This morning we took a 1 hour flight from Lima to Cusco. Then we boarded our little bus to take us to the town of Chinchero (elevation 12,000 feet!). As we boarded the bus there were women selling various trinkets but also candy made from the coca plant. Coca is supposed to help people with altitude sickness. So, of course, I had to buy some! My fellow travelers were amused until our guide got on the bus and suggested everyone buy some!
It took about 45 minutes to zig zag up the mountain.
Along the way we stopped at a roadside stand to try fried pork rinds:
When we reached Chinchera, we visited a weaving center. They immediately passed around coca tea, to help with the altitude discomforts which we ALL felt! Groggy, a little headachey, slightly short of breath. The coca tea actually helped!
We learned how the local people clean, spin and dye the wool. I tried my hand at some of it:
Gregg learned to weave with a partner:
Next to the weaving center we were awed by Incan sites and colonial influences.
Then we made one more stop for a photo op on the way back to our hotel in Cusco.
The rosy cheeks of the children who live in the mountains is part of their adaptation to the oxygen needs in the high altitude.
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