Our final week was a whirlwind of adventures!
During our second excursion weekend in Ollantaytambo, we took in the beautiful view from the Ollantaytambo Fortress ruins and participated in a partner get-to-know-you activity.
Getting to know our partners more.
Ollantaytambo Fortress ruins.
The view from above.
We had a rigorous bike ride down from the Moray Ruins and went whitewater rafting on the Urubamba River.
Our leaders and our guide ready to bike down the mountains!
We completed the final touches on the adobe bathrooms and completed a mural at the local elementary school.
Adobe bathroom in progress.
Taking a break halfway through the mural.
We received a beautiful thank you presentation from the elementary children complete with poems, skits, music, and dancing! We sure will miss those smiles! 🙂
For our last night in the village, we had our going away party. The ladies from the village shared their recipes with us for our despedida party. We learned how to cook the Peruvian delicacy of cuy (guinea pig). We exchanged appreciations and acknowledgments with the community and each received a bracelet as a small token of their appreciation. The community dressed us in their traditional clothing as we danced around the fire to traditional Andean Quechua music. We shared our American culture with the community by making s’mores.
Food preparations.
Preparing the cuy.
Traditional Andean music in Quechua.
Members of the community of Sihua.
For our final weekend, we went to Machu Picchu. We had a tour and hiked up both Puerta del Sol and Wayna Picchu. What a spectacular view!
The view from above.
We can’t believe the trip is over. Thank you to the community of Sihua for their generosity and hospitality these past three weeks. We couldn’t have imagined a better host village!