At 11,000 feet, Cusco is a city of cobblestones surrounded by mountains. Away from the coast and other major cities and influences, Cusco has developed a consistent theme using materials accessible in this mountainous region of Peru. Most buildings are no taller than two stories and every few blocks you find a peaceful plaza. The city is incredibly walkable and both tourists and locals fill the sidewalks all day. Every foreigner seems to adapt to the high altitude in different ways; it's amazing what effects the altitude has on everything from appetite to fitness. Everyone feels exhausted when climbing the many hills of Cusco with 30% less oxygen in the air. I totally love the architecture and flow of this beautiful city, with these photos I hope you can see why!
Meghan and I have been busy every morning volunteering at a day-care/school called Aldea Yanapay. The children rush through the doors yelling "Profe!!" and eagerly hug the volunteer teachers. They attend sessions of games, art, reading or tutoring, then everyone joins for circle time, and we end the day in small groups. Meghan and I helped the art class and thought of activities that were fun, appropriate for kids ages 4-9, using limited supplies we had available. The paper chain made from newspaper and holding Popsicle-stick bridge competitions were quite successful.
Aldea Yanapay provides a space of love, fun, magic, and peace for the children of Cusco who often face difficult lives at home.
Our five days at Aldea Yanapay were delightful and tiring! Speaking with children more fluent in Spanish than me definitely improved my speaking and body language skills!
In the afternoons we took time to explore the city and its cuisine. Although meat is a staple in most Peruvian dishes, we happily found several vegetarian and vegan restaurants! Here's some highlights of our adventures:
Getting drinks at a trippy, artsy, dark bar called Fallen Angel. Each room had unique, dramatic themes and tables made out of bathtub-aquariums with plexi-glass tabletops. Woah.
This last photo is at the Choco Museo where we toured the process of making chocolate from the cocoa pod to cocoa butter. Peru is famous for their unique chocolate and produces 1.4% of the worlds cocoa. Such chocolate bliss heaven. After the tour we had some of the best hot cocoa in the world! Mixing rich dark chocolate liquid with hot milk, cinnamon and cloves. Mmmmmm
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