On September 28th, my children and I went to a local alpaca farm that was open to the public to commemorate National Alpaca Day. I was not sure what to expect, but it was nearby. It was free. And it sounded like fun.

My kids had a blast. They loved feeding the alpacas ($1 a bag).

The alpacas only have lower teeth, so they cannot bite the kids when they feed them. I think they look like cartoon characters. Each one was so cute.

Here I am in the pen. Please excuse my scant makeup. It was the weekend. It was hot. And I got one shot at a photo.

But I did get a pic in our house of what one wears to an alpaca farm. This is Anthropologie’s Cuoco Henley from the spring and the star necklace that was recently on sale for $10.

If you ever have a chance to visit an Alpaca Farm, I highly recommend it. The animals are so clean. I know when I am in a petting zoo, it kind of grosses me out with all of the goat droppings. However, all of the alpacas use a communal bathroom. Which means all of the waste is in one area. What clean animals! I know this particular alpaca farm is open to the public again for one day at Christmastime.

As we were leaving, an older gentleman was trailing behind an older woman with a little girl of about six. He stopped me and said, “Do you see my wife and granddaughter? We are going to see the alpacas. Are the alpacas this way?”

I stopped to chat with him and told him to just proceed up the hill and they will open the gate for him and his family.

He said, “I am from Peru. That is where the alpaca is from. I miss them.”

I asked him how long it had been since he had visited his country. He told me a few years.

I also told him that of all of the countries in the world, Peru is number one on my must visit list.

He smiled and said, “Aaahhhhh. Machu Pichu. The most beautiful place in the world.”

I said, “Yes! I want to go there so badly!”

He smiled fondly at me and his eyes got a faraway look as he remembered his homeland.

We wished each other a good day and we parted ways. But it was really an interesting conversation for my kids to hear. And I hope him and his family had a beautiful day!

Have you been to an alpaca farm? What did you think?