A Day in the Life - Sacred Valley area

A note:  it seems to take forever for my photos to move from my phone to my iPad so these are not necessarily the best.  But it's the best I can do :-)

We started the day with a small hike along the Inca Trail.  We happened to come across a short woman wearing traditional clothes of the people from the mountains.  She was carrying 40-50 lbs. of potatoes and carrots down to the market to barter for fresh fruit for her family.  She put down her load and showed us - even let us pick it up to feel the weight.  She had more than an hour walk in each direction and she was 54 years old.

Our travel company, Overseas Adventure Travel, prides itself on giving travelers a " cultural exchange" experience.  So we visited a school that receives support from the philanthropic foundation they support.  We went to a second grade classroom where the children told us a little about themselves ( name, age, # of siblings, what they want to be when they grow up).  We told them our names and what we did for a living.  Our guide brought jacks and tops and jump ropes, so we could all go out and play!  The children sang a song ( I have a video but can't seem to post it) and we sang, too.  It was lovely.  The man in the photo is our tour guide.  The little girl in pink was my playmate. We were too busy participating to take many photos.

We traveled from school to the Incan ruins in Ollantaytambo.  An amazing history lesson, nature lesson and challenging hike.  Most of us made it to the top of what you see in the photo below - 300 steps! 

That's me in the bright blue shirt.

The view from the top

Our next stop in a Day in the Life was a bar where the woman makes and sells Peruvian corn beer.  It was just a courtyard of a small house.  We tasted the beer (it was kind of sour) and played a coin toss  "bar" game.  

Then we were off to lunch at the home of a local family.  Some of our group helped prepare the corn fritters, then we sat down to lunch.

Soup with vegetables and quinoa, rice, a potato dish, the delicious corn fritters and the local specialty - guinea pig.

Our group was invited in the morning to help "prepare" the guinea pig.  All but two men in our group declined!  (And, no, I didn't eat it)

Some much needed rest time this afternoon, then dinner at a local restaurant.  Our lovely, rustic hotel: