Day 16- July 11th

Hi everyone, it’s Allie. Today was our last day in Ollantaytambo with our families so we all got in some time with them as well as some last minute shopping. Claire and I walked around town after breakfast with our families and had the pleasure of running into “Pablo Picasso,”  the street artist again, who, even though it was his third attempt of the day to sell us his art, didn’t recognize us.

At 6 our families started showing up at El Tambo for our “despedida” (going-away party) where we had a buffet dinner of alpaca, beef, chicken, quinoa, and purple maize. Once we were finished we stood up one by one and told our families how much their patience and hospitality these past two weeks have meant to us along with some anecdotes from our time in Ollantaytambo; we spoke in English with Sra as our translator. Then we all brought our families out to dance to some traditional Peruvian folk music provided by a small girl singing accompanied by a harp. Soon, though, we turned on some of the top hits from los Estados Unidos including “Love Story,” “Timber” (again), and “Turn Down for What.” Sra demonstrated her amazing dance moves, proving that she is not only a talented Marinara dancer, but could pull off some moves.

After a few more songs, we headed home with our families.  In the morning we head to Cuzco and then onto Lima!!