Elim Orphanage, Cusco Day 3

In typical South American fashion, Jeremy arrived an hour later than scheduled to accompany us on our second day spent at Elim Orphanage. Today we had the priviledge of meeting some of the orphans at Elim, after yesterday hearing about how many of them came to be orphans and the many wonderful ways that Jeremy and his mum aim to raise them with core Christian values. So it was great to have that extra understanding whilst getting to know them.

It was a productive day, as the boys worked up a sweat whilst cleaning the bathrooms as well as the biggest mix master known to man, which required at least 3 guys to lift. Meanwhile the girls swept up the dust in several rooms. The amount of dust in the air wasn´t great for those already suffering from a lack of oxygen due to the altitude, and it was predicted that tissues may be an interesting colour tonight.

After a morning spent hard at work, we were rewarded with a lunch prepared by the orphanage. The fried cauliflower in the main meal was well received by all, however the jelly for desert not so much, being more of a liquid consistency. It became a challenge that was accepted by some, as Susanna and Sarah battled it out to see who could eat the most, Josh was egged on by the kids who were cheering ´´come on George!´´ (they seemed to struggle to pronounce his name properly) and in Darryl´s words, ´´took one for the team´´ and ate both his and Meg Gough´s. Nevertheless, we were still greatly appreciative of the thought and effort that the cooks put in.

Following lunch we sayed our goodbyes and then navigated our way back home. Our afternoon adventure entailed a trip to the artisan markets, which included our very exciting first Peruvian llama sighting while travelling along the cobbled streets. The theme of llamas seemed to be recurring as many of the boys bought their second llama beanie at the markets, happy to settle for the price that they were offered, while the girls bargained for the lowest price possible on anything that caught their attention. Somewhere along the way Susanna, being an attraction of attention in South America, was also offered a ´´llama´´ to hold by a random lady in the streets. The ´´llama´´ got a little comfortable and ended up relieving itself by emptying its bladder on her. Turns out the llama was actually a lamb and the stench that was left on Susanna´s sleeve was not at all worth the experience.

Now bed time is nearing as an early night will be necessary in preparation for a big day tomorrow - Machu Pichu!

Adios!

Andrea