We were waiting in line for the toilets.  The ride from Machu Picchu to Ollanta had been almost two hours and Nature was calling.

As I waited for the kids, I entertained myself by eavesdropping on conversations of those in line.  One group of four women was particularly interesting.  They were American and about my age.  They seemed to be on a girls’ outing and it reminded me of my favorite Section G ladies’ getaways, the only difference being that these women were burdened with crazy amounts of hiking gear.  They had clearly come to the Andes to tackle peaks.

At this particular moment, however, they all desperately had to pee.  Alas, not one among them had money at hand to pay for the toilets.  I approached them with a smile and 5 sole coin, “This should be enough for all of you,” I said.

My offer was met with a rousing chorus of thank-you’s and two high-fives as the women sprinted for the bathroom.

I giggled and watched them charge the ladies’ room.  Just when I thought I couldn’t feel much better, Katherine returned and said “Mom, what did you do??  A lady in the bathroom came up to me and said ‘Your mom is AWESOME!  You should do whatever she says!  She is really great!”

Random act of kindness:  Less than $2.00

Momentary admiration from your pre-teen:  Priceless.