Sacred Valley and Horseback Riding

Due to the fact that July 28 is Peruvian Independence Day, Thursday and Friday were national holdiays and we all had the two days off of work. Yesterday was quite an exhausting day as Zack, Ariella, and I went on a tour of the Sacred Valley which went through Pisac, Urubamba (for lunch), Ollantaytambo, and Chinchero. We left Cuzco at 9 AM and returned around 7:15 PM. Even though I had been to Pisac on Sunday, we actually went to a different part of the market during the tour and I bought myself a pair of earrings. We then went to the ruins and Pisac and climbed part of the way up. The Pisac ruins consist of a series of terraces (96 total) similar to those at Moray. The ruins looked very cool but I was glad that we walked only a small portion instead of the whole thing because it was quite sunny and hot while we were there.

After Pisac, we were taken to Urubamba for a buffet style lunch. There was a lot of food and I was finally able to try ceviche which made me really happy because I had been actively trying to do so for the past two days. I enjoyed it, though it was a little strong on the red onion flavor, but Zack didn't like it. Once we finished lunch we headed to the ruins at Ollaytaytambo. Once again there was a series of terraces which the guide, Carlos, explained were used by the Inca to create microclimates for agricultural purposes. The Inca used the terraces to domesticate wild crops harvested from the jungle. Although i have been in Cuzco for almost two weeks now, I still find myself getting easily winded when I exert myself due to the high altitude. Even when I walk to the clinic in the mornings, the slight uphill of the road causes me to have difficulty breathing. While climbing the ruins yesterday I realized that I'm not prepared to climb Machu Picchu this weekend. Our last stop was to Chinchero where we saw their Cathedral, with heavy Spanish influence, and browsed the markets. I really enjoyed the whole day and I'm glad that we were able to see so much.

Today I went horseback riding with my old housemates Ruby, Alisa, Melissa, Johanna (and her boyfriend Phil), and Cristina who is from Toronto and was teaching English with Johanna at her placement. The whole ride was about three hours long and we got off a couple of times to see the Temple of the Moon and also the inside of a cave. It was a very peaceful ride on my horse Patcha who was half Peruvian Paso and half Creole. One of the reasons why the ride was so enjoyable was because we were up above the city and air was nice nice and fresh, not filled with smog from all of the cars.

Afterward we all went to our respective houses before meeting up again for dinner at Patchapapa's restarant in San Blas Plaza. It was Johanna, Phil, and Cristina's last night as well as Melissa's birthday tomorrow so it was kind of a celebratory dinner in a way. I really loved getting to spend the day with my old housemates and I found out that I will most likely see Melissa and her boyfriend Dustin again because we are all booked on the same flight from Cuzco to Lima. That makes me glad because I believe they also have a long layover in Lima and we can spend it together.