Peru Day 6 - Back to Cusco

Tonight we have two student bloggers again. The first is Hannah T and the second is Zoe T. 

Today was our 5th day in Peru, which was mostly spent inside the train and on a cramped bus. After one side of my body getting scorched and burned by the hot sun we finally got to get out and walk around. We were then crammed on a bus where we drove in to Cusco. We got to admire pottery made by a proffesional and watch in aw as people in brightly bedazzled costumes banging big drums walked down the narrow street. We arrived at a llama farm where we were able to feed and pet both llamas and alpacas. Although it was a load of fun, Noah and I can both say that the llamas got salty and spit a lot when people fed them the bad grass. We all squeeze back into the bus where we got to admire the beautiful scenery and the well known destination spot known as Saqsaywoman. Driving down narrow brick roads, laughing and sightseeing on this beautiful Sunday, we had a lot of time to reflect on this whole trip and experience. I have met and made friends with so many new people that I am happy to say I won’t forget! Rooming with people I may not have talked to on my own has allowed me to get to know people through a different set of eyes. Although some may feel homesick and tired, pictures have been captured, videos have been recorded, and memories have been made. This trip has been such a great experience and I have loved getting to know new people, laughing at jokes and pictures taken of Mr. Sheffield and Mr. Thornton, and both liking and gagging while trying new and unknown food. This is a trip that I will remember forever!  

~ Hannah T

The 5th day certainly wasn’t the most exciting day of travel, in my opinion. However, the long, grueling trips on PeruRail and in the bus offered new opportunities to make new friends and to learn all sorts of neat things. We departed from Wiracocha Inn early in the morning to board the train for a 2 hour ride back to Ollantaytambo. To pass the time, my seat partners and I played card games to pass the time, such as Irish Pub, BS, Blackjack, and a very short game of Go Fish (Ms. Sanger won almost every time). After a brief stretch to relieve my stiffness, it was time to hop onto a bus for a ride to a clay shop, run by a Peruvian artist that has had several pieces of art displayed in Washington D.C. I had learned a lot on how they make their pots. The process, although simple, has so much more time put into it than I had originally thought. Meanwhile, the town we visited was having a festival. Dancers passed by our bus wearing sparkly, flashy, and unrealistically large costumes to entertain the townspeople with. In Pisao for our lunch and to shop in the local market. I tried a great new food called Empanadas (Like Hot Pockets, but better). The markets that line the streets are possibly one of the greatest parts of Peru, other than Nila. Despite the constant persuading from the shopkeepers, they’re full of life and many items that you could never find in the United States. To congratulate our tolerance of the bus rides, we pulled over to visit a community with a large roadside farm filled with Llamas, Alpacas, and everything in between. Mounds of alfalfa were grabbed to fill the animals’ endless stomachs. Noah had to deal with an upset Llama’s spit. He probably would’ve been better off handing it some alfalfa. Today had many surprising experiences and foreign things to try. I can’t believe that this trip is almost to an end, but I know that not a single second of it has been wasted.

P.S: I’m confident that our group has created a new religion revolving around Inca Kola.

~ Zoe