Cusco, Peru ~ Wednesday, July 9,2014

After a very substantial breakfast the eight of us boarded our van at 9:30 A.M. A full day of touring was planned for us. First we started the morning by going to the local market where they sold food. They sold so many things you wouldn’t find in a super market at home. There were unusual meats like cow snouts. There was a whole aisle of several potato varieties. Fruits, breads, herbs, high quality coffee, fruits, and countless other things were sold there every day.

Cow Snouts

. Freddy bought this loaf of bread for us to try.
Next, we went to the ruins that were the biggest Incan ruins. It was the central government of the Incan Empire. The Spanish destroyed most of what was even bigger and more impressive than Machu Picchu. It is called Saqsayhuaman.

We then went to see the best place in Cusco to get high quality baby alpaca sweaters. I had bought some beautiful gifts there in 2008, and I wanted to get a sweater for myself this time. A woman showed us the different types of alpaca, and we could easily feel the difference. I bought a beautiful handmade baby alpaca sweater that had a black background and the colorful national flowers of Peru all over it.

Next we went to another ruins that was fairly close by. We walked through a cave that was a ceremonial place for Inca kings and probably where some mummies were placed at one time.

. Then it was time to go to a home-hosted dinner. We had a cooking lesson there, and I volunteered to cook the special tortillas made of one mashed potato, 5 or 6 chopped green onions, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and an egg. Oil was heated in a skillet, then I put a heaping tablespoon of the batter into the skillet. I made eight little tortillas by frying them on both sides.

For lunch we had a beverage made by boiling two liters of boiling water and one ear of red corn and adding some cinnamon. We also had quinoa soup, and many unusual vegetarian foods typical of a Peruvian diet.

. After retuning to the hotel, Paul and I prepared for our trip to Machu Picchu tomorrow. Then we went to the Andean Market across the street. Finally we went to dinner at a restaurant next door to the hotel. Again there was live Peruvian music played for us. I bought the third music CD of this trip from the group. I love panpipes!