The Hochmuth Adventures 2017 . . . The Apennines to the Andes followed by Acadia and the Azores: Andean Adventure - Tuesday, April 18, 2017 - Day Four

We survived the 5:00 wake up call, ate breakfast, and were on the bus by 6:10. Our flight left for Cuzco at 8:40. It was nice that they pick up your luggage at your hotel room and take it off the bus and into the airport for you. The guide had all of our boarding passes for us also. The flight lasted a little over an hour and we had to circle the airport until they gave us clearance to land but it was a quick flight. They picked up all of our bags and we headed to the bus. We drove from the airport in Cusco to a small rural school that is helped by Gate 1. We met the 17 children and 2 teachers in the primary school that housed grades 1 – 6 along with a few pre-schoolers. The children grabbed our hands as we got off the bus and took us to see their classroom and playground. Ron was playing soccer for a few minutes with the boys but he had to make sure not to overdo it because of adjusting to the altitude. We left the school supplies for them after listening to them sing a song for us. It was quite touching. From there we went to Chinchero for lunch. We had quinoa soup, sweet potatoes, purple potatoes, fingerling corn, tortillas, chicken and cuy (roast guinea pig, of course). We also had some coca tea and some anise to help us counteract the effects of the altitude. Then we watched a demonstration on how they clean, spun, and dyed the wool for the beautiful crafts they make. You had the opportunity to buy things also but we’ll wait to go to the market tomorrow. We continued on with some stops to take pictures and then went to a pottery shop. The owner showed us the steps to make pottery and again there was a chance to shop. Ron didn’t buy any pottery but did buy a picture and a walking stick for me. Our guide was very helpful supplying us with coca leaves to chew and having hand sanitizer for us everytime we boarded the bus. The views we saw today were magnificent. I fear my pictures won’t do them justice. The mountains and green valleys were breathtaking. We stopped along the way to take pictures and to watch them harvest potatoes and got back to the hotel about 4:00. The hotel is very nice but no wi-fi in the room so its making my blogging more difficult. We took a short nap – we weren’t too bad but did have a slight headache due to the altitude. A few of the people were really sick. A 6:00 we went for a meal at a local restaurant we had a choice of entrees. We had the Peruvian Soup, Andean Trout, fries, steamed vegetables and dessert. It was a delicious dinner and we were serenaded during dinner by some Andean Pan-flautists. Back to the hotel by 8:00. Time to get ready for bed as we leave tomorrow by 8:00 a.m. and we want to stay rested for our adventures.