Day 7- Ninõs Hotel

Today we were very sad to leave Casa Saywa. Max had a hard time waking up, as we had been enjoying our sleep-ins... He is not a morning person. 

We ate breakfast and said goodbye to Carmen, Roxanna, and Croquetta. 

Pepe joined us in the taxi to Cusco. He is going to visit his sons. Max was thrilled and sat with him for most the ride. Pepe was very sad to see Max go. 

We arrived at Ninõs Hotel and ate banana pancakes and yogurt. Mmmm!

Our room is very quaint and comfortable. 

Max enjoyed playing 'hide and seek' in the courtyard. A good place for him to burn some of his boundless energy. 

In the afternoon we toured one of the Ninõs Foundation centers, it was awesome. It's a small world as I met a couple who lives around the corner from my mom in White Rock. 

The hotels profits provide local children who are in need with healthy food, dental hygiene, hot showers, medical care, counseling, self-defense lessons, and a safe and supportive a place to study, socialize, and relax. Ninõs provides this service for more than 900 children in Cusco. This centre is the smallest of four centers. 

This is the restaurant where the children receive a hot healthy meal everyday. 

One of the toothbrush stations. 

My photo of the library doesn't do it justice, it was a beautiful space filled with all sorts of books for the children. 

The children earn points for attendance that they spend on lemonade and popcorn for a monthly movie. 

 The movie is played in a little theatre. Many of the children who used this service in the past have grown-up to comeback and work for Ninõs Hotel. I am so happy to be staying somewhere that supports this great charity. Thank you to those who donated money at Max's party. Max is making a donation of 500 Peruvian Soles. 

After the tour we returned to Ninõs Hotel and had a delicious lasagna dinner. Max fell asleep before fully getting into lay down position. I feel like I could do the same. 

¡Hasta Mañana! 

Day 6- Chincheros

Hola! It was another action-packed day in Peru. After breakfast we went to the local bus terminal to catch a COLLECTIVO to Chincheros. I'm not sure how to explain this bus other than I wouldn't have been surprised if there were livestock in the back rows. ;P

We were the only non-Peruvians on the bus and it was jam-packed. My face says it all.  

My assumption was that if it was the bus for Chincheros, that would be the last stop. But as the bus carried on far past the first Chincheros sign we saw we quickly realized that it might be time to ask someone. Yes, missed the stop by a long shot and had to wave a taxi down to get back. This is where we got off the bus... Middle of nowhere, but very beautiful! 

When we finally made it Chinchero we climbed the steep streets and stairways to a beautiful artisanal market before the entrance to an Incan ruin. Max enjoyed the challenge of climbing the hills on his own, stopping every few steps to touch the various things for sale. 

Max charmed most of the local vendors and in particular one of guides named Rouen. He told Max the history of Chincheros in Spanish, so I guess we will have to wait until Max is old enough to talk to get the inside scoop. ;)

When we left Rouen came running over with a gift for Max. He refused to put it on  in the blazing sun, but here he wore it this evening. 

Max loved the ruins, as he had plenty of room to run around freely. 

We had a picnic out on the terrace of the ruin, getting to try the local delicacy... Cheesy Corn! The kernel of this corn were the size of grapes. Max loved it!

We stopped for a drink on the way down.   Max enjoyed looking over the city from the restaurant balcony. 

And playing peekaboo at their windows.

The lady who owned the restaurant had a 10 month old named Phillippe. She is carrying him in a traditional manta. I bought one for Max, she gave me a lesson on how to wear it, but Max was not interested in being a test subject. 

We took a taxi home instead of the COLLECTIVO, which was a humorous experience. The taxi driver agreed to drive us to Urubamba for 20 soles, which was quite a good price. We hopped in the cab and then 5 other people piled in too (it was a station wagon with no seats in the back). There were two small children in the back who entertained Max the whole way home. I had to try to keep a straight face, acting like this was a completely normal situation. Unfortunately the phone was tucked away in my bag at my feet and we didn't get a picture... But it looked something like this...

We went for dinner at Los2Lokos to say goodbye to our new friends. When we got back to Casa Saywa, there was a new family staying from Lima. The two sons Fabrizzio and Francisco both spoke English so it was nice to chat with them. We watched Peruvian music videos with their and Carmer, sharing with us some of their favourite Peruvian musicians. 

Tomorrow we are off to Cusco. Sad to leave as we have grown to love Casa Saywa. 

Day 5- Concert at Casa Saywa

We spent the morning relaxing at Casa Saywa, well everyone relaxed except for Pepe who carted Max along with him for his morning chores.

We ate a picnic breakfast out on the lawn with Croquetta. Max was more interested in feeding her than eating himself, so she quickly fell into a food-coma. 

In the afternoon Danny (the house moto driver) took us on an off-road tour up to a trout hatchery. 

The ride was very bumpy and exciting, Max slept the whole way up. There are lots of farm animals lining the streets, but my favourite of them has to be the burros. 

There were lots of locals up there camping and cooking the fish on the fire. They point out the trout they want, then the guy scoops it out and bops it over the head. 

This is Danny, he's been driving us everywhere so we needed to include a picture of him. He started working at 10 years old selling newspapers before and after school. He wanted to go to school to study agriculture but his father was not supportive so he saved up enough money to buy a moto-taxi and moved in with his uncle in Urubamba so that he can pursue his studies. Pepe and Carmen helped to get Danny's moto-taxi business off the ground. 

