Trekking complete, we returned to Cusco City for some recovery and a little more touristy stuff.
First we visited Manos de la Communidad, an alpaca & llama rescue facility that also supports local Quechuan people and their crafts. Alex, the proprietor, led us around the facility, and maybe in appreciation of our respect for the ancient culture or perhaps my attempts to communicate in Quechua, he even let us into his condor rehab pen for an up close with Veronica, a young condor that had a broken wing, but will be released later this year…
Like all good fund-raising facilities, the exit is through the gift shop, but we did learn how to distinguish true pure alpaca products from cheap, imitation knock-offs. Boy, did we…
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| The “free” cerveza on the comfy sofa that Alex offered me while the rest of our party added to our pile of items from the apparel/gift shop. |
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| Our roaster |
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| The three different types of cacao bean pods |
Then there was the long flights from Cusco to San Antonio, from cool and pleasant at 11,100’ to hot and humid at 500’…
But returning home is always good!
Sure do love traveling, but the getting there can be a hassle, especially when you don’t get to drive your own truck…
Hmmm, maybe next time.
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