4
Location: Cusco
This morning we woke to another brisk day in Cusco and had the treat of having a very delicious breakfast of pancakes homemade in our hostel. With this energizing breakfast, the group was ready for a challenge, and that’s precisely what was delivered. We started the day with a scavenger hunt around Cuzco, finding things ranging from postcards to cooked guinea pigs. This gave our Go Beyond group a fantastic opportunity to travel around Cuzco and interact with the locals. The hunt took us all over Cuzco through markets, beautiful plazas, and local stores. After the groups finished the hunt, we all gathered outside the cathedral in Plaza de Armas to go inside and tour the jaw-dropping building. When we first entered the cathedral, gold statues carvings making up the structure of the inside surrounded us. We were toured around the cathedral, and introduced to many different paintings and shown different vital areas in the cathedral. After we were full of knowledge from the cathedral, we proceeded to get a bus ride to some old Incan ruins. As we walked out into the open ruins, we were towered by huge rocks that were once moved by Incas living in the 1400s. The big rocks were in the shape of lightning bolts appearing as a fortress to the rest of the group. We climbed to the top of the Incan ruins and were rewarded with a beautiful view of Cusco. After many pictures, we walked back to the bus and got a ride to a new destination; we arrived at an open field full of horses. As we got off the bus, the whole group were buzzing with excitement to what was about to come. We walked down towards the horses and were given a specific horse depending on our experience. Once we struggled with our chosen horses, we began a bumpy journey to more Incan ruins. In these particular ruins, they still perform a sun ceremony giving offerings to the gods. Then we continued with our new animal companions and rode up and down hills into the sunset.