Hello all,
It is hard to believe that it is only day three of the trip – we have already done so much!
Yesterday was our first full day in Peru and it started with an early departure to the city of Cusco, right in the heart of Peru’s Sacred Valley. The views from the airplane were spectacular – snow capped mountain ranges as far as you could see – but that was nothing compared to the sights we saw on our journey to Ollantaytambo. The Sacred Valley is as visually stunning as it is full of history.
Ollantaytambo, our home for a few days before we head up to our community service village, Patacancha, is an beautiful, cobblestoned village that has been continuously lived in since the 13th century. Women still walk around in traditional dress and an Incan fortress towers over the city – a reminder of the role it played in the days of Incan civilization. The people are incredibly friendly here and the group spent the first afternoon wandering the many streets, buying warm alpaca hats and practicing Spanish with the locals.
Peruvian cuisine has been a BIG hit with the group. Everyone is eager to try as many new things as possible and many students hope to focus on Peruvian cuisine as their independent project once we get to the village.
Today was our big rafting adventure! The water here is COLD, but they suited us up with wetsuits and windbreakers and no one even flinched as we climbed into the chilly water. For two hours, we drifted down the Urubamba River, taking in the Incan sites along the way, tackling a few mild class 3 rapids and getting in more than one splashing war. No one was dry by the end of the trip, despite our best efforts!
It is day three of our trip and the group is itching to get to our host village and to start work on our community service projects. We are almost there! Tomorrow is the big Inti Raymi festival, Ollantaytambo's most important festival which is definitely a must see. We’ll head up to our village first thing on Tuesday.
Saludos,
Hannah and Yaser
