donkeys and pigs and llamas, oh my!

All their bags are packed and they are ready to go! Another early morning wake up call, extreme breakfast feast and this girl and that guy are scooped up and off to village of Chinchero. During the demonstration they learned about the time, effort and skill that goes into the handmade items, particularly the process from making and dyeing the yarn to weaving it into intricate patterns. This girl purchased a table runner that took one of the villagers 8 weeks to create! After their brief shopping trip, it was time to mountain bike the 10 miles to the first campsite. Geared up and ready to go, the bikers begin their four hour ride around Lake Piuray and visit various farm communities along the way. They stop and chat with locals heading on a 25+ hour bus ride to Lima to put on a cultural show at a festival, hand out candy and sweets to local children and visit with farm animals. This girl felt like she was at a petting zoo! After a few grueling hills and steep turns they park their bikes at their campsite in Kuper Bajo. This girl settles down under a tree and takes a deep, calming nap while listening to the sounds of the village around her. Upon waking, this girl and that guy are presented with a lunch fit for royalty! Three courses later, and after many thinks to the best cook ever, Josef, the happy (and full) adventurers set off to explore the farms surrounding their temporary home. It felt like a treasure hunt, finding new and exciting animals, people and even Inca ruins along the way! A few hours later, following tea, biscuits and jam, soup, chicken wrapped in ham, rice, rolls and flan, this girl and that guy close out their day, bundled up in fleece and layers, watching for shooting stars and pointing out constellations in the sky. Life is good.

To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted. Bill Bryson