Cusco- 5:34 PM

What a nice day to be in Cusco!

We set the alarm for 7:45. Laying out our clothes each day has made getting ready very easy. We were down to breakfast by about 8:05. Breakfast was really good! I had eggs, French toast, and a small piece of chocolate cake. We sat with an older lady in our group who is from South Carolina. She was very sweet and told us about how she got her doctorate and became a professor.

We met in the lobby to start our optional 1/2 day tour. We went downstairs into a conference room. Edgard introduced us to Pablo, a shaman, who traveled about a day from his village to meet with us. Edgard told us Pablo has been a shaman, along with his father and grandfather and it is Pablo's job to pass down his knowledge to another male. Because there is no male in his family "worthy" of the responsibility, he is going to start to train his neighbor's sun to take over when he can no longer do it.

Edgard told us about how important nature is in the daily lives of Pablo and the other people in his Inca village. They rely on nature for everything and give thanks to their many gods for what they have. Pablo sat on the ground and laid out different plants, herbs, etc. that were each wrapped in pieces of paper. We then each got three coca leaves. We came up one at a time, blew on them three times and said our names. He then wrapped it in a cloth. He came around to each one of us and did a blessing on us in the Quechua language. He also did a blessing on each of our Peruvian cross necklaces. Afterwards, we took pictures with him. He was a very sweet old man and I really enjoyed meeting him.

We then boarded the bus to head for our "behind the scenes" tour. Our first stop was in front of a cemetery. We got out and Edgard introduced us to two women. One was wearing a green vest and was selling phone calls. The other was selling quinoa juice. Edgard told us how many people don't go past elementary school for education. These ladies had the same story. Their husbands have also left them with at least 5 kids, which Edgard said is also extremely common.

We then went over to a food stand where Edgatd showed us that we could get a lunch for about $3. He also explained to us that typically, Peruvians eat about 5 meals a day, lunch being the biggest.

We then went over to the flower stand to look at the variety of flowers being sold. He also introduced us to a lady selling candles, doilies, mini pots, incense and even super glue: all items you could possibly need on your visit to your family member's gravesite.

Edgard's point was that all of these people have found ways to make a living despite their circumstances. He told us middle class people make about $1,000 per family. Below that are two more middle/lower classes making $600 per family, then $500 per family. He also told us if you make over $200 per family, you are taxed almost 40%, and if you have medical insurance, you are taxed over 50%! That's crazy to me. Apparently, their current president only has an 8% approval rating. That doesn't come as a shock at all.

We went into the cemetery that was built around 1850. Edgard pointed out some notable grave sites, including an author and a court justice. Edgard told us how at some funerals, women were paid to come and weep. We started walking and Edgard pointed out how people are buried in the walls and then get space in front to display pictures and mementos, kind of like a mini alter behind glass or a mini gate. They are locked but we were told the locks are easily broken by local kids, not for stealing but just in case you forgot the key and want to put new flowers or mementos in the alter. Some people had beer bottles, Coke bottles, pictures, flowers, stuffed animals, and other knick knacks. It was interesting to see each one. Edgard told us that the families of the deceased pay about $1,000 for burial, plus a $250 annual maintenance fee. If you stop paying, after 6 months, your family member is exhumed, their remains put in a box, given to the family members and the plot is resold. There are about 12,000 people buried in the cemetery. He then pointed out an unmarked grave from 1857. Nobody knows who is in there but the family members come during the night and light black candles, usually meant to symbolize something sinister.

Another interesting aspect of the cemetery was the two little boys we met. They were both 11 and spent their mornings working at the cemetery. For a fee, they will shine the outside of the bronze alter with limes, refill water in the pots, take out old flowers, and wipe down or shine other parts of the alter. They work to give money to their single mothers and then go to school in the afternoons. Edgard paid them to show us how they worked. They said they usually only made about 20 soles a week, the equivalent of about $6. A lot of people from the group gave them extra tips for their work. Before we left, they told us what they wanted to be when they grew up: a mechanical engineer and a tour guide. I was utterly fascinated by the cemetery and could have spent hours there looking at all of the alters.

After the cemetery visit, we headed down some streets that had people selling everything from nearly rotted meat, veggies and fruits to nuts, kitchen supplies and cheese. The most disturbing thing to see were the llama carcasses hung outside shops.

We then parked the bus and got out at an indoor market. Edgard showed us around the stalls. It was overwhelming to see... and smell! We stopped by a stand selling chuta bread and got 2 loaves for our included lunch. We then stopped by a fruit stand and Edgard showed us mangoes, papayas, sweet tomatoes and soursop, which we we also later pick up for our lunch. He explained to us that there were women selling live frogs that they would skin while they were still living, put in a blender, and sell the juice. Some people believe it makes you have lots of energy. It just makes me want to barf.

Edgard also pointed out a type of lupine to us that is native to Peru. He said it has 34 amino acids and he believes that in the next few years it will catch on all over the world and become expensive. We tried it before in a corn dish and it was delicious. I'm going to try to find some in a market to bring home.

We went back to the fruit stand to pick up our fruit and got back on the bus. Our last stop was a Peruvian restaurant across the street from the hotel called Valentina's. The chairs were set up for us to watch a cooking demonstration. We were given a copy of the recipe. The chef came out and began to prepare the dish. Basically, it is yellow potatoes made into a pancake, topped with avocados and chicken salad, rolled like a sushi roll, sliced and garnished. We got to have it with our lunch and it was great!

While we watched, we got to sip on Pisco sours, which are delicious! We then got to place our orders for lunch- most people ordered alpaca; I stuck with beef. At the table, we had chuta bread with a mixture similar to salsa. We also had cheese that was delicious. Our first course was the yummy potato roll that we saw being prepared. I was already full at that point. Then, we got our main course. I got the beef with rice and French fries. It was delicious but I was super full. We then got our cut up fruit. The sweet tomatoes and mangoes were my favorite. We also got ice cream. When I decided I was ready to pop, I headed back to the room and Mimi went shopping with some of the other girls.

I decided to get online for a little while and then I took a nap. My stomach was hurting so I was glad I hadn't gone out to shop. A couple hours later, I went out on my own to the marketplace across the street. I bought a few more gifts and headed up the street, peeking into shops and just people watching. I ran into Mimi and the other girls and we all headed back toward the hotel together as it started to rain. Mimi and I stopped back into a shoe store and bought a pair of shoes that I had looked at earlier. We then headed back to the hotel to rest for a couple hours before dinner. After watching a few episodes of Friends in English, we met everyone down in the lobby before heading to our dinner show.

Our restaurant had a beautiful buffet set up. We had a long table set up in front of the stage. We ordered our drinks and got in line for food. It was all Andean food. I got a corn salad, veggies, potatoes, beef, lasagna and ravioli. I also got a nice bowl of vegetable soup. For dessert, I got very thin slices of chocolate cake, mango cake, passion fruit cake, and sweet strawberries. It was all delicious and for the second time of the day I was stuffed. There was a Peruvian band and a couple of dance performances. We then started a conga line throughout the restaurant. It was really fun and lively.

We left around 9:30 to go back to the hotel. I hadn't packed yet and we had a wake up call at 7:00 so I figured it was time to start. On Saturday, we are on our way to Puno and Lake Titicaca!