Cusco Round 2

Sally and I made it back to Cusco. It seemed like ages since we left since we had done so much in the 6 days we were gone. We went to our hostel to pick up our bags and moved on to our next spot. We had planned to stay there, but the guy was giving me a little bit of grief on the cost of the room. And he didn't have a room for us for 2 nights. So we peaced out to find another place to stay. We luckily found a reasonably-priced hotel with a nice patio and an excellent breakfast.

Cusco Jungle Hotel.

The following day, we got on a minibus to check out the small, nearby town of Chinchero. We looked for the local bus, but couldn't see it anywhere. Before we knew it, we were ushered on a minibus full of other tourists. They were even under the right bus sign. Oh well. After waiting for a little bit (and an attempt to find one that was leaving sooner), we were finally on our way. We got off in Chinchero and went to look for the weavers the town is known for.

After asking around, we ended up at a building full of garments for sale. It looked like the right place. The ladies offered us coco tea right off the bat. My aunt then took the lead and asked about the weaving process. They walked us through what is typically done. First, they showed us the white yarn that has been gathered and how they dye it with natural products. There were various leaves for green, maize for purple, and crushed cactus bugs for red. Their blood I think?There were other natural ingredients for all shades and colors. Some woman were spinning the yarn as we learned more. 

Naturally dyed products.

We saw the boiling pot and they showed us a few ingredients, like lemon, that changed the shades of the various colors. 

Colors galore.

They then proceeded to weave a little bit on their looms. It looks like it would take a long time to create something. 

Weaving away.

Afterwards, my aunt proceeded to buy Christmas presents for everyone. The building housed the work of many ladies and they encouraged us to spread the wealth amongst them. There were a lot of similarities with all the items, so it didn't matter what stall they came from. They were all very sweet ladies. Oh and they fed us a delicious lunch. I think since we (my aunt) spent so much money they figured they could share their meal for a small price. 

The weavers.

After buying out the place, we headed to the ruins where we explored for a couple of hours. With our pass into the Ollantaytambo ruins, we didn't have to pay extra. Good thing as it wasn't cheap to begin with. 

Attempting to climb rocks.

We saw more terraces and more animals. We explored all the cool rocks around. And climbed up and down more stairs. 

The hole is bigger than Sally.

After getting our fill of the ruins and the nearby church, we headed back to Cusco. On the way back from the bus stop, I got really cold and just couldn't get warm. I thought I wasn't wearing enough clothes, but even after bundling up when returning to the hotel and getting under the covers to rest for a bit, I still couldn't get warm. And I wasn't getting hungry. Which is very unusual. Something was definitely up. So I decided to stay in and try to get some sleep. And that is what I did. I felt better in the morning, but not 100%. I made sure to eat some breakfast, mostly fruit since that went down easily. I really have no idea what I had. Seems like I caught some 12-hour flu. I was paranoid that I would be stuck in bed for a week. And just at the end of my trip. I was so happy that I got over it quickly. 

We spent our last day wandering around Cusco. We didn't do too much but check out a few markets and get food. 

Exploring Cusco markets.

Some of the food included this yummy papaya dessert. My appetite had returned. Good thing as I like eating too much. 

Payaya dessert.

As we walked around and throughout the day we noticed an increased police presence around the city. We learned it was because of protests for the upcoming Presidential election. From what I gathered the daughter of a previous President was the main focus. There were a variety of old newspaper articles from her father's presidential term taped up as a reminder of the corruption he was a part of. Who is now in prison. We had gotten the lowdown from our guides on the Lares trek, so were a bit more informed than we normally would have been. Unfortunately there is still a lot of support for Keiko. 

Reminders of the past.

Sally was headed back home and right before we went our separate ways, we came across the scheduled protest. We wanted to see what was going on, so we may have became a part of it. We were at the end of the parade, so we weren't holding anyone up with Sally's suitcase. Later on, when I went to find dinner, I saw more of the protest from the Plaza de Armas. It was definitely interesting to be present for such an important event. However, there has been no decision on who will be the next  President. The election was April 10th, but there will be a runoff in June. So only time will tell. 

Protesting Keiko.

We had a good couple of days in Cusco, but I was ready to move on and go somewhere else. I said goodbye to Sally and got myself on an overnight bus to Puno. I booked a tour for Lake Titicaca and was excited to see another part of Peru.