We drove about an hour to a remote village where we were greeted with a flower necklace and hot muña tea.
Gilmar, our guide, translated the Quechua into English as we learned about herbal remedies, common foods, clothing styles, and methods of cleaning and dying wool and cotton. We again learned about the red dye derived from the cochineal and numerous ways to change the hue using other natural ingredients.
We also visited the Children of the Rainbow School. The school’s belief is that “every child has the right to be loved, to dream, to play, to hope, to be part of a family, to learn and to be.” The school offers services and programs to more than 130 at-risk children, their parents and community members. We got a tour of the campus, visited a pre-kindergarten classroom (they sang a song for us), learned about the foundations’ work both in and out of the school and ate lunch on campus. This was a highlight of our time in the Sacred Valley. We wanted to stay longer, but also looked forward to Machu Picchu.
