Another unbelievable week in Peru behind me! Our first weekend in Cusco proved to be simply amazing. On Saturday we started the day with an early morning at the biggest market in town. We were advised not only by people through our program but also even local passersby to be extremely careful with our belongings and hold them tight to our front, so we entered the maze of stores clutching our bags to our stomachs, with only the mission to see as much as we could and not actually purchase anything.

The market was a labyrinth of stalls selling everything from old rusty metal pieces to American clothing to fresh fruit. One man was even selling some old dolls with sunken eyes that creeped us out more than the threat of pick-pocketers.

After the market we took a trolley tour through town. Though it was in Spanish we were able to catch enough tidbits to learn a bit about some of the most important historical locations in the city which was interesting. After the tour we got our first ceviche, an extremely popular seafood dish, at a restaurant near our house.

We took our first major excursion the next day, and it was incredible. The bus ride itself was worth the trip. Somehow, the area around Cusco is even more beautiful than the city itself, with a backdrop of the lush Andes towering behind valleys of green grass and yellow flowers, and local people in their bright traditional outfits working the fields alongside llamas, cows, sheep and always dogs.

Our first stop was at Moray (pronounced More- eye), the legendary Incan ruins that are best described as concentric circles of terraces that are theorized to have been used to test different agricultural practices.

After climbing around them for a while, we headed to our next stop, the salt mines. Another big tourist attraction, they again must be viewed in person to be able to fully take in their impressiveness. We spent some time climbing along the thin pathways between them, then finally headed back home.

The next day, Monday, was our first day of classes! I am taking only four classes so I will hopefully have time to do an extra volunteer project, though my Spanish class is 6 hours a week so it is like two classes. My other courses are Biodiversity of Peru, Contemporary Society and Culture of Peru, and Photography.

Biodiversity is definitely the best so far; taught by a young Spanish guy with dreds, what we’ve really learned so far is how much there is to see in this country, which is one of the more bio diverse in the world!

We spent most of this week in classes or, with the extra time between classes, exploring the area around our school. We’ve already found a few great restaurants that will surely become favorite spots.

I’ll continue in my next entry to try to capture the incredible world that was this weekend!