Is It Midnight?

Wow. Very tired. We just got back from our day of exploration (the iPad tried to change that to exertion, and it wasn't far off). It's just after 7pm and it feels like midnight. It doesn't help that it's early winter here, so it starts getting dark around 5:30 or 6:00.

Our first official stop of the day was at a roadside attraction where they keep llamas, alpacas and vicunas. It was kind of like a petting zoo. They gave us some greenery to feed the animals which made it very easy to get close to them. It was lots of fun. I was surprised at how human-like their teeth were!

Next we went to a set of ruins that was built into the hillside. Also very cool. We climbed up a bunch of steps to see the ruins and then walked down the hillside back to our van. It was a tiring exercise, but we saw some beautiful vistas including more terrace farm land and the town of Pisac.

After this we were taken to a gorgeous estate on the side of a different hill for lunch. Both the food and the property were great! We got to meet the owner of the land and he showed us his private collection of Inca (and other) artifacts. Very impressive.

Next was another ruin site that was also built into the side of a hill. Getting to the top of this one was like a stairmaster routine. OMG. Even Jose, our tour guide from the other day who is now back with us, was out of breath! It offered a great view of the town and also the terraces.

Finally before going to the hotel, we stopped at a chicharia where they make a very traditional beer using mostly fermented corn. Many places and even homes make this drink, and they signal that they have chicha ready to serve by posting a pole with a red plastic bag in their front yards. The place we went to was in a small adobe building and consisted of one room in the building that basically looked like an old fashioned kitchen. The two women who worked there served us traditional chicha as well as fruit-flavored chicha. It turns out that they don't charge anything for this, but it is customary to leave a tip. After our drinks, we looked at the guinea pigs that they keep (to eat) and then played a game in the small courtyard where you try to throw coins into a frogs mouth (also very common in Peru).

Great day. A little nervous about tomorrow but I'm looking forward to great things.