So Much Food!!

Day 3
March 26,2014

So someone asked me yesterday what I was most scared of being here and I didnt have a great answer, other than not speaking much Spanish. Well now I know what is going to be the hardest thing about being here. No it's not being away from home, or even living in a house with a family I can hardly communicate with at the moment. No my downfall here is certain to be the amount of food I am expected to consume! It is considered rude not to clear your plate in Peruvian culture, especially since I am living with a family that doesn't have much. Their main diet consists of rice and potatoes-often eaten together in one meal! Thankfully breakfast is small- bread and tea. I can handle that! Lunch is the largest meal of the day and dinner isn't much smaller, at least not in my household. Tonight at dinner I said a silent prayer to help me finish as much food as I posiibly could cause I knew I wasn't gonna make it (this is no joke, I have NO idea how they can eat so much). Not two minutes later the little boy stole the rest of my fried banana off my plate!! I was elated! He on the other hand was scolded.I tried hard not to smile at him.
The people in town are very friendly. I went exploring on my own this afternoon. I walked through the center of town and browsed through the market and some touristy shops. I was thrilled when I came across what looked like an art gallery. I entered and was greeted in English by a young Peruvian lady named Alice with an 8 month old little girl asleep in a blanket on her back. We talked for a bit and I found out that she and her husband painted many of the pictures that were for sale. She is from Cusco and has been living in Ollantaytambo for five years now. I promised her I would return and say hi. She had a beautiful smile and a kind voice.I walked around a bit more and was greeted again by a young guy selling jewelry near where Awamaki's store is. He spoke a little English and told me he makes all the jewelry himself. I was able to communicate that I sold jewelry in Alaska in the summers which he found interesting. We chatted a bit more as best we could and I went on to look around the market and see some of the ruins up on the hill. A big tourist bus just got dropped off so I left in search of coffee and internet. I ended up along a road that follows the river and leads to the train station. There was a cute coffee shop with an outside sitting area that overlooked the river and the mountains. It reminded me of my favorite coffee shop in Seattle that is along the canal. I ordered a cappuccino that I swear was sent straight from heaven and sat down outside. Got caught up with a dear friend of mine and enjoyed the solitude.
Ollantaytambo is breathtaking. The city sits at the base of gorgeous mountains that often have fog covering the tops. The sun is bright, the air is thin and it's quite cold when the sun goes down. There are many hikes around town that lead to ruins that I hope to explore soon. All in all a very pleasant afternoon.

This is a typical Peruvian meal served with rice AND potatoes together! Crazy right?? Not to mention portion size.. I'm in deep deep trouble!!