Dearest Brother Washi

Dearest Brother Washi:

Here are some of my thoughts. I could never put all of them down because that would take a book!

We journeyed to Peru in September of 2013 to visit Machu Picchu as it was a dream of my husband to see this engineering and archeological wonder. We were introduced to Washi (Washington Gibaja Tapia of Magical Tours Peru, by a friend of mine in California. I immediately began corresponding with Washi to plan our trip and through e-mail we became good friends. He handled ALL the arrangements for our trip (except our airfare from San Francisco to Lima). And when it became necessary to cancel our trip 24 hours before we were due to depart due to a government ban on travel to Peru, Washi was incredibly gracious and tried very hard to get some of our money back so that all was not a loss. We rebooked our trip 6 months later and again, Washi was the consummate professional and arranged the best hotels and meals.

When we arrived in Peru at 2am after having many flight delays and cancellations, Washi was at the airport with that all consuming smile on his face even though he’d been waiting there for many hours. I knew when I saw his face that we would have an exceptional experience! Washi was our constant companion and friend for just the two of us for nine days and traveling with him through his incredibly beautiful and spiritual country changed our lives.

The Peruvian people are as much a part of the wonder as their ruins and structures. Pure of soul, kind, gentle and loving, they made us feel welcome and safe wherever we went. Our adventure was made possible and truly life-changing because of the love and friendship of Washi, our dear friend. His love and knowledge of his incredible country gave us an appreciation and insight we would

never have gained with any other tour company. He is an EXTRAORDINARY person and we feel incredibly blessed and lucky to call him our friend.

If you are planning to travel to Peru, you will miss so much of the culture and beauty if you go with any other tour group. Washi will give you a very personal experience that I guarantee will change your life and the way you look at the world. We wound up adopting a family that lives in a humble shack 11,000 feet up in the Andes. We fed them, clothed them, supplied them with beds, blankets, solar lights, solar generator and even had the entire family vaccinated including their dogs. It was the least we could do after experiencing their incredible country and the tenacity of the indigenous people.

Washi, I hope this helps.

Love and peace,

Sister Linda and Brother Gary