Saturday, June 11, 2011

Day 1

So, Day 1 is almost in the books.  As I write, the kids are in the town plaza with Angela and Susan completing a scavenger hunt in order to familiarize themselves with the town.  They are lucky, because as they work in groups to familiarize themselves with the town the annual festival called Pentecastes is taking place.  There is dancing with elaborate music and costumes, and many of our host families as well as Adeles husband are participating.  The kids continue to keep great attitudes and take advantage of their experience in Peru.  Here is our day...

We caught a 10 am flight from Lima to Cuzco on Taca airlines.  The airplane was way nicer than the United flight we took from Houston, and most of the kids slept. After arriving in Cuzco, we were greeted by Susan, Adele, Adele's daughter, Lida, and our driver Gilmer.  Before leaving town we stopped to exchange Dollars for Soles.  The drive to Ollantaytambo was magnificent. The scenery, the farms, small villages, and so on kept us captivated.  While many of the kids slept at some point during the trip, they enjoyed the breathtaking scenery at some point.  The four boys, however, stayed awake and serenaded all of us with some acapella.  We arrived in Ollayantaytambo and got settled into our hostel, the Full Moon Hostel.  The facilities are new and come with hot water!!!!  After a brief game and some ground rules, we ventured in to town for a late lunch and watching the dancing.  We ate a delicious quinoa and vegetable soup, chicken with gravy and potoatoes and drank a local favorite called Chicha Morado, or purple corn. Incidentally, tomorrow is the highlight of the festival so our timing is perfect! Soon, we are headed to dinner at a local restaurant and then back to the hostel for an early bed time.  We all need to catch up on some sleep before we go river rafting tomorrow followed by the festival!

As has been the case for most of our trip, the group continues to laugh.  One favorite moment today came from a boy in the group who said during a game, ¨I am not sure what color my eyes are, because when any person looks into my eyes, all they see is heaven!  The kids are doing terrific and dealing with the travel and cultural differences beautifully.  They make our job easy and it is a treat to be in this beautiful place with them.  More to come tomorrow. 

2 comments:

mattwillandben said...

It sounds amazing. We can't wait to see the pictures of where you are staying. We are so curious! Thank you for including a description of the food you all are eating it sounds delicious!
Have so much fun. You are missing nothing in Denver. Give our William a big hug from all Mom, Dad, Matthew, Ben and Henry!

linda said...

We are so happy to hear you have made it and are enjoying your first day. Everyone must be tired. The food sounds interesting. Enjoy the festival and send some pictures. We are so proud of you. Love you and miss you lots. Mom, Dad and Taylor

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