With a free day we headed for the local covered market.  Dia del Madre.  Mother’s Day and it’s a big deal.  Flowers and hearts everywhere.  More like Valentine’s Day.

There was the usual tourist llama stuff but mostly it was for locals buying food and clothes.  These people do colour big style.  The Cusco flag is a rainbow but 7 colours just aren’t enough.  Nothing matches and it’s just brilliant.

Aisles of fruit, bread, cheese then enough seeds, nuts and quinoa to keep any foodie happy.   One aisle just of fruit juice.  Anything you want blended for about £1.50.  We went for the safe options.  Orange juice and egg?   Not sure about that.  Then the hot food aisles selling chicken soup and various stews with crowds of families sat for Mother’s Day lunch.   It reminded me of the Singapore hawkers markets.  Then the meat.   Dried alpaca in huge flat yellowish sheets, the usual pork and chicken etc, and then the bits we don’t see at home.   Pig heads and testicles, cows noses , alpaca trotters, a whole aisle of tripe.  The smell was pretty overwhelming.

Outside was more chaotic, every inch of pavement taken with plastic sheets laden with whatever produce, loudspeakers proclaiming their mandarins were the cheapest, fireworks randomly going off, cars ploughing through the crowds blaring their horns to let you know to get off the street, but you can’t because the pavement is full of fruit and veg, then a random religious parade with a brass band.

Tim’s altitude sickness returned in the afternoon.  We will be going lower tomorrow to the Sacred Valley.  He can’t wait although he’s loved it here too but he’s suffering.  I am completely in love with this place.  I had been led to believe it was a tourist watering hole on the way to Machu Pichu and it couldn’t be further from the truth.  Yes, the city thrives on tourism and every other shop is selling you a hiking trip or pony trek, but it’s beautiful and vibrant and you can feel the history in every stone.  Admittedly I have bought a llama hoodie, gloves and hat (it’s f*****g freezing at night) and you are all getting llama key rings as souvenirs (they are sold by really cute kids….), but there is so much more to this place.  The llamas are cute though, especially the baby ones with hats.  

Llama hoody – not cold at all!