Heaven on Earth

I have been blessed with opportunities to travel to many places around this world.  Throughout my travels to over 12 countries, over 20 foreign cities and regions, and a good portion of the United States, I have never found a place that surpasses the true beauty of my home valley.  Until now.  This past weekend we took an excursion by boat through Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, to some of the best kept secrets in the world.  Our excursion took us through many floating islands and past normal islands and landed us on the island of Amantani. Amantani rests in the Peruvian side of the lake with just a few thousand inhabitants.  I fell in love with the beauty of this island the second our boat pulled into the dock.  The island is flourishing with beautiful flowers and trees and the slopes of the hills are covered in cascading terraces where they plant their vast variety of crops, off of which they live.  The homes are perfectly and simply constructed out of cement with tin or grass roofs.  Each one resting on various levels of the side of the hill, possessing its own unique and breathtaking view of the lake with smaller islands and jutting mountains off in the distance.  Standing at the ruins at the highest point of the island can easily make one feel as if they are on top of the world.  I've never felt closer to heaven than when I stood there taking in the view of the water reflecting the orange and red clouds as the sun set behind them.  Waking up in the morning and looking outside my door directly to this spectacular view, I thought to myself, this truly must be a heaven on earth.

If only the picture could do it justice

view out to the lake from my room

ruling the island ;)