Day 2 in Perú Featuring Alpacas

 



Saludos desde el Perú!

    We started off the day with an early breakfast buffet, which included your typical American breakfast foods with a Peruvian flair; pancakes, eggs, fruit and cereal. We then made our way to the Plaza where we captured the picture above. There we met our tour guide Javier who took us to Qorikancha, the Temple of the Sun. Once inside we where mesmerized by the cornucopia of relics belonging to Incan culture. 

    From there, we walked over to the neighboring Regional Historical Museum of Cusco, where we had the opportunity to visit the house of a mestizo noble. 


    Afterwards, we enjoyed lunch at a local Peruvian restaurant where we bonded over a delicious meal. Our tour guide Javier, then took us to Saqsaywamam, the ruins of an ancient Incan fortress at an altitude of 12,142 feet.  The tour included an extensive, laborious, and exhausting hike up a hill to reach the fortress. It was a really physically challenging experience due to low oxygen, steep hills, and high altitude. 

However, at the end of our tour we were rewarded wild alpacas. 


Our dinner was at a small local restaurant, where we enjoyed contemporary Peruvian cuisine. We were surprised by a local musician who played the flute, and pipes. He gave us a fun atmosphere while we ate dinner. His mini-concert livened up our mood and go us excited to browse around the Plaza after dinner. 

We separated into smaller groups to explore the multiple shops surrounding the Plaza. We enjoyed everything from, delicious nutella crepes, to authentic cheese empanadas, as well as purchasing souvenirs and memorabilia. We ended our night by reuniting at the center of the Plaza where we walked back to our hotel. We had a very busy and eventful day full of fun and learning. Now we must go to bed and pack our bags because we have breakfast at 7am! 

Thank you and buenas noches!

Andrea Espidio-Limon and Julian Lemay

 


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