Temple of the Sun

Let´s just start off by saying that I was not looking forward to this day at all!!!! After climbing the ruins of Montealban, I did not think I could make this climb. When we reached this destination I kept telling everyone that I wasn´t going to do it, but my new buddies would not let me not do it. We came up with a new slogan, ¨NTLB¨ (No Teacher Left Behind). Well needless to say, they didn´t let me stay behind. Here is apicture of the temple of the sun that I took from the bus. I was scared from the get go, but something inside me wouldn´t let me defeat myself. I figured that I had gone all that way to accomplish something, and maybe this was it!!!!
Here is a picture up close. This is what I saw before I started the climb. Here you can see some of my colleagues (Leigh Ann, Jorge, and our guide Dr. Goldsmith). I was trying to stay as far back as I could to see if I could get out of it. I had to prepare myself mentally (let´s face it... I was not prepared physically!!!)

This is a picture of Tamara and I half way through. We had 20 minutes to climb up and down, and this was about minute 13! I had to catch my breath because I could barely breathe at this point. All I could say was..."I can´t breave...". Remember what I said about No Teacher Left Behind, well, the only one who stayed with me was Tamara. At first I thought she was trying to help me out, but later I found out that she was having a hard time herself. I forgot to mention that there was a point where I wasn´t going to go any further, but when I looked up to see how far I needed to go (3 levels) I saw an 80 year old woman coming down the steps. If God was sending me a sign, I got it... I kept trucking...As you can see in this picture, I made it!!!!!! Rocky theme in the background. I had to sit for a minute... I still coudn´t breathe. The air is so different there. Now the challenging part... going down!!!!!!

This is the view from the middle level. What goes up must come down, and boy did I come down. I think coming down the temple was harder than going up. I was sooooooooooo scared, but Tamara held my hand the whole way through. We almost fell once and both screamed simultaneously, "Ay, Dios Mio!!!!!" It was quite funny, but we made it.

All in all I would have to say that this has been one of the most memorable moments of my life. The feeling of accomplishment was and still is uncomparable. I´ve always known that I could do anything, but now, I believe Ican. What a great lesson to learn. Thanks to all who pushed me to do this... I love you all, Niecy!