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.