The Festival takes on a new meaning in Puno, where the Virgin of Candelaria is the patron saint and the celebration goes on for two weeks! Dancing and music go on every day and last late into the night.
On my third day in Arequipa, Adela took me to Michell’s Fiber Mill. There is an outlet store there with all kinds of alpaca yarn at very good prices. Adjacent to the mill is Mundo Alpaca, a museum showing the process of preparing alpaca fleeces for market—both by hand and by machine.
When I entered the restaurant I was overcome with emotion. I was the only one in the lodge eating that night and Juan had prepared a table just for me with white table cloth, tea service, a candle, and romantic Peruvian music in the background.
The south of Peru reminds me of some of the landscapes you see in the Southwest. Miles and miles of open desert country, with an occasional river running through.
This blog entry is especially for all those people who have commented to me about how brave I am for travelling on my own. Occasionally I have these experiences that put me in my place where so-called “courage” is concerned. And what is courage, after all?
I have a pair of sandals that I have had about 10 years and I love them! At home, it is just about impossible to find a shoe repair shop, and even when you do, the repairs are sometimes as much as a new pair of shoes.
There was a group of women right next to me and one of them handed me her beautiful shawl and hat to put on. We laughed as I modeled for the camera.
Each month Michell employs two women from fair-trade organizations in the Cusco area to demonstrate their craft for museum visitors. I sat down beside this beautiful woman and watched her work for a little over an hour.