Day 9

After a delicious breakfast of corn flakes, yogurt, granola, and sweet bread we departed for the Sacred Valley at 9am. We drove 30mins through Cusco until we reached a 50ft white statue of Christ which overlooked the city of Cusco. The view was breathtaking and we learned that Cusco is actually shaped like a puma. On our drive to the next stop we saw many different animals roaming the land such as llamas, alpacas, cows, horses, and donkeys. We also saw many small towns located throughout the Sacred Valley. Our next stop was at an animal sanctuary called Ccochahuasi Animal Sanctuary. There we got a tour by an animal expert who taught us about each of the species in the sanctuary. At the sanctuary we saw llamas, alpacas, parrots, mountain lions, condors, and guinea pigs. We also got to see how they make colored wool and textiles. Our next stop was at a local market where we stopped and shopped for about an hour and a half before climbing back on the bus. We then drove to a park within a small town in the Sacred Valley. We picnicked on delicious lunches packed for us by the kitchen staff at the school. After another long bus ride we reached our next destination which were salt wells on the side of a mountain. We learned that each family from a town owned a small well and salt water was carried into the wells by water ditches. The water then evaporated within 10 days leaving the salt behind which is then dug out by the families and then packaged and sold at local markets. After exploring the wells we boarded the bus for the final drive and drove about 2 hours back to Cusco and the school. After putting our things away we had an amazing dinner of broccoli tempura, meatballs, rice, and salad. We then took a break for an hour in our rooms and rested before playing a game of pictionary with the kids. It was a great day and tomorrow we get to paint the rooms that we reorganized yesterday!
We miss y'all!
- The Peru Crew