Today (Tuesday) We went to an Inca Community and shared in one of their fall activites. We had more bus time than hiking time but that should change tomorrow.

The ceremony was thanking Mother Earth and asking for continued good weather. They have just finished (or are finishing) their harvest. It is fall here. Our guides speak Spanish of course, but this group if Incans speak Quechuan so one of their leaders spoke both languages and interpreted.

Also our day yesterday saw a variety of things, I had mentioned walking in the Sacred Valley and up the Incan steps to a worship level.

Our lunchh today was prepared by the Inca Commuity, they have a resturant, but that was under renovation. So we ate in a room used by the school, this children were so cute. I was mad at myself because I had a bunch of pencils for children and did not put them in my back pack.

The are feeding the LlamaChicha - a local brew - as they are preparing him to be the Alpha male and leader of the of the pack. They will be marking his ears with red ribbons.

 Here they are using a needle to thread the ribbons through his ears to mark him as theirs and the leader.

 Here the Alpha Llamma received his necklace for the celebration.

 Our lunch line at the Cuyni community.

 The children in the school yard. We gave them each 50 Sol (35 cents) for taking their pictures.

An Inca Woman and her baby in the community of Cuyuni near Cusco, Peru.

 An Incan woman preparing yarn to weave.

  An Incan priest offering Coca leaves and other items to Mother Earth. Thanking her for a good harvest (it is fall here) and asking for a good planting season and continued safe and good weather.

 Incan community members digging dirt to prepare to dry in bricks that they will use as fuel in their houses through the winter (remember I said this is their fall).

 Ken and I trying to use their tools to dig the dirt for them. They were hard to use. After they shared their potatoes and cheese with us and made us mint tea.

 This is their 'nurse', she traveled the walk up the hill to the ceremonial spot. on her back is a first aid kit and in the bag in her right hand is an oxygen tank. yes reallly as we were at 13,800 feet and as visitors unfamiliar with being at that level, should one of us experience altitude sickness, she was ready. Thankfully none of us needed it.

This pictures above is Ken standing at a museum in Lima we went to that has the largest number of Inca artifacts. It was pretty amazing.

More later.