It has only been another great week. Project Friday was again a ton of fun. We were again working in the guinea pig houses, but this time we were adding chicken wire to complete the cages. We learned that by separating the cuy into different cages, the owners are able to better control them and keep them healthy. While really all we were doing was nailing the chicken wire onto the wooden cages, it was very difficult because of the awkward angles. It was great when one of the daughters who lived at the house came to help us and showed us some more efficient ways of completing the process.

On Saturday a few of us hiked out to the Saqsayhuaman area again, though this time we continued past the popular ruins and followed a horse trail upward. Though the trail was very muddy and even a bit poopy, it led to some beautiful views. We were lucky to catch a beautiful day in Cusco (which it seems you can never predict) and sunbathed on the hillside after the hike.

Then on Sunday we had another incredible excursion to Incan ruins, this time those of Ollantaytambo. This was definitely one of my favorite days so far because the ruins were so beautiful. The stone terraces are carved into a steep mountainside high above the town below. The view is really stunning, especially when bordered by even higher mountains on each side. 

After exhausting ourselves hiking the stairs and taking an obscene number of pictures, we traveled back into the town of Urubamba for one of the most incredible lunches of my life. The restaurant is a hacienda hidden between terraced walls at the end of a long driveway. Lunch was a huge buffet of dish after dish of amazing looking- and tasting- food. I managed to finish off three plates, then explore the grounds, which were almost like a miniature zoo with parrots in one corner and a yard for llamas, alpacas, and vicunas in the back. Because our seating was in gazebo-like patios in the backyard, we were able to enjoy the scenery through our whole meal. 

The school week following was pretty normal, though this time we had our first real schoolwork including a presentation in Biodiversity and test in Spanish. Luckily, both went smoothly. Wednesday we finally went out with other students at our school which was great, especially when a group of ten of them coincidentally came to the same discoteque the rest of us were at, which meant about 90% of our school ended up being there at the same time. Just the professors were missing.

On Thursday during photography class we had our first chance to try out some of what we had learned at the nearby San Pedro market. It was an especially exciting day to be out because as part of Carnival it was Compadre's Day here in Peru (compadre is like godfather). As par tradition, there were large dolls of men hanging all over the city; we were lucky to see people trying to hang one apparently based off the mayor on a lamp post near the market.

It was great to take photos, though difficult because people typically expect to be paid to have their photo taken. Fortunately, kids on the other hand often beg to have their photos taken, and Amanda and I were swarmed with little kids right outside the market who were extremely interested in our cameras.

We also had our third salsa lessons that day, which were especially fun because we learned a new Cuban salsa in which everyone is in a circle and switch partners constantly. The night was really topped off, though, when we went to a club downtown and got to continue our dancing because it was salsa night hosted by our dance teachers. 

So now that it's been a couple weeks and I've spent enough space gushing about Peru and how much I love it, I believe it's time to address some of the harder things about being here. As someone who has always been passionate about protecting the environment, it's difficult to see how much litter there is and possibly even more frustrating is the fact that there is no recycling. 

Other annoyances include how it is impossible to go anywhere without someone trying to sell you something. This is especially bad in the main parts of town where sometimes for ten minutes straight of walking, a vendor will try to sell you necklaces, or postcards, or bracelets, or alpaca hats literally every couple steps. Similarly, we're all tired of people, cab drivers especially, always trying to overcharge us. It all comes with being a gringa though.

Probably the hardest thing for me here, though, are the street dogs and street children. Luckily, the dogs seem to be very street smart and are intelligent enough to wait for cars to pass before they cross roads, though they may run alongside and bark at them, too (but I still almost have a heart attack every time a dog runs into the street).

The street kids, though endlessly adorable (except when also endlessly trying to sell you things) are very difficult to see. Cusco is teeming with children working, often selling things or dressed up in traditional clothing asking for a sole to have their picture taken. It's frustrating to know that their parents put them in this situation, though I also know that for many families they probably don't feel that they have a choice. This is one issue I would especially love to work on sometime in the future when I hopefully return to the city!