Back in Cusco

Hello everyone!

I ended up having Maccas last night, and god was it good! 

Didn't sleep very well considering how exhausted I was post Inca Trail, was up a couple of hours not very well, but soldier on I guess!!

This morning Rachel and I had breakfast and then took it a bit easy Organised our stuff a bit and read some of our books. 

At 11am, me, Rachel, Ash, Courtney and Donna went to a chocolate making workshop at the Museo Choco. Peru is one of two countries (the other is the Dominican Republic) that produces organic cocoa beans used for chocolate without preservatives and other baddies.  Our guide, Venecia, spent just under two hours explaining how chocolate is made to us and helping us make some. We peeled cocoa beans, crushed them using a mortar and pestle and made tea with their casings. We used the crushed the cocoa beans to make a few teas and a delicious hot chocolate with cinnamon and clove. We had to sing while stirring the hot chocolate. When it got to my turn guess what I sang? "Good old Collingwood forevvvvvverrr..." ;)

Then we used a pre crushed cocoa bean mix (it takes hours to crush it properly) to then make our own chocolate. I used a mould that was chocolate bars and made some with Oreos, smarties and 100s and 1000s - yummmmmm !!!!! I got to lick the bowl afterwards - bonus! The workshop was lots of fun. I've been eating them all afternoon. 

Then we chilled out for a bit. I'm so tired and my muscles so fatigued. I walked to the supermarket to buy some bread and cheese for lunch. One thing I've noticed here is that men are not afraid to wolf whistle, yell out or stare at you. They also don't care if you notice them doing so. Not as bad as some other countries I've been to like Turkey or the United Arab Emirates, but still obvious. Today I'm wearing a dress, but it's not that short or anything. Just the way it is, but it does make me feel uncomfortable!

This afternoon the same five of us who did the chocolate workshop went for a massage. Everything aches and hurts after the Inca Trail, and I figured $30 Australian wasn't bad to help me feel a lot better. The massage went for an hour and was really relaxing, I'm feeling much less achy but very oily now!

Tonight we are going out for dinner to what is apparently a pretty expensive restaurant. Due to being on a budget and my tummy being a bit funny, I think I'm just going to order a very small appetiser or something. I hate having to think about money, but with just under ten months ahead of me still it's a necessity. Lunch for me today was bread and cheese which cost a grand total of $4 Aussie so all is good :)

Apparently we are going out salsa dancing after dinner, so I can make a right fool of myself! I'll post tomorrow wifi permitting once we are in our next town, Puno. We catch a 7 hour public bus tomorrow. 

Love to all
Claire
Xoxox