After an incredible day at Machu Picchu, we  arrived in Cusco late. We were now staying at a higher elevation than we had so far, and it was cold. We found our guesthouse amid the narrow cobblestone streets of the San Blas neighborhood and went to sleep. The next two days we were to explore Cusco and the area. Hubby wasn’t feeling well, and the next morning he was in no condition to leave our room. Our first victim of Inca’s revenge so to speak. So the kids and I left Michael in bed to explore the city.

We walked around for a bit seeing the beautiful city, acclimated somewhat but still huffing and puffing whenever we had to climb stairs. The city was beautiful, the people friendly. It was sunny and pleasant. We ate lunch at a lovely creperia before heading back to check on the patient.

Michael was holding his own, but unfortunately unable to come with us to a cooking class I had booked. The kids and I headed across town on foot. The cooking class was so much fun. It was now just the 4 of us. After an introduction to Peruvian food we followed our instructor to Cusco’s colorful and lively San Pedro Market. The market itself was amazing, and we had fun buying all our ingredients to the 5 dishes we would be preparing.

While at the market my oldest daughter fell ill. So in a strange in-a-foreign-country moment…I left my non Spanish speaking 13 and 16 year old kids in a crowded market with essentially a stranger while I went out to the street with my oldest, flagged a taxi, gave him some cash that I had to borrow from the instructor, and hoped he understood where to take my daughter. I then waited outside the market for my kids to emerge. It was a bizarre turn of events, but the kind of thing you just have to roll with. Traveling, especially in a developing country, is not always smooth and predictable. You have to be flexible and adaptable. Ultimately, it is these times that make the best stories years later!

Now down to 3, we finished our 2 hour cooking class. The kids and I had a blast, and ate an excellent meal, sad to not have my husband and daughter with us. I highly recommend a cooking class…it was fun, and a great family activity that breaks up the ruins and cathedrals.

We headed home where the patients were recovering. I had given them both medication and the next morning they were well enough to hit the streets again. We had enjoyed San Pedro so much we went back. We also wandered more of Cusco and saw another cathedral. In the afternoon all 5 of us took a chocolate making class. It was educational and quite entertaining. Afterwards, we sent the kids back to the guesthouse while Michael and I grabbed a couple of local craft beers and a pub. We ordered a couple pizzas and took them back to our rooms. A relaxing and tasty end to the day.

The next day we headed to the outskirts of Cusco, but while we were walking to the city square to get a taxi we came upon a festival. The streets were filled with dancers in colorful dress, and there were booths full of festival food. Namely…roasted guinea pig. We had to try it. 🙂