Day 2

Today is a day I will always remember. We woke up in our bed and breakfast in Ollantaytambo around 8. After I woke up I took an ice cold shower with very little pressure, which was much different than home. After my first shower of the trip and breakfast provided by the hotel we went white water rafting down the Uribamba River. The rapids were class 1-3 and my guide was awesome because he let my group best the rapids different from everyone else. After the rafting trip was over we ate lunch on the riverbank and enjoyed the beautiful view. When lunch was finished we headed back towards the hotel to pack our things and to have some free time. Some decided to go hiking, but Mrs. Smithwick, Clay, Caroline, and I decided to explore the town. We visited the crafts market and it was so cool. I had so much fun bargaining with the vendors. After our free time was over we had a group meeting and then got on the bus to venture towards the town that will be our home for the next two weeks. After a wild bus ride we arrived and greeted our new families. However, Taylor and I’s family did not show up because of an unforeseen problem, but fortunately a family adopted us. When we arrived at the house our family immediately served us dinner. The kitchen was the most unique I have ever been in. Next to our table was about 30 guinea pigs. During dinner and the rest of the evening Taylor and I attempted to use our very sharp Spanish skills, but they seemed mostly to fail us, but the good news is that the family loved our gifts. After saying “buenos noches” we set out to use the bathroom, which was the second most unique place I have ever been besides the kitchen. The toilet was basically a whole in the ground with a pot on top of it and to flush it you had to pour a giant bucket of water in it. That was pretty much our whole day and I hope tomorrow will be just as exciting.

Mary Liz


Today was a great experience. We spent the night before at the Ollantaytambo Bed and Breakfast. We woke up and had crepes prepared by the owner of the bed and breakfast. We then proceeded to go rafting on the Uramba River. The rapids were not very strong but in some areas the rapids were up to a class 3. I rode on the raft with Matt, Taylor, Olivia, and Ashton. We had a great river guide and his name was Osi. After rafting for about an hour and a half, we had wonderful picnic lunch. We then rode on buses back to the bed and breakfast. We packed up our stuff and prepared to leave for the village. We had some free time, so I went hiking with Thomas, Matt, Zach G., Zach M., and Taylor. We hiked up the cliff overlooking the town of Ollantaytambo. It was truly an amazing sight seeing ancient Incan temples and ruins. We then hiked back down the cliff and back to the bed and breakfast. We had a group meeting and loaded up on the bus. We then rode on the bus for about 30 minutes to the town we are staying and working in, Piscacucho. I was looking forward to rooming with Zach G, but out home stay mother did not show up. Another family adopted me and I am now rooming with Thomas and Matt. We settled into our new houses and met the rest of the family. We could communicate with them some but there were not many in depth conversations. We then presented out family with their gifts. Matt and I gave the mother and girls lotion, perfumes, body wash, and shampoo. Thomas gave the boys shirts and baseball caps. Later that night we had a nice family dinner where we had rice with chicken and potatoes; which I thought was actually pretty good. We also had homemade tea to conclude our first family meal. We told our family members good night and proceeded to get a goods night rest. I am very looking forward tomorrow and working on the school with my friends and classmates.

Davis