Day Ten: Saqsaywaman (Retreat Day!)
¡Hola familias!
Today was our retreat day so everybody woke up as usual, and prepared their daypacks for an overnight stay in Cusco. After a hearty breakfast, we met up at Doña Gladys' for our stretching circle and check in. By 8:30, we were loaded on the bus and headed out to Cusco. The bus ride was awesome as we queued songs on Chris' phone and sung our hearts out to Adele.
We got off the bus and came to the hotel, where we dropped off our bags and then headed to the Mercado de San Pedro. This market was vibrant and full of sellers, smoothies, butchers, and pretty much everything else you could think of. In the market, some of us had the luck of finding great things and were naturally good at haggling, while some of us spent the entire hour negotiating prices.
For lunch, we went back to the same restaurant we had dined at during our first day in Peru, and the food was delicious. From fried chicken, to pork chops, to plantains with rice and sausage, everybody had a delicious meal.
After lunch, we retuned to the hotel, gathered our gear, and set off on a hike to a ruin called Saqsaywaman. For the first time since we landed in Peru, some of us weren't feeling well so we stayed back. For the rest of us, the hike was arduous but the reward was beautiful. The ruins made for a great view, but wow were those steps difficult. Once we made it to the top, we got a guided tour of the ruins.
But surprise, surprise: it started hailing.
Because of the hail, we cut the the tour short, and took shelter. After the hail stopped, we began the trek back down to our hotel. We took it slow, so as not to slip on the cobblestones, but still managed to make both an ice cream stop and a snack stop on our way down. Our route back to the hotel took us through the main plaza of Cusco, where preparations for Inti Raymi, the Inca sun festival held on the winter solstice, were already under way.
After we returned to the hotel, we had some time to shower and get organized, and then we went out to dinner. We ate at a Peruvian-Asian fusion restaurant. There was also live music, so we held a dance party during dinner and met this really cool guy from England named Tim. After an enjoyable dinner, half of us headed back to the hotel to rest, while others went out to explore the vibrant street nightlife of Cusco. So much dancing and singing. Overall, the retreat was fire and we are ready to get back to work with our families and community in Zurite!
Peace,
Nilesh and Evan
