On to Cusco, in the mountains of Peru

Getting closer to Machu Picchu! Tuesday, 10 March, we flew to Cusco, at 11,200 feet altitude (3400 meters). It was the capital of the Inca empire. They built on the tops of mountains. There is definitely not enough air! Coca tea is everywhere, and coca candy, and also a mint tea - all to help with the altitude sickness. Immediately after arriving, we had a tour. That may have been too much all at once.

Coffee, coca and muna tea, available in the lobby  

The street with our hotel, Tierra Viva Cusco Plaza

The devil never had a chance! Basilica Cathedral

 The inside of the cathedral was amazing, with needlework on all the statues, and chapels with intricate ornamentation. But no pictures were allowed.

Spanish conquistadores built a convent on top of an Inca temple

Quricancha and the Convent of Santo Domingo was fascinating. This was the Inca temple to the sun god, Inti. It was covered in gold, which was not considered valuable by the Incas, but the Spaniards went berserk over it. They stripped it. Then they built the convent over it.

A big earthquake knocked down most of the convent but left the temple unharmed.

The windows are all trapezoidal in the Inca part, and the walls tilt at 5-7 degrees as well. No mortar. The construction makes it very earthquake resistant - more so than the rectilinear convent.

Rocky Balboa couldn't race up these steps like this!

 Next stop, Sacsayhuaman (sounds like sexy woman :-) ) - huge complex of ruins overlooking Cusco.

Imagine building with these huge carved rocks!

Great view of Cusco!

At every tourist stop, they were selling lovely woven things

 Next - Pukapukara, a fortress. Again built out of huge stone blocks.

Tambomachay was lovely, with a waterfalls flowing out of aqueducts. Which picture do you like better?


We posed with a local and her baby alpaca. The alpaca had the most beautiful dark eyes!

We got to Q'enqo (zig-zag) around sunset. There's a rock maze there. I love mazes!

Final stop, a textile factory. Deanna and I bought baby alpaca yarn in two shades of natural dyed browns. Mind you, I still haven't finished knitting the socks from the New Zealand yarn from 2 years ago, but I am getting close to making it around the heel on sock #2.

The altitude gave us a really tough time that first night. And the next day, all I could stomach was breads and potato soup. It was good soup, though! We visited the Inca museum. I'll spare you pictures from another museum, but recommend it. If you get there. Besides, this blog is rated G. Let us say that procreation was very important to them!

Thursday, we visit the Sacred Valley, and stay at Ollantaytambo. Wait till you see that!