Before boarding the flight from Cusco to Lima we were still allowed one free morning, which we spent in buying the last things (coca tea and coca and maca drops) to take home and a last "farewell" to the city centre we had grown particularly attached to.
As I was pondering on the trip I felt that the "highlights" of the circuit had been Machu Pichu, the visit to the lake Titicaca communities of Uros and Taquille and Santa Catalina Convent, though I consider that having been in such a small group allowed us to do things we wouldn't otherwise have been able to, should we have been in a bigger group and also the fact that we had local guides and not one single guide all the way through, which turned out to be beneficial for us all.
Despite having loved Cusco we all felt we stayed too long and for the four of us who didn't get to visit the Nasca Lines that they should have been included in the circuit
As I was packing the few souvenirs I bought to add to the many I "captured" with my cameras I realised that I have been rather self "controlled" in these latest trips, as I don't seem to buy as many things as I could or used to, though the main reason has been clear lack of space for them ... and yet there is always a traditional apparel (in this case an embroidered alpaca cardigan and some woven tennis shoes), traditional rag dolls for my personal doll collection, books and some pieces of local jewellery ... all the rest has been brought for the people I care for.
The coca tea and drops were almost an exception but having felt the direct benefits from them I couldn't help bringing some for myself as well. According to a Harvard study 100 gr. of coca is said to contain all the required nutrients human beings need (coca has more calcium than milk, more iron than the spinach and more phosphorus than the one to be found in fish) apart from helping out in the malaise of height (I do suffer from commonly in my "high dreaming flights") tiredness and digestion, helping in the stimulation of the blood flow. True or not, I will keep on using them back at home, for as long as they last.
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