Day 10

What a day! I did so much today and I am physically spent. We began our long adventure at around 8 am this morning.

First stop: Awana Kancha - wearing a Hoagie Haven T-shirt!

Here I am feeding a llama.

We got to pet and feed the llamas and alpacas, it was quite an interesting experience.

Next stop: Koricancha

I'm on the real, original Incan trail!

Here is a picture of me and Don Esteban - me in the Hoagie Haven shirt and Don Esteban in the Princeton Record Exchange shirt. Shout out to Princeton shops.

Next stop: LUNCH

We went to a delicious, and scenic Peruvian buffet. There was live music, and from where I am sitting in this picture you could see the river...or rather...TOUCH the river.

Next stop: Sacsayhuaman

Yes, I am in a dark tunnel/cave...without a flashlight.

Next stop: Chiceria

Chicha is a drink made from corn. We tried a yellow corn chicha that had been fermenting for a bit. To be honest, it tasted rancid. I was not a fan. We also tried a chicha that was a bit sweeter - it tasted a little something like strawberries. HOWEVER, it had an after taste of a permanent marker.

Here is a picture of a game that is frequently played outside of chicherias. You have to stand about 5 feet back from the metal frog, and try and throw gold coins into his mouth. It's not an easy task to do without a few drinks, so I can't imagine how challenging it must be after having a bit to drink...

Alledgly, if you successfully toss a coin into the frog's mouth, your opponent buys you a drink. BUT, if you do NOT toss a coin successfully in the frogs mouth, then you, the loser, needs to buy a chicha for your opponent.

I'm just going to stay away from the game altogether.

Next stop: I forget the exact name, but we got to see how lama and alpaca fur is dyed different colors.

This was a really cool mini-lesson to partake in. As you can see on the right, the originally white fur has been died yellow. 

On the right, the white fur was first died red, using the guts from a bug that frequents the cactus plant. Then, salt was added to the hot water inside of the pot, and when the red fur was dipped inside, it turned orange!

Last stop: The Cathedral/Marketplace

[[Above, is a picture of the giant cross that was outside of the church. Photos inside the church were prohibited.]]

Overall, our day was spent hiking, listening, and observing. After seeing all of the Incan ruins, I was truly amazed at how massive and well produced their creations are. Something very intereting about the culture that I have been delved in for the past week or so, is the amount of cultural ties that exist.

There are so many people that wear "typical" clothing every day that display their ties to Peruvian culture. 

Whew! Okay, I know that was a lot, but if you're tired from reading all that...imagine how tired I am from DOING all that!

Hasta manana mis amores.