Chincero y Pisac

Manuela, Made, and I decided to take a trip to Chinchero to meet my future goddaughter. Manuela's sister wanted to meet me first before allowing me to be her daughter's godmother (which was very reasonable). So we took a taxi from Cusco to Chincero. The difference in Chincero, which is very high up, is that it has flat lands and valleys, so the people are able to grow lots of things. We arrived in time for market. A lot of people trade without money, since there is a considerable lack of it in Peru. It was very lively and colorful, with all the trading being done out in the open. Most towns have buildings built for their markets, but Chincero uses the outdoors. We met Manuela's mom, who was so adorable. She was always smiling and laughing (except in the photos, Peruvians dont normally smile in photos). She was dressed in the native wear of Chincero, which has a very different hat than the ladies in Paucartambo. I also met the sister of Manuela and her daughter. I asked what the daughter's name was twice, and she replied with 4 names or so, and very fast. Needless to say, I didnt understand what she said, so I gave up. Manuela's mom gave Made and I homemade bracelets and bright colorful scarfs. Made gave her scarf to the mom. We took some pictures and talked, and I guess I passed the test, for we are going to have the ceremony in May when I have a free Sunday. I am sure it will be interesting. After meeting the family, we walked to see the Chinchero ruins, which were very pretty. They had a mountain backdrop, and were gorgeous. Manuela probably thinks Made and I are crazy, we were running around and laughing the whole time, taking silly pictures. Made tried to pet a burro, but it definitely did not want to be touched. After, we ate in Urubamba, and were served a huge amount of food. Only Manuela managed to finish hers. Driving along the roads north of Cusco, you had to be careful to not have your windows all the way down. Kids would hide on the side the road and pop up to throw buckets of water at the cars passing by. We were stopped by the police who were checking our ids. After dropping us off at Pisac, our driver had to return to get his (for a small bribe). We visited Pisac in the late afternoon. There were only a few tourists around. I think I liked it better than Machu Picchu. It is not commercialized, and not overrun by people. It had 4 main parts to visit, and across a creek you could see the cemeteries in the cliffs. They were only round holes, like for a wasp nest, but larger. It was gorgeous. You could look at the countryside and listen to the wind whistling by (it was chilly). We had a great time. Made and I found a rock sofa to take pictures and Manuela laughed at our silliness. Then we drove back to Cusco, sleeping on and off. Made thought it would be fun to take my picture while I was sleeping.