River Rafting, Ollantaytambo and Roast Guinea Pig

 On Monday, June 17th, I told Pepe that I wouldn't join the group's activities for the day, and I spent it recovering my digestive equilibrium, which meant that I didn't have the opportunity to partake of that day's culinary adventure!

Nor, unlike Mary Joy, did I have fun rafting on the Urubamba River.

The group then went to the Inca fortress-temple of Ollantaytambo, where Mary Joy joined the hardy handful who went higher than the others.

Every OAT tour has a home-hosted meal, where tour members visit local people and have dinner with them.  On this trip it was lunch, and the main course was cuy, guinea pig (which is neither a pig nor from Guinea).  Ancient Peruvians domesticated this rodent 5000 years ago, for food consumption.  It only became a pet when Europeans brought it home to their families.  It is still a major source of protein for many Peruvians, raised at home by many Andean families, like chickens or rabbits.  Our tour group helped the family prepare the meal.

I was able to join the group for dinner that night at a local restaurant.