru a little over a week ago and it has been incredible having him home.  I'm much happier when I have my best friend home with me.  Now I know how he feels when I leave on my sporting events and leave him home alone for 4 days.  It's not fun!  I have such an amazing husband that is supportive of me and is such a great sport for putting up with all the time I have been gone traveling.  Thanks babe, you are seriously the best!!

So Bryce was able to have a great experience over in Peru.  He went with Idaho Condor, a humanitarian group out of Pocatello, to provide medical service to the people in Peru.  It was pretty amazing all the things he took pictures of and the stories he told of the people that came to the clinics.  It is breathtakingly beautiful over there and I wish I could have seen it in person.  Bryce said that the pictures don't do it justice because it is so pretty there.   Bryce was able to participate in 5 clinics while on the trip.  The first clinic was in a very remote, small village that was high up in the mountains.  It was probably over 12,000 feet in elevation!  He said you would lose your breathe there very easy.  You couldn't walk up stairs without feeling like your heart was beating out of your chest.  A couple of the communities he visited were hit with severe flooding last year.  Since they've had such difficult times this last year they decided to visit them and provide medical help.  Along with visiting the communities, Bryce was able to visit the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu.  Here's some of the pictures he took while there.  

This was in the lobby of his hotel. 

This is called Moray.  This isn't for sure, but they think that this place is an agricultural experiment that the Incas used.  They used the different levels to experiment with crops.  

This is a salt mine.  A salty stream from a volcanic mountain drains into each one of these bins and as they dry all the salt is left behind.  Everything that is white is salt. 

This woman's arm was ran over by a car about a year ago.  A Peruvian doctor put these screws in her arm to help it heal correctly.  Typically, these screws are supposed to be taken out after 6 weeks.  She never went back to the doctor and has been living like this for a year.  

One of the doctors took pliers and unscrewed each one.  They gave her morphine to help her get through this as she watched the whole thing happened.  I couldn't have watched that.  It looks so painful. 

This man had a fungal growth on his finger that a Peruvian doctor tried to remove a month ago.  It hadn't healed and so one of the doctor's helped him out. 

This man was in a shop accident where his thumb was cut off and his hand was cut severely.  The doctor that looked at him is a specialist in hand surgeries.  He told this man that he will be back in 2 years and if they can stay in contact the doctor will bring a team with him to do a special surgery.  The doctor would remove this man's big toe and put it on his hand for a thumb!

Bryce was able to interpret a ton on this trip!!  He enjoyed communicating with the patients.  In this picture Bryce is explaining the medication he needs to take.  

This was a lady at one of the clinics.  She told Bryce that she left at 4 AM to get to the clinic, which started at 9 AM.  This picture was taken around 1 or 2 PM.  

Some of the volunteers with patients

This rock Bryce is kissing is part of Sacsayhuaman (It sounds like sexy woman).  So here Bryce is kissing Sexy woman.  I'm a little jealous ha ha  

Tray, Bryce and Dr. Johnson with his wife and daughter standing in front of an LDS church

Bryce was sliding down this rock on "Sexy Woman." 

Bryce hiked up to the Cristo Blanco that overlooked Cusco.  

Another picture with "Sexy Woman."  These rocks are huge, which were hand carved and transported here around 800 years ago!!

Overlooking Cusco from the Cristo Blanco

This is an old Incan temple/fortress 

Feeding some lamas and alpacas 

Some women that were making decorative blankets.

This is the Sacred Valley

These are the ruins at Pisac

A group of volunteers that Bryce worked with

Bryce and Jared Papa.  Jared teaches in the Physician Assistant program through ISU in Meridian, Idaho.  Bryce became good friends with him on the trip and enjoyed getting to know him. 

Bryce was being adventurous and climbed on top of this high rock. 

Sacred Valley

Bryce said that they built the walls to slant because it is more sturdy.  

Bryce was at a restaurant and saw this parrot, and of course, wanted a picture by it :)  

This is Ollaytambo . . . more ruins. These stones are huge and the Incan's carried them over a mile to get them there.  

MACHU PICCHU

Thomas Huffaker, Zech Rios, and Bryce

This is the Sun Temple

This is a sun dial/alter.  

This is a symbol of the condor.  

I came, I saw, I conquered.

This is the top of Wuayna Picchu.  

The tall mountain in this picture is where Bryce is standing in the picture above.  

Thank you soooo much to everyone who made this trip possible.  We couldn't have done it without you. We are extremely grateful for the many family and friends who were willing to donate.   Bryce had an amazing experience and we can't say this enough, but THANK YOU!!!!!  Love you :)