We started off the day with a trip to a local artisan who carves intricate pictures into gourds. While there, we had the opportunity to learn how to do this as well as try our hand at it. The carving proved to be surprisingly difficult and was both an intriguing and humbling experience.

Later in the day, after an excellent lunch, we hiked to the hilltop Incan ruin of Saksaywaman which predates western contact by hundreds of years. The view from atop the ruin was astounding as it overlooks all of Cusco.

– Illuin D.

I’m going to talk about the food we have had on this trip thus far. I have been pleasantly surprised with the wonderful food that has been prepared for us at the village and in Cusco. I think that so far, the best meal we have had in the village, was the lomo saltado. It was succulent, rich, filling, and gave all of us the taste of Peru we were searching for. On our weekend excursion to Cusco, I think that the best meal we have had was the buffet that consisted of options from cuy (guinea pig, a traditional Peruvian food) and pork to fried yucca and star fruit salad. The restaurant was called Don Antonio. I ate three full plates of food with two trips to the dessert table because the food was so tasty and the buffet was all you can eat. My personal favorite was the cuy. Though most of our group members were not as accepting of the Peruvian delicacy, I think it was a perfect blend of salty, chewy, and exotic.

– Daniel C.