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Today has been a sedentary, food-based day. After an initial burst of enthusiasm encouraged by the first lie-in in living memory (nearly) we set off to have our laundry done after breakfast. A jovial Peruvian lady with a small shop cum motorbike spares outlet weighed our washing and promised it back at 16.30 dry but un-ironed.
Sarah spotted a turbo-dry setting on the washer and mimed not to use this setting on woollens - priceless.
The local landmark attractions are part of the boleto turistica - a cusco and sacred valley ticket valid for 17 different sites. A partial boleto was available but too pricey, so we sloped off to lunch on a backpacker friendly venue. Jude watched Sherlock while tucking into a bacon buttie while Alfie went with the alpaca burger.
Spotted a photo on the wall of local(ish) salt pans, so that's tomorrow morning taken care of!
Took a quick turn around the free entry ruins on the other side of the valley, storehouses and other buildings of unknown purpose before returning to collect the laundry via the Italian ice cream parlour - 12 flavours, mostly excellent, apart from the chicha morada, a Peruvian black maize drink turned into a sorbet. Alfie marked it down heavily for not bring creamy ...
We entered the laundry lady's shop to find her asleep with her baby on her lap - unsurprising when you have a babe, and another 3 children under 10, an eclectic emporium to run and strangers' laundry to wash. It's a pretty hand to mouth existence which only serve to remind us how lucky we are to be able to travel here, she has no such opportunity.
We shuffled out, knocked and waited for her to ask us in to find that sour laundry would be ready at 14.00 tomorrow. No loss, so off to the next culinary experience ...
Independence Day had seen most of Ollantaytambo's restaurants packed out with Peruvians and tourist parties which meant we weren't able to eat in our initial choice last night, a recommended fish and pizza place. Tonight was wholly different. The 4 of us nearly doubled the number of diners in a venue of ?40+ covers.
Wandering back to the hotel in a food trance, we reflected that a day of doing very little had been just what the doctor ordered.
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