More sights in Cusco

Edwin picked us up at the hotel at 8 am. We walked through the plaza and then through the Plaza de San Francisco on our way to the public market. I bought a few items perfume, a handbag, a tiny charm of a closed fist a symbol of strength. We shared a bebida (fruit smoothie) at a stand operated by a friend of Edwin's. Lunch was upstairs on the square overlooking a parade of young dancers in colorful costumes. This was part of a weeklong celebration of Peruvian Independence Day on June 24. Edwin told us he was a dancer in his younger days and later an instructor; he even married a woman in his dance troupe. Edwin proved to be extremely knowledgeable about Inca history, having earned the equivalent of a master's degree in the subject. He took excellent care of us and provided enlightening insight into everything we saw. He is justly proud of his country.

In the afternoon we visited an archeological museum and two Inca sites outside of town Tambo, a rocky outcropping with tunneled passages and Sacsayhuaman, a zigzagging multi-level fortification. After walking down the hill back to our hotel, we were pretty tired and went to bed early that night. During dinner we were entertained by an Andean band and bought a CD, which was autographed by all the band members to celebrate the occasion. We observed a roasted guinea pig being served to the next table, but decided to pass on that local dish.