In the late afternoon, We took a walk through the streets of Urubamba... Max was thrilled to be out of the carrier and squealed as he ran down the street. 

This evening Pepe,  Carmen, and Roxanne (their housekeeper) prepared the ingredients for our pizzas. 

Pepe made one of the best pizza crusts I have ever tasted. 

While we waited for the pizzas, Max ran around playing with his new favourite toy, a flashlight. 

After pizza everyone gathered while Pepe, Carmen, and Denise sang by the bonfire. I have videos that I'm hoping to get up by tomorrow. It was absolutely beautiful, and so much fun. 

Max loves the music, he danced along and even found his own version of a drum. It was a wonderful day in Peru! 

I'm not sure what tomorrow has in store yet... But I'm looking forward to it. :) 

Day 4- hanging around Urubamba

Every morning we enjoy breakfast all bundled up! It's as cold as it looks. However, as soon as the sun is fully out it heats up in no time. 

Max developed a fondness for Pepe today. He carried Max around for an hour, going wherever Max directed him. He said that he is Max's " Abuelo Peruano"-Peruvian Grandfather. 

Max loves to chase the chickens, but I don't think the chicken like being chased by Max, when they hear him coming they scurry and hide. 

Croquetta follows Max everywhere. She's a great dog and I should be paying her for the entertainment she provides Max with, although she stole his soccer ball and hid it, so I'll count that as her payment.

After breakfast we went to the city square and the local market. They have started the Independence Day celebrations so there was music and a parade of dancing children, lots for Max to see. 

A lot of the restaurants have the most colourful and crafty decors. It's great because it keeps Max amused while we eat. He spent most of lunch trying to dislodge these spoons from the dessert table. 

Max enjoyed some local strawberries that we bought at the market. They were really delicious! We're going to go back tomorrow for more. 

We went to a restaurant called Kaia for dinner, it was awesome. Max is enjoying all of the food here, but his favourite things here are the plantain chips... And mine too! Their high chairs may not reach Canadian safety standards, but they're fun and cozy. 

Max made a new friend, William the waiter. He kept Max entertained while we finished our meal. 

William even found him some toys to play with, I can't imagine this ever happening in a restaurant in Canada. 

Tomorrow is the holiday, so we will be going to a fiesta in the town square... should be a fun experience for Max.

¡Hasta Luego! 

    

Day 3- Pisac Market

Today we had a relaxing morning at Casa Saywa. After catching up on much needed rest. In the afternoon we headed to Pisac market. We had planned on taking the bus but after getting to the station and discovering that the bus was going to be hot and long, we decided to take a taxi. Phew! 

Pisac was beautiful! Max enjoyed running up and down the cobblestone streets. He definitely gets a lot of attention here, and he loves it! 

We have discovered that no one in the restaurants here is ever in a hurry and unfortunately spent most of our time on Pisac waiting for food. But luckily the market staeds open until 5 so we still managed to get some shopping in. Max is the proud new owner of one very cute and one very tacky Peruvian sweater. Dada is the proud new owner of a funny hat. And I now have a massive collection of knitted finger puppets, from Spider-Man to a burro, you name it, I probably have it! 

After the market we went for dinner at the French restaurant Los2Lokas, again (pretty sure that's going to our homebase for the next 4 days). Food was delicious and we met another couple there who are from England and run a Homestay company down the road. They have suggested some things to see around town and a couple interesting tours for the next couple of days in the sacred valley. Max has become quite attached to Andre, the chef. He turned down coming back into the arms of both Dada and I... I guess he realizes that food tastes much better when Andre's around. 

¡Buenos Noches!

Day 2- continued

Yesterday was very action packed. We flew from Lima to Cusco in the morning. Max slept from takeoff and didn't wake up until we were getting off the plane! :)

We were met by the owner of Casa Saywa, Niger and a taxi driver named Hugo. We asked Hugo to take us shopping for some baby shoes (as I forgot to pack Max's, oops). He took us to a market filled with everything you can imagine. Hugo guided us to a stall and there was one pair of shoes small enough for Max's feet... Little hiking boots. Hugo then drove us through the mountains to Urubamba.

When we arrived at Casa Saywa we were greeted by Pepe and Carmen (Niger's parents). The grounds are beautiful and the have a little dog named Croquetta who Max loves. Max had a little tumble and scraped his nose. 

It didn't stop him for long, he was soon his happy self again. We ate lunch at a restaurant run by a French chef and a Peruvian-English woman. It was delicious and the owners and staff were super friendly. Max enjoyed running around the grounds and entertaining the staff with his dance moves. 

We spent the afternoon playing in the yard of Casa Saywa, chasing Croquetta,  and talking to another guest Denise who is visiting from Lima. 

Denise joined us for dinner at another great restaurant in town called Paca Paca. Max loved the colourful decor and all the decorations that hung from the ceiling... I loved the wood-fire pizza! 

We had an exciting ride home as, I don't think the motorcycle drawn cart taxi's were designed to carry 3 people and a baby, so the engine quit 3/4 of the way up the hill home. Dada had to get out and walk the last portion. I thought we were all going to have to get out and push. Max loves the Moto-Carts and is never going to want to ride in a regular car ever again! 

Today we are taking a bus to Pisac Market. Ciao for now! :)