Wandering Around Cusco

The next morning we got to sleep in, so I was up at 5:30 to blog.  We gathered mid-morning for our last day touring as the Chipmunks with Alvin.  Our first stop was right across the street from the hotel.  

It had been multiple Incan temples before being turned into a Catholic convent.  Once again, this place in Peru had the annoying policy of not allowing photos.  Of course, everyone not there as part of Nat Geo was using their iPhones, so I snapped a couple of photos, daring the Peruvian police to arrest me.

View from the back of the temple/convent.

Cloister

Finished with that tour, we walked around the corner to a shop that was set up for women to learn the ancient art of weaving.  Three women demonstrated, while the woman who set up and runs the program explained what was going on.

The weaving is very impressive, and, not shockingly, we bought a bunch of cool stuff for presents, including a present for myself.  It is being shipped, so maybe when it comes in I will remember to add a post with some photos of what we bought.

Mural in Cusco

Weaving demonstration.

There was a light rain when we walked out of the store, so we donned our rainjackets.  Because we did, the rain of course stopped.  We took the vans up the hillside as far as we could and walked through the pedestrian streets to our restaurant, passing an alpaca tied to a street post along the way.

The alpaca is for photo/money purposes.  I think we weren't supposed to take the photo without paying, but oh well.  There was no one there, so we did.

The walk took us along winding narrow cobblestone streets, and past a beautiful huge waterfall fountain that made a beautiful cacophony of falling water.  My street needs one of those!

Lunch was at PachaPapa, and the highlight was guinea pig.  Most of the group passed on it, but Neil, Bruce, and I all planned on trying it.  There was only a little piece for everyone who wanted to try it, so Carol decided to give it a go.

The service was really, really slow at the restaurant, but the food was good.  The guinea pig looked pretty cool before they carved it up.

A fish dish, cool fire grill.

Grilled Guinea Pig, looks like a large rat.

It's quite the delicacy in Peru and Ecuador.

Having tried it, no need to add it to your 

holiday menu.

All dressed up with some place to go.

(Our stomachs were the "some place.")

Carol chowing down on

guinea pig.  Neil texting.

After that, our guides left us to our own devices.  We walked down to the main square, shopping along the way.  

Part of the fountain in the

main square of Cusco.

We wandered into a bunch of very touristy shops for one simple reason -- we were looking for Christmas ornaments.  There were no traditional ball ornaments that said things like "Peru" or "Machu Picchu."  Instead we bought some items that we'll turn into ornaments.

We headed back to the hotel mid-afternoon to hang out a bit before dinner.