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We experienced our first school trip on Friday - complete and utter madness!! After arriving at the plaza for 7am, we waited around in the cold for ages (we truly appreciate the meaning of Peruvian time now!), until finally boarding the council's bus with children hanging off people's knees etc. We drove into Cusco, which takes about an hour, during which time every child felt 'travel sick' to get some of Ellie's attention, who wafted alcohol over their heads!
In Cusco, we went into a big fair/agricultural show , where there were literally thousands of people. Taking a deep breath and with a tight grip on the kids, we immersed ourselves in the merriment, stroking llamas and alpacas and going on the most rickety ferris wheel I have ever laid eyes on (driven by what looked like a bicycle chain!). Everyone had a fab time and luckily we made it through the morning without anyone getting lost!
After loading all the kids back on the bus (who then went off to have chicken and chips, much to their delight), the volunteers checked into a lovely little hostal (something labrador), before having lunch and going on a tour of Cusco. As touristy as the city is, it is also a very beautiful one with its colonial architecture, lovely plazas, and ornate churches. The tour, which was led by a slurring ameri-peruvian, whom we could barely understand, incorporated the cathedral, and a couple of other central sites before going a little further out to see the Incan 'Sachsaywaman', mammoth fortress type site, and some other temples and springs, ending at an Alpacan clothing store. We finished off the day with a sumptious buffet comprising Ceviche, other peruvian fare and some rather enticing puddings, which we ate watching some jolly peruvian dancing and traditional music.
On Saturday we wondered round the city to the markets, and relaxed in the central plaza, where Meg got whistled at by a policewoman!!! In the afternoon we went horse riding around some more Inca sites, on some very docile ponies. Colette's steed was apparently 'new to the area', and was suffering from altitude sickness - the poor animal was gasping for breath for most of the afternoon! After sitting on a roof terrace and watching the sunset/moonrise, drinking passionfruit juice, and eating in another local bar, we went out Cusco style! Fun was had by all, including dancing on the bars!
Sunday was a tour of the sacred valley, comprising the vibrant Pisac market and its ruins; the Inca site at Ollantaytambo from which you can see giant faces carved into the opposite cliff and a few more. Sitting high on a mountain with panpipe music wafting up from somewhere below, brought tears to my eyes - it was one of the most beautiful moments of my life.
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