Hola, mi loyal peeps! Two nights ago we went to the Cusco Planetarium. If you're thinking we had a quasi-Fernbank experience, I must assure you that it was far better. We met in front of the cathedral at 6:45 (since it gets dark here at ripe 6:00pm...) and hopped on a bus that took us to the top of the mountains. After a lengthy explanation of incan astrology, we finally got to take a look at the sky through some crazy telescopes. It was extremely cold, even with my alpaca sweater, so they gave us blankets to wrap up in along with hot tea that's typically drunk at high altitudes. (Keep in mind, we're at approximately 12,000 feet above seal level.) In addition to the many SHOOTING STARS that we saw, we got to see constellations that can't be seen from the United States. Pretty cool stuff, right? My favorite part was being able to see the craters on the moon and the rings around Saturn, along with its two moons. I've never been one to take much interest in astronomy, but the Atlanta sky just can't compare to the one here.
 |
| The moon literally looked like this, though I obviously didn't take this picture. |
Yesterday was a surprise free day because it was the 100th Anniversary of the scientific discovery of Machu Picchu!! We walked around a bit while two students gave presentations, and then went to a fantastic bakery (where I shared 2 pieces of cake...) before heading to the school to discuss our excursion to Machu Picchu. We're going on Sunday, and I can't wait!! I might have an entire album dedicated to this
maravilla. :)
