Beginning of the Goodbyes

Can you believe it's Sunday, already? Well I barely can. The trip has flown by and we only have minimal amount of time to enjoy the rest of what Peru has in store for us.

This morning was gorgeous, a great way to end the final leg of our trip. Bridget, PG and I headed into Plaza de Armas to go to mass at the cathedral at 10 am. Unfortunately, Luis, our hostel owner, failed on us and told us the wrong time, so we missed mass. We desperately tried to get into the cathedral, but every time the guard stopped us, telling us only people from Cuzco could enter the cathedral, and we would have to wait and go by a different entrance. Ourtraged, we gave up, sat on a bench outside in the plaza and enjoyed the weekly parade.

As the afternoon approached, we decided it was necessary to people watch in the plaza. Random people come up to you asking you if you want anything from postcards to jello. Its interesting to see the different types of tourists in the plaza. Marcia, Bridget, Chris Flores, Molly & I all sat on the bench, soaked up the sun and people watched away.

Later, we ended up eating a "quick" lunch, on a terrace overlooking the plaza. We were able to overlook the parades that precede the June Festival of Cuzco. Residents were dressed up in their bright costumes and danced throughout the streets. After waiting patiently for food and drinks, we departed to the Casa de Mantay.

Our last trip to the Casa...
I had a couple of items still to give to the casa and we all wanted to buy things from the workshop at the Casa, so we headed there after lunch. When we arrived, we were all shocked; the Casa was.. well, calm and ... Quiet. The Casa is always bustling with woman, filled with a childs laughter or even more so, either Abraham, Justin or Diego screaming and running around. Although, today, the casa was quiet. That soon stopped, as we entered Justin came running and Pilar greeted us.
We were able to buy bookmarks, bags, key chains; all the leather items that are handmade by the woman in the casa.
Soon after, all the mothers & children that were home came outside to say our last goodbyes. It's interesting to reflect how on the first day some of the mothers gave us dirty looks and now after a week it's all smiles, hugs and of course, laughs. We look some last pictures of all us and the wall and then sat on the steps inside the Casa to chit chat. One of the mothers sang for us in Quechua, which was amazing. We knew our journey was coming to a close and it was time to say goodbye. After saying "ciao" seven times over & taking one last look we said goodbye to all the mothers and children, especially Justin, Pilar & Raquel with whom we had all formed a special bond. The experience at the casa was humbling, significant and touched a piece of our hearts.

After leaving the casa, it was time to do what I do best.. Shop! Raquel suggested this market for us, but of course, you need to be super specific in Peru, because she landed us in an open air Food Market. Since I'm still battling my sickness, this was not the great for my tummy and I quickly stayed away. Fortunately, another market was close by and we were able to buy everything from jewelry to alpaca sweaters to trinkets.

Time was flying by, after shopping for a few hours we headed back to the hostel to change for dinner. Since tomorrow we are headed to Machu Picchu, we are having our final farewell dinner tonight.

- Melanie