Today was one of the best of the trip so far! We woke up super early to drive out to the city of Pisaq in the Valle Sagrado (Sacred Valley) to see ancient Inca ruins up in the mountains. But along the way we stopped at a petting zoo for llamas and alpacas! They were absolutely adorable. We fed them alfalfa plants and a few even let us touch them. The whole trip I have been waiting to see the llamas- they are so cute! One alpaca couldn't get enough of me and chased me around the pen trying to get the food in my hand. Even though it was a little childish I still loved seeing the llamas. After we went through the petting zoo, we got back on the bus and drove forty-five minutes through the Andes to Pisaq. Here we drove all the way to the entrance of the park on the peak of the highest mountain and made our way through Inca buildings and terraces. It was amazing to think that we were walking through places that Incas had hundreds of years ago! What is even more amazing is how the Incas even managed to build their cities. Edi, of our program directors, gave us mini lessons on Inca architecture during our three hour hike through the archaeological park. He explained that the Incas didn't use mortar to cement their stone walls but rather carved each stone to fit perfectly into the wall. They also built their religious buildings with the walls at a fifteen degree angle. These architectural styles helped improved the buildings' resistance to earthquakes. The Incas had so much knowledge about the stars and astronomy that in the religious sector of Pisaq, the top of the sun temple aligns perfectly with the sun on the winter solstice. I think Edi even said that Pisaq runs in a parallel direction to the Milky Way. The knowledge they had of the earth and the universe just astounds me. On our way down the mountain to the colonial part of Pisaq (where people live today), we had to descend about five-hundred tiny stone steps carved right into the side of the steep mountain. There were almost no railings and I thought I was going to die. If you took one step in the wrong direction or accidentally tripped, you would be tumbling all the way down. Thankfully I survived the stairs and made it to the ENORMOUS artesian market at the bottom. These people were selling everything from hand knit gloves, scarves, blankets, sweaters, and socks to bone flutes to Andean music to knives with handles made from horns to chess sets with Inca figures to gold and silver jewelry. You name it and they had it. I was able to bargain with one man to buy a present for Lauren and he wasn't too happy with my assertiveness. I can't remember the term he called me but John, one of the program directors, told me later that it means I wasn't cooked long enough in my mother's womb and came out too pale. Although it is supposed to be mildly insulting I just think its funny. In a separate market all the local farmers were selling their goods. Everything looked so delicious! One woman was boiling corn in a huge pot over a fire and selling it. There were piles of sugar and rice and potatoes and green onions and beets and so much more I can't even name it all. The whole atmosphere was almost overwhelming.

From Pisaq we took the bus to the neighboring town of Urubamba where Edi's family owns a house and some land. When we arrived they had a traditional Andean meal waiting for us. Maybe it was because I was so hungry but I had never tasted such good food in my life! We had a soup made with vegetables and quinoa (a very pure, healthy grain) and then rice, potatoes, pumpkin patties, cuy (guinea pig) and much more. Because I've been so sick for the past few days I only ate the plain foods and I'm happy to say that I did not try the guinea pig. I'm not big on eating animals people keep for pets. My friends did say that it tastes a little like chewy chicken. After eating we all sat around on blankets in the grass and just relaxed and chatted. I think I fell asleep at one point I was so exhausted. On the bus ride from Urubamba back to Cusco we drove through the highlands. On one side we could see the mountains and on the other side of the road we could see all the farming fields. It reminded me somewhat of Colorado because of the golden fields and dry terrain. I think I saw more burros (donkeys) and cerdos (pigs) on that bus ride than I have ever seen in my whole life.

Today was an eye-opener in terms of seeing how Peruvians live on a daily basis and also in terms of the rich history of the Peruvian people. I hope there are more days like this to come! Next weekend we are going to Machu Picchu :)

Love to all!

p.s.- for some reason I am having problems uploading my pictures and videos. I will try to fix the problem soon so you can see everything i'm doing!