Return to Cusco

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After our trip to Machu Picchu, we had one full day left in Cusco before heading to Ecuador.

We woke up around 6 AM for a full day tour of the cities surrounding Cusco. We hopped on the bus and drove up and up into the hills around the city. The views of Cusco below, the snow capped mountains in the distance and the patchwork of green, yellow and brown farms were too beautiful to describe--even the camera could not quite capture the magic of the natural surroundings. It was also neat to see all the animals in the fields--pigs, cows, bulls, donkeys, and a few llamas.

After driving for about an hour and a half, we arrived at our first place, the city of Chinchero (elevation = 12,500 ft!). Here we visited a family who showed us how they turn sheep and alpaca wool into thread, how they use natural dyes to color the thread and then how they weave it into items (blankets, hats, belts, bracelets, etc.).

It was a very interesting demonstration. To get colors for the dye, they use things from the environment around them--leaves, seeds, corn and even a bug that feeds on cactus leaves (when squeezed, it creates a dark red color. When you add a drop of lime juice, the crimson changes to a lighter orange color).

The women showed us how they use a drop spindle to turn the wool into thread. Some women even carried babies on their back as they worked. Other women demonstrated how they use a loom to weave products. For small items like bracelets, the female children weave them by using their foot to set up a make shift loom. All the people we visited wore traditional clothing for Chinchero--the style of outfit worn denotes what city you live in. The weaving techniques are hundreds of years old and passed down to each new generation. After the demonstration, we had time to buy souvenirs 😊 We did get some bracelets, a Peruvian hat for Bryan and a few belts, all handmade!

After leaving Chinchero, we drove for another hour to get to Ollantaytambo. Here, we went inside the home of a local family. There was one entrance from the street that opened up into a small square atrium with a communal bath. Six families (not related) have homes off of the atrium.

The home we went inside was one large room. In the far left corner were the beds, right next to the kitchen table! There was an open space with dried fish hanging from the ceiling. The floors were all dirt and you had to really watch where you stepped! There were guinea pigs (and their excrement!) everywhere. This family raised the guinea pigs to sell them as food (cuy). On the right side of the home was an alter. On a mantle were 3 human skulls...of the couple's grandparents--they watch over and protect the home. This is a very common practice in Peru. For religious purposes, the family also had real fetuses of a deer, llama, and alpaca hanging on the wall. Personally, I thought it was creepy!

After seeing how the people of Ollantaytambo live, we visited the Inca ruins there. Ollantay is the name of the man who discovered the ruins, "tambo" means town in Quechua. We only had about a half an hour to explore the ruins...and yes, it was many more stairs. Bryan climbed all the way to the top, but I stopped about halfway. Again the altitude was making me nauseous and tired. Also, I really needed to use a restroom. I broke down and paid to use the restrooms there---for 1 sol (33 cents!).

After Ollantaytambo, we drove another half an hour and stopped for lunch, finally! However, nothing looked good to me except for bread, some vegetables and of course, dessert. The chocolate cake with caramel filling and chocolate ganache was heavenly! There were spice cakes and lemon mousse that were also delicious. My mood improved slightly from the yummy desserts. 😊

Then, it was off to Pisac, the part I was waiting for...shopping! Sunday is the day for everyone to go to the market to stock up on supplies for the week. So, Pisac has a large outdoor market. In the front are all the food vendors selling fruits, vegetables, different types of corn, and even live chickens! The middle of the market had all the craft stalls filled with tourist trinkets. Sadly, we only had an hour to shop. (The men in the group were quite happy about that!) With bargaining in Spanish and the fact that both of us are indecisive, Bryan and I had to shop fast. Frustrating!! We did buy some things, but not nearly what I would have liked under the time constraints.

After visiting Pisac, we drove back to the hotel and the rest of the day to ourselves. Bryan and I walked back to the Plaza de Armas to finish our shopping. For dinner, we ate local fast food at a place called Bembos. They had burgers, hot dogs, chicken and ice cream. The neat thing about their menu was that you could order combos that would feed 2 to 4 people and were reasonably priced. We split a 2 person combo for 20 soles ($7). It included a very large hamburger, a small cheeseburger, 2 drinks, an order of fries and 2 ice cream cones! What a great deal.....plus Bembos will deliver! How cool is that?!

We walked back to the hotel to pack for the next part of our trip...Ecuador! I still can't get over what an excellent packer Bryan is. It turns out we bought 10 pounds of souvenirs. However, both of our bags were still under the 44 pound weight limit. 😊

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