Pictures from yesterday:
The (now) 3 day old Pony at Sol y Luna
Women working in the fields shucking corn
These are actually Inka tombs. The holes were made by grave robbers stealing the gold and silver. Located at the Pisac Ruins
Our guide Ruben. Check out those stairs!! at the Pisac Ruins
Ruben lives on the edge.
Well....we have just returned from a full day of shopping!! My favorite kind of day!
After updating this morning we headed out to the Pisac market. It was amazing and so huge (thats what she said-Dad). It has everything you could ever want in Peru. We spent the first hour just getting our bearings in the place. Every corner you turned revealed more and more stalls, filled with textiles, ceramics and little knick knacks. This was a place to browse for souveneirs that you may or may not be able to find in Cusco and haggle with the merchants. Its a place to rub elbows with the locals who often travel for miles to buy and sell at the merchendise. It´s filled with sound and color. Everywhere merchants are yelling to sell their merchendise while the smells of the city and Peru waft through the air. Its easy to get lost just watching and admiring the sights around you...things you would never dream of in the states.
Dyes at the Pisac Market.
Dad's beloved Coca...at the Pisac Market. But dad wants to what is in the plastic jugs. Thanfully I was able to wrestle him away.
After browsing through souveneirs we headed to the part we were most excited for...the food. After looking around the market, sampling some of the local orange juice and giving away a good ration of our candy we decided it was time to get down to business. We asked the security guard where we could try some cuy, or guinea pig. Guinea pig is a specialty here in Peru. It is eaten on special occasions. In fact on a childs first birthday it is customary for everyone to eat a smiling guinea pig.
Just your typical Sunday brunch in Pisac.
("Should we go to the Doughnut Wheel?")
She showed us down an alley leading off from the market where they quickly sat us down in an open air cafe. In front of us lay the huge oven, a wood burning one, like they use to make pizzas. We ordered our cuy and waited anxiously for them to bring it to the table. All the other patrons stared and waited with us, anxious to see the crazy americans who would eat such a thing. The master chef asked us if we wanted the cuy cut up or served whole. We chose the later. After pulling the cuy out of the oven on his 12 foot stick the chef crought our lunch to the table. The plate was filled heaping with potatos and right on top...a whole cuy, head and all (and a few chompers hangin in there as well). After pondering for several how best to devour this beast we asked a kid to help us out. He cut it down and we began searching for meat. The thing about guinea pigs is that there isnt much meat to them. As we took our first bites, we realized it wasnt as bad as you would think. It´s actually pretty good....if only you could find enough meat to fill yourself up on. After making a royal mess of the thing (and being mocked by a grandma type lady next to us) we decided to head out.
The anticipation is the worst part...
Cuy and potatoes...a staple of every Peruvian diet. Check out the teeth.
We went back to the hotel and retrieved our bags and headed out with our cab driver over the hills and back to Cusco. He floored it the whole way. He was doing about 50 mph on switchback turns...the guy was loco. We flew past the sacred valley and said goodbye. We pulled into Cusco and checked in at our hotel for the night, the Hotel Monastario. This is another Orient Express hotel. It's actually an old monastary from the 1500s that has been converted into a hotel. It still has the chapel that was used for mass. Lucky us, we were upgraded into a Junior Suite. HOLLA! Our room has oxygen pumped directly into it to help combat altitude sickness. And we have a view of the back of the Cathedral. It's gorgeous. Its a two story room and...wait for it...the TV pops out of a box at the foot of our bed! Whoa man!!!! Its sweet.
Our "sitting area" in our room
The only cedar tree in Cusco...in the courtyard of our hotel
The chapel at our hotel
We stopped at the pharmacy to get some more immodium (yikes! I had a scare this morning). We spent the rest of the day shopping for souveniers. As we were walking down Calle del Sol we ran across a couple who we had met in Ollantaytambo. They, concidentally, will be heading to Lake Titicaca tomorrow as well. After that, we found a burger place in the Plaza del Armas called Bembos which appears to be a Peruvian fast food chain. We grabbed burgers, fries and cokes and prayed that it would taste like home. It didnt. But we enjoyed it anyways (It was like 70%-Dad). We spent the rest of the night running around the city shopping and are now back to the hotel to rest.
La Compania De Jesus...dad just cant get enough
Tomorrow we leave for Lake Titicaca, which is located at 12,500 ft. The lake is shared between Peru and Bolivia. We are both very excited. We will be taking a 10 hour train ride on the Andean Explorer. Unfortunately I forgot my hanky and will not be able to wave goodbye to my many admirers who will be waiting on the platform. We did, however, buy erotic pottery playing cards to help pass the time. Well its off to our oxygen enriched beds for us!
Me singing the carpenters in the Market...
Dont you remember you told me you loved me baby...
with dad playing snare drum...
Adios!
