Our fourth day started with an early flight from Lima to Cusco. We knew we were going to be at close to 9000 ft. in altitude and were warned that we could feel a little light-headed. We were encouraged to buy "canned oxygen" for sale in the airport, complete with handy carrying strap.
Here's our friend, Marty, Oxy-Shot at the ready in its colorfully crafted carrier. (We later found these carriers were great water bottle holders.) I think we all felt a little sheepish for having purchased this product, but in the middle of the night we were grateful to take a deep breath of pure oxygen!
Once we were out of the airport, we headed to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, stopping first at the Awanacancha alpaca and llama farm. This reminded me of a petting zoo for adults. We were given a quick lesson on differentiating among alpacas, llamas and vicunas then were set loose, alfalfa shoots in hand, to feed the greedy beasts.
Henry tried to lure a too-well fed alpaca to eat one more stalk of alfalfa.
After we had fed and petted the animals,were treated to our own lunch. We were taken to Wayra where we ate grilled fish, chicken and pork and lots of potatoes. At the end of the lunch, we watched a display of beautiful horsemanship and dance.
Our final stop for the day was Casa Andina, a rustic lodge curiously located at the end of a dusty dirt road in what appeared to be a tiny village with friendly people.
These little girls were more than willing to have me take their pictures.
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