halloween fiesta at pacca

The day before Halloween.  We were out at Pacca so we had a little fun with it.

Here is my 2nd grade class.  Right after this photo, I proceeded to tell them my version of "Sleepy Hollow" and "The Exorcist" in Spanish.  It was hilarious.

The girls dressed me up in a mummy costume!

Very funny.

These are the two brains behind the outfit and my most convincing mummy pose.

We taught them "Duck, Duck, Goose", 

but called it "Witch, Witch, GHOST!"

They LOVED it.

adventures in the countryside...

ollyantatambo

Today we went to Ollyantatambo, a small town in the Sacred Valley.  It is in between Cusco and Machu Picchu and it is an adorable little town.  We did a phenomenal hike up to some Incan ruins called "Pinkuylluna." 

The walls of the Incan ruins were made of stones, but then covered in mud and straw...the mud and straw still cover the stone walls! 

Looking out over the view.

The market at Ollyantatambo.

The Incans constructed these waterways that flow all through the city.  It creates the most soothing, tranquil sound and keeps the city clean.  I loved it.

can peruvian men manage to pee IN the toilet?

...If men here need a sign to direct them where and where not to pee, things are not looking good...

JAJAJAJAJA

south america in luxury

It appears that 3 of the top 15 best hotels in South America are IN PERU.  This is all fine and dandy, but it appears that if you want luxury, go to Buenos Aires.  B.A. holds 8 of the 15 spots!  Feel free to take me with you!

* Hotels I have seen (never of course stayed at, but seen).

1. Hotel Monasterio (Cusco, Perú)

2. Four Seasons (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

3. Alvear Palace Hotel (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

4. Ritz-Carlton (Santiago, Chile)

5. Bobo Hotel (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

6. Park Hyatt Palacio Duhau (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

7. Sofitel Cartagena (Santa Clara, Colombia)

8. Sofitel Buenos Aires (Argentina)

9. JW Mariott Hotel (Lima, Peru)

10. LoiSuites Recoleta Hotel (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

11. Grand Hyatt (Santiago, Chile)

12. Libertador Palacio del Inca Cusko Hotel (Cusco, Peru)

13. Park Tower (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

14. Caesar Park (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

15. Park Hyatt Mendoza Hotel (Mendoza, Argentina)

mummy-mía!

This sweet mummy was found a few years ago in Peru.  This is the body of a teenage girl that lived around A.D. 450 among the Moche culture.  She was buried with all sorts of weapons and jewelry and has some incredible tattoos on her body.  Unfortunately for her, she appears to have been sacrificed so she didn't get to enjoy her tattoos for long.

Sorry for the morbid post, but I think this is so cool.

a man's best friend

Apparently, we aren't the only ones to love our dogs.   It appears that in Peru, pre-Colombian cultures buried their dogs in their own graves wrapped in warm blankets and left with treats to eat in the afterlife.

AWESOME.

oh, no.

oh, no.

meet the "mullet fohawk with dreadlocks."

Today, I say goodbye (for now) to my Chilean friend, Ariel.  

For most people in Cusco, life is transient and people are always coming and going.

Ariel, I have never met anyone with hair as fabulous as yours...

Friends, meet the infamous "Mullet Fohawk with Dreadlocks."

(Fohawk as in "faux mohawk")

Why didn't I think of this hairstyle, Regina??

Here is Ariel beaming over a rock I brought back from the beach in Chile.

I wish I had gotten a picture of the back of his head when the dreads were SERIOUSLY long.

Also worthy of note, somehow we had a 2 hour argument 

over wether or not this rock is alive and breathing...

...Ariel believes it is, in fact,  alive and breathing... so I gave him my Chilean rock.  

He will give it a better life than I ever could.