Urubamba- 7:45 PM

Today was a day of relaxation and getting an authentic Peruvian experience.

We woke up at 9:15 to have breakfast at the hotel. I really enjoyed the pieces of chicken with quinoa on the outside. I don't ever eat chicken for breakfast but it actually went well with eggs. I also like the chocolate marble cake. On our way back to the room, we chatted with some ladies selling handicrafts by the pool. They had a little girl with them that was super cute.

We came back to the room and decided to relax for a while before heading out to the market in town.
We watched a movie on HBO about a girl that was kidnapped from a hospital and found her real family 23 years later. Those darn Lifetime movies really do suck you in.

After the movie we got dressed and ready to go. We saw Carol and Werner, the Germans from Florida, in the courtyard. They gave us directions to the market. We walked the mile or so toward the market but didn't exactly know where it was. We stopped in a tiny shop and asked 2 old men where the market was. We were able to communicate pretty well and got our directions. We ended up only being a couple of blocks away.

The streets were lined with people, mostly women, selling everything from bread, fruits, veggies, to furniture and cooking supplies. We then found an enclosed area with more people selling goods. It had two levels. The second level had tiny kitchenettes all numbered that were actually little "restaurants." Women were cooking soups and meat dishes. It smelled really good. There were also shops selling clothes and handicrafts. I ended up buying a scarf and handwoven placemats.

We then worked our way back into town. I found some bug spray. I also stopped to get some pizza, which would end up being a big mistake.

We got back to the hotel and relaxed by the pool where I ate my lunch and we chatted with Carol and Werner. After eating my pizza, I didn't feel very good. We ended up going back to the room to relax. I was supposed to go on a run with some of the girls from the group but that wasn't going to happen. Let's just say, what happened next was not pretty. And then I felt a lot better.

We got packed up and ready for dinner. We met in the lobby at 6:00 and took the 5 minute bus ride to the family's house where we were having dinner. We were greeted by an older woman and shown into her house where there was a long table set up for dinner.

We met her daughter and granddaughter. Her daughter had a sleeping baby on her back in a sling.
The granddaughter, Lupe, was 7 and had Down Syndrome. She was very friendly and sat next to me. We started with a delicious potato soup, followed by chicken, dehydrated potatoes, a creamy corn mixture, and rice. It was delicious! Lupe was enchanted by my videos on my phone of the children singing in Ecuador. It upset one of the ladies in the group that I was playing the video but I assured her it would be off as soon as it was over... which was only 1 minute.

After dinner and a nice conversation, we were given a nice herbal tea. Two of Berta's (the grandmother) granddaughters, who are 14 year old twins, sang us some songs in Spanish, Quechua, and in English (Twinkle Twinkle, Old McDonald, and the Itsy Bitsy Spider.)

We thanked the family for hosting and headed back to our room. When we got back, we packed and watched some TV. Our wake up call will be at 5:45 because we are going to Machu Picchu! I can't wait!