Cuzco, Peru

Touch down in Cusco. The clue tells us we’re to find a marked taxi and take it 22 miles to Huambutio. Find a flagged kiosk, find our next clue. Cool.

Woohoo! Our first task here is to ride a zipline! AWESOME!

Jai [strapping in]: “Okay, if I die, my mother will kill me.”
Cim: “Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!”
Jai: “I’m flyyyying!”

Zipline accomplished. (We are tempted to get back in line for another ride, but the line is too long.)

Clue. Riiiiiiiiip. Detour!

DETOUR
“A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons.”
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Rope a Llama? or Rope a Basket?

For Rope a Llama, each Team had to rope two llamas and take them to a pen. Roping the llamas didn’t require strength, but getting them to cooperate and walk to the pens could be frustrating and time-consuming. Rope a Basket required each Team member to use a rope to tie a basket containing 35 pounds of alfalfa to their back and carry it two-thirds of a mile to a store. Carrying the heavy baskets required strength, but Teams with endurance could finish quickly.
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Cim: “Llamas DEFINITELY!”
Jai: “Baskets, DEFINITELY!”

D’OH! Yeah, we’re a well-oiled machine.

Cim: You know, llamas HUM when they’re happy.
Jai: Yeah and they SPIT when they’re not. Dude, llamas are MEAN. We are soooo not doing the llamas. They are recalcitrant animals.
Cim: No...we TOTALLY ARE choosing the llamas.
Jai: No, no, no, no, no.
Cim: Dissention!
Jai: LLAMAS ARE RECALCITRANT ANIMALS. Never choose the recalcitrant animals!!
Cim: I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!
Jai: Stubborn. Uncooperative.
Cim: Oh. Heeee…but *I* am recalcitrant! So the llamas and I would totally get along!
Jai: Hmmmm. Okay, I might let you *try* to coax a llama for about 10 feet. And then you'd give up.
Cim: But I would HUMMMMMMMM at them.
Jai: The baskets are so much easier. Something we can control. And, anyway, you're scared of big animals.
Cim: I am NOT afraid of big animals.
Jai: No?
Cim: Well, define big.
Jai: Um...llama-sized.
Cim: Hmm. Yeah, I see what you’re saying.
Jai: I would let us do the llamas *only* if we were both suffering from altitude sickness. Because walking 2/3 of a mile...SO easy. Even with a 35 lb pack. That would take maybe 15 minutes.
Cim: Oh FINE!
Jai: …and we could pace ourselves”
Cim: Oh-KAY
Jai: Whereas who KNOWS how long the llamas would take.
Cim: I said okay!
Jai: Oh. Okay then.
Cim: Yay! Our first fight of the Race!
Jai: That's good TV.

So we walk with the packs and, as usual, Jai was right and we finish quite fast. (Although Cim did a fair share of whining!)