Guinea pig for lunch and more local experiences

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I've gotten behind again on this blog, but as luck (?)would have it I've been given lots of time. We are sitting on a train somewhere between olyantatombo and Machu Picchu, not going anywhere. Apparently there's been a land slide up ahead and no one's going anywhere and there's no internet service.
In the meantime I can catch up and write about yesterday. We started the day on the bus at 8. I was out much earlier to enjoy the beautiful setting of Villa olyantatombo. The flowers, the birds, and being surrounded by the Andes is so peaceful. And besides there's only internet outside the room.
Our first stop was along the road. Raul had us all get out to talk about the flowers and fruit trees. There were avacado and pear trees. We stopped into the home of the farmer who owned the farm around us. Only a little girl was home but this is a stop that Raul often makes so she let us in. It was a very simple kitchen with a cook stove and holes in the walls with assorted vegetables. Lots of fly's, guinea pigs in the corner. Afterward we talked about why if they had such a large farm, did they live so simply? Raul said it was to retain the traditional way of life. From there we went rafting on the Urubamba River. It was beautiful and a lot of fun. We were given life jackets, wet pants and shoes and spent an hour rafting. It was mostly calm waters. Weather was warm and beautiful. The bus met us at the end and it was on to lunch at the home of a Peruvian family. Raul translated as the mom, grandma and daughters introduced themselves. They do this a few times a month for groups like ours. The twin daughters are 19 years old and go to the Institute, which is college, for Hotel and Restaurant Management. We worked with the mom to make vegetable tortillas in her kitchen. Naomi and I mixed and stirred the in gredients (see attached recipe ) and then the grandma fried them on an outside wood burning stove. Lunch was lovely... Quinoa soup, a rice and pasta dish, but the high light was guinea pig, proudly brought out by Lupe the youngest daughter who had Downs Syndrome. N eedless to say I didn't try it but every one else said it tasted like chicken.
From lunch we stopped into a ceramics studio and store

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