On Monday we got to sleep in a little and leave at 9 for Ollantaytambo. Once in Ollantaytambo, we got on our buses and headed out for Cusco.
On the way, we stopped at a chichería. Chicha is a type of beer made from corn. The corn is left out to germinate. Once they have sprouted, the kernels are boiled for four hours over a wood stove. The mixture is then sifted into a big clay pot through a woven basket. Nothing is sanitized, as far as I know. The beer is left to ferment for 3 days. It's only 3% alcohol, so farmers usually drink from a half-liter glass. And they drink a lot. It's okay, because German researchers just found out that it helps prevent prostate cancer. You'll probably start seeing more chicha in the states soon.
We also played a fun game where you throw coins onto a little table with holes carved into it and a toad in the middle. The goal is to get the coins in the toad's mouth, but the holes count for points too. The coins fall into a drawer underneath, so when you have thrown them all, you pull out the drawer and add it up. Whoever loses usually buys a round of drinks.
After that we were on our way to Cusco! After we checked into our hotels, the rest of the day was basically free to do what we wanted. There was an optional tour, which I went on because I like to learn. I had lunch with some other girls at a little pastelería. I had spinach quiche and a cheese sandwich with limonada. It was soo good, but I felt so full the rest of the day. It takes twice as long to digest at high altitudes like that. I wouldn't recommend it.
The tour basically consisted of the cathedral and a market. The cathedral was really cool because it was built over an Incan shrine. The Spanish forced the Inca to build the cathedral, so during the construction they made little suggestions and quite effectively hid Incan symbols all over the church. Many paintings have the Southern Cross in them, which is a constellation that is very important in the Incan culture.
There is also wooden crucifix in this cathedral where the image of Jesus is black. Several hundred years ago, there were really bad earthquakes in Cusco. The Catholic priests said this was punishment and they should have a ceremony and ask for forgiveness. So they took this crucifix out into the plaza and began worshipping. The earthquakes stopped and as a thank-you they lit hundreds of giant candles all around the cross. They kept these candles lit for years. With all of that smoke, the crucifix was forever stained black. Now, there are electric candles in front of the shrine. It's a cool story.
After that tour, we went to a market where they sell grocery-type items. It was mostly closed because it was a holiday, but we got to buy some coffee and chocolate. Chocolate was invented here. By the Incas. You would think that there would be more of it.
By the time we got done with the tour, it was almost dark. Lights were coming on, and this is why I love Cusco. The whole mountainside was lit up with little twinkly lights all around the city. It was so beautiful.
A couple girls and I went to a fancy bonbon store where you could get chocolates filled with fruit or liquor. I got a few. So far, so good. Basically maracuya is the best fruit ever.
Then we went to the textile market and I bought way too many souvenirs. I'm probably done with that now. But everything is just so pretty and so cool. I want it all!
After that we went back to the hotel and met up with some others for dinner. We went to a traditional restaurant called Valentino's and had cuy. In case you aren't aware, cuy is guinea pig. It is a delicacy in the Andean Mountains. They put enough spices on it that I probably would have believed it was chicken if they hadn't served it to us whole. I also had palm hearts and Cusqueña, the local beer. It was an alcohol-filled day, I guess. They had a live band that played really good music. Most indigenous music that we heard was just covers of American pop songs (like My Heart Will Go On, Don't Cry For Me Argentina, and Let It Be) done with a flute and violin, but these guys were better than that.
We went back to the hotel for another early bedtime. Both of my roommates were out late, so I got the room to myself for a while. It was really nice to have some alone time after a weekend constantly surrounded by people.
At breakfast the next day, I finally had my coffee. And I had chocolate cereal with vanilla yogurt. It was fantastic. And to top it all off, there was a man playing piano in the breakfast room. He played lots of great songs, like The Entertainer, and Dancing Queen. The best, though, was The Star Spangled Banner. We all gave each other confused looks and then just went with it. We clapped at the end just like it was a sporting event.
I'm becoming a breakfast person. Slowly, but surely. As long as I keep having great breakfast experiences like that, I will be fully converted by the time I get home. Look out, world.
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