Cuzco

What a great place for people interested in ancient cultures. Not so much the town itself, which is beautiful, but its location high in the Andes and being a central base to explore archaeolical sites.

The plaza Aramas and the surrounding streets have a more Indian feel and appearance to them than other cities in Peru.

Having now joined the tour group I am very comfortable. No need to think and the day is all planned out for you. Missing the bike and independance though.

The morning was free so everyone slept in late and took the time to recouperate from the long bus trip and the altitude sickness. Some are worse than others but everyone is affected to some degree. I feel fuzzy headed with a touch of headache but nothing to serious.

The afternoon was spent at Qorikancha and Saqsaywaman with a guide. His commentary was excellent. Apparently Cuzco was designed in the shape of a Puma by the Inca and this site is the

penis of that animal. The spanish in the 1500 arrived and destroyed or attempted to destroy the Inca temples and palaces before building their churches and public buildings on the same sites. Recent earthquake destroyed the church on this site and revealed this Inca temple. The stone walls show the advanced engineering feats that Inca were able to achieve.

The local council until a few years ago used the site as a resource to quarry stone. As you can imagine the citadel is somewhat depleted.