No Gracias: A Blog Written By Michelle

---

No Gracias!: A blog written by Michelle

After a restful night, thanks to my warm pillows, we enjoyed our first free breakfast at the hotel. Than off to Ave El Sol in search for a place to book our flights back to Lima. It was a success; just in time to meet Eugene in front of the Cathedral at 11AM sharp for the trip to Pisac. 

A 45 minute ride along a winding road, with one stop for photo ops of course, brought us to our first destination. A view of colonial Pisac. I looked in awe as I saw the tiny village sandwiched between a river and a beautiful bed of mountains. This is when I learned that my addiction to snapping photos had begun (however, Christina thought that long before). 

On the road again, we were off to market#1: Native and remotely located this is where I learned Christina just cannot resist a purchase. We gave in to the fad, a llama hat for both of us, a necessity as the temperature at night is frigid. But of course for me it took hunting down the perfect style and color before I could make my final purchase. My indecisiveness made saying "no gracias" even that much more tedious. During our departure, Christina shouted out in excitement for a family of llamas, with camera in hand, only to learn that two llamas had seen better days and were getting skinned! Yes I know, sad story. You may notice by now that this blog may not bring you as many laughs as Christina's. 

Onward, to the ruins. Our tour guide muttered off in Spanish, but I just couldn't break my attention to the camera in an attempt to capture the best picture ever. We proceeded to take a short hike along the ruins on the path of the original Incan trail. My fast pace certainly made it difficult for someone to keep up. I jumped from one rock to another, and peered behind me only to see Christina timidly taking it one step at a time as she made it more than clear that her snail pace was due to her fear of heights and lack of "gates."

Thirty minutes later, we arrived at the thriving and a bit more commercial, Market #2. I was being pulled in every direction, as the "no gracias" flowed out of my mouth every other second. Many purchases later, including an authentic Congo drum for Christina, (which if she would only stop the banging, I wouldn't be losing my mind) I was exhausted.

The best part of the day was when we encountered two young girls in authentic clothing, one holding a baby llama, and the other with a puppy (in there sacks wrapped around their body, of course). At this point, you could only imagine Christina's excitement. One sol later, we had a picture. To top it off, we met a young Peruvian boy trying to sell miniature paintings. When he wasn't taking "no gracias" as an answer he proceeded to state the last three U.S Presidents, the U.S capital, and described the details of the American Flag, he won our hearts over and yet again Christina needed a picture for one sol. 

Thursday: Happy Birthday Machu Picchu! Fiestas and parades started early in the Plaza de Armas. Before we could join in on the festivities a quick stop to get Machu Picchu tickets for Saturday was in order. I, of course, was not allowing Christina to take lead in finding our destination. Map in hand, we navigated the polluted streets of Cusco.

On our way we stumbled upon a beautiful llama. Naturally, a screaming Christina couldn't resist a picture. Soon to learn, this llama was named Pablo Picaso and slept in the house with the family as a pet. Continuing on our journey, Christina ranted how she dreams of smuggling a pet llama home. Hence, the reason why I walk quickly and leave her lagging behind.

We successfully got tickets and were off to explore. We visited Qoricancha, fountains, and a final destination to eat lunch on a balcony overlooking the festivities in the Plaza de Armas.

Joining in with the majority we were fulfilled with the cultural experience. Once again, the "no gracias" were in order when locals attempted to sell anything they possibly could...except when it came to the large cups of Cusequena.

So as you can see, the motto of the days is "no gracias!"

Good night to Cusco, Good Morning Ollantaytambo!

Stay tuned...

Michelle

---