Querida familias y amigos,
After a full 24 hours of travel, we triumphantly arrived in Cusco, Peru on Saturday afternoon. Our hostel is run by the one-and-only Mamma Cusco. She wasted no time with pleasantries and wrapped each of us up with a big hug and a smile, calling us “mi amor,” and ushuring us to come sit down and eat. It must be exhausting to pour so much maternal care and affection onto so many travelers, but she makes it look effortless. She calls us out if we don’t finish her delicious juice. She pretends she doesn’t have time to make dessert, and then just as we’re getting up, she comes in with fresh baked chocolate cake. She’s a force of nature and the best host we could hope for.
Yesterday, we started our week of Spanish language and Peruvian cultural immersion classes. After grammar lessons in the morning, we set out with our teachers to the San Pedro market to explore more foods and handmade clothing than you can imagine.
Ashley was drawn in by all the fruit. We shared some of our favorite ones called granadillas. You crack the hard brittle skin and eat the gooey seeds. We’ve been calling them monkey brains, but somehow it got lost in the translation when we explained the nickname to our teachers.
Carrie was the only brave one to take a picture with the cow tongue. Don’t worry…she didn’t lick it 🙂
Edward posing with the cerebros de vaca. So, if I eat all these, I’ll get smarter, right?
Just as the group was gathering to leave, it started to rain. Only a sprinkle, and then a bit heavier, and then the sun shone through, making it a Peruvian sun shower, but the rain didn’t stop, rising to a crecendo with hail battering the tin ceiling of the market, all the while with bright sun shining down. We couldn’t even hear each other speak and then instantly, the cacophony stopped, and we were ready to leave. Well, almost. After no less than five last-minute runs to buy more Peruvian dark chocolate bars, we finally managed to escape the market’s grasp, and we set out for the cemetary.
The cemetary was surrounded by an impressive mural that actually extended across the entire front wall, but that would take too long to upload, so you’re just getting a taste of the Inca mythology portion with the snake representing the underworld, the puma being us walking the earth in our world, and the condor flying in the afterlife. It turns out that the original layout of Cusco was designed to portray a puma. Our visit to the cemetary wouldn’t have been complete without a little scare at the end when we found both gates securely padlocked, but after only about five minutes, somebody came by with the keys to let us out. Phew!