Day 5 the Sacred Valley

So, I think it is pretty hard to follow a day of sight seeing and hiking on Machu Piccu but we actually had quite a great and jam packed day. We loaded up on the train at 8:30am to make out trek back to Cuzco. On the way we got the chance to tour another very impressive Incan site. Ollantaytambo is a sacred Incan site located in the sacred valley. The ruins are very similar to that of Machu Piccu and that meant only one thing...... more stairs! Helen has been my physical activity tracker using her Fitbit. Between the tours of days 4 and 5, we, as a group, averaged 12 miles of walking which included climbing the equivalent of 325 flights of stairs! It was tough but the kids and adults did great and the rewards of their efforts were more than worth it with breath taking views of the ruins and the Andes moutains. After ollantaytambo, we loaded up in our bus and headed to the world famous Pisac market. Here we spent some time checking out local products and haggling prices. Soccer shirts seem to be a big hit in our group of boys. Together they have purchased enough to field their own team and probably another one to boot. The market was very neat and a great experience. We loaded back up on the bus and headed out to make our way back to Cuzco. 

On the way back we got the chance to stop at an alpaca farm and check out the different breeds of alpacas. The kids took a lot of selfies and only Helen, myself, and Morgan got spit on! The sun started to set as we loaded back onto the bus and made the 40 minute trip into Cuzco city. On this last ride, the kids started a dance party in the bus and sang songs that our tour guides, Omar and Jennie, were requesting. A whole bus of high school kids singing shania twain is quite a sight and Omar and Jennie loved it!

To cap off the night we made our way to supper. Along the way we got a chance to watch a special dancing parade taking place on the Main Street of Cuzco. Tonight marked the start of a series of celebrations for the city's anniversary. The streets were jam packed and the music and dancing were amazing! This was just another lucky chance we got to see another piece of the Peruvian culture. 

So, as you can imagine, we have seen and done a lot. The students have done an awesome job and Omar has commented multiple times on how great they have been. Nights have been easy because they are tired and ready to sleep by the time we get back to the hotel.

Tomorrow we will make our way to Puno for the last leg of the trip. We will be traveling by bus and the transfer will include a few stops along the way.

In terms of health, everything has been going fine. Other than being tired, Breanna is the only one still battling a head cold and some altitude effects. She has really come around the last day and will hopefully feel better tomorrow after a good nights rest.