Stephanie and Ryan: Arequipa to Sacred Valley

We woke up at 4:30 to be ready for our taxi at 5:30. We had a smooth flight to Cusco, and out pick-up was waiting there with a "Sra. Williams" sign. We were starving and thirsty by the time we got to The Sacred Valley Retreat and B&B. The owner would be another hour before he arrived (It was about 11:30). One of the staff showed us to our room and where the filtered water was. In an hour the owner was here and we inquired about lunch. A few cups of tea, biscotti, and a grand tour of the small retreat later, and he told us one of the staff would make lunch for us.

At 2:30 we sat down for a lunch of fresh salad from the garden, bread, giant corn, olives, cheese, and a purple corn lemonade-style drink. It was all very good. Nearly all of the ingredients are from the garden on the property, and we were in the mood for some fresh veggies. We sat with Fernando, the staff member that prepared it, and Martina, the one who showed us to our room.

Fernando is learning English, so we talked a little bit back and forth about this and that, trying to understand eachother. For the most part it was a quiet lunch.

Afterwards Ryan and I hiked up the mountain behind the retreat for an hour or so before coming back down and stopping in the tiny town for 2 cokes and a muffin. I made Ryan hide the empty coke bottles in his backpack because I didn't want the all-organic natural staff to see them.

On our way in we saw a family of pigs (A mom and at least 7 piglets) being ushered along the road by a local woman.

We talked on the balcony with the owners friend who has been staying here 3 weeks. He is some sort of therapeutic pain-eraser. He demonstrated by trying to lengthen Ryan's spine by adjusting his posture. The jury is still out.

Time for pity-corner. I have a huge bug bite on my right ankle, actually about 3 or 4 bites but only one is huge and swollen. Why?! Every where we go they find me. I have been spraying every bed we've slept in with a preventative bed-bug deterrent so I don't think its bed bugs. It's from Arequipa, but how or why I don't know. Oh well... could be much worse. Pity-party is over.

Here are a few more pics from the last several days: