After an amazing lunch at Yuraq restaurant, we decided to return for dinner. When we arrived at the restaurant, they had a little table set up for us back in a quiet cove. We started out with a bottle of Malbec from the Sacred Valley of Peru to enjoy while we looked through the menu. The head chef was there, so he made sure that he understood exactly what we wanted when the waitress took our order.
We chose to eat family style and just share all of the dishes so that we could try as much as possible.
The six of us started with fried cheese and alpaca kabobs, which the chef made six each of so we would all get to try them. Both were excellent!
After awhile we ordered our dinners, which were one pasta dish, four lomo saltado (beef tenderloin served over quinoa) and one quinoa risotto.
We finished with chocolate lava cake and another bottle of wine.
As we ate, we talked and laughed about the things that we have experienced while we have been on this journey, especially the canopy adventure. The six of us have been together for two weeks at this point and we are closer now than when we left home!
It has been an amazing night! We spent 3 hours at the restaurant, and with a great tip, our dinner came to about $20 per person all included! You can't beat that!
The service was impeccable, the food was amazing, and the atmosphere was everything we could have asked for.
If you are ever in Cuzco, Pero for lunch or dinner, this little restaurant is a must!
After an amazing lunch, we set out on foot to explore the City of Cuzco. Nothing makes us happier than meeting amazing people. This little lady was selling children's hats and clothing made from alpaca wool.
Everything she sold, she had made by hand and she was happy to show us exactly how she did it. We didn't need any children's goods, but we did help her out for all of the time she spent with us and her amazing personality. I just love vendors like her!
As we walked through the city, we looked at the bundles of wires coming in and out of buildings and wondered if anyone has any idea where they all go, but apparently someone does know, because this guy was working on the wires as we walked by.
Cuzco is the oldest living city in the Americas. Much of it was built by the Incas, and many of those structures still exist.
We picked up a friend as we walked through the city. This little dog seemed to like us and followed us for many blocks.
Our little puppy friend is still with us.
One baby on her back and another one in her arms.
As we started heading back to the hotel, a woman ran out of a store looking for someone who could speak English and Spanish. The couple was German and they spoke German and English, but couldn't communicate with the Spanish speaking sales people, so she was in desperate need of a translator. Our oldest daughter stepped in and saved the day as she translated for the couple. It was fun to watch her in action, and so fun to think that she still remembers her Spanish after almost seven years!
Then we all met back at the hotel to relax and unwind before dinner.
We even had a visit from a humming bird as we sat out in the courtyard. This one was giant!
Our last adventure of the morning was a cooking class at Yuraq restaurant. They had all of the spices measured out as we chose our seats for the demonstration.
The chef was making lomo saltado (beef tenderloin) over a bed of quinoa risotto.
The lomo saltado is a combination of Peruvian and Asian flavors in stir fry. It was fabulous!
We also tried some Inca Kola, which we weren't familiar with at all, but after tasting it, we realized that it is nothing more than sweet cream soda. It is a soda that is very popular in Peru.
After we enjoyed sharing the lomo saltado, we were treated to the entrees that we each ordered. Steve ordered a trout roll, unfortunately I can't remember our other orders, but they were all really good.
This is the restaurant from the outside.
We loved our cooking class and our lunch so much that we made a reservation for dinner tonight as well! We can't wait to come back tonight for dinner!
Our next stop was a cemetery in the town of Cuzco.
Everything you could need for maintaining or decorating a grave is available right outside the cemetery. Peruvian people believe that their deceased loved ones still require care and food, so they they typically visit the graves of their loved ones weekly and leave flowers and food. They believe that feeding the soul is very important.
After looking through the shops, we made our way into the cemetery.
Burial plots in Peru are not purchased, they are rented. In order for the body to remain in the cemetery, the family must make a annual rent payment for the plot.
Only rich people are buried in the ground, and they never have a headstone, they have more of a monument to mark their grave.
Many of the monuments even have a basement. I think these are family burial sights with access to all of the graves.
All other people are buried above ground in these stacked graves.
There was some sort of ceremony going on in the cemetery while we were there. It wasn't a funeral, so we're not sure what it was.
Older family members often are not able to properly maintain the graves of their family members, especially graves that are up high, so they hire young boys to do the work for them. Using lime juice and a damp rag, this young man polished the brass on this grave.
When a loved one dies, their grave is decorated with things that they loved during their life. The grave below is the grave of a local restaurant owner. Her grave is decorated with an entire restaurant inside.
We really enjoyed walking through the cemetery and learning about the customs of the Peruvian people. I loved how the graves tell a story about the person who has passed and helps you understand them just a little bit better.
