Hola de Peru

Exploring the streets of Cusco

Well, we have been in Peru now for a little over one week, and we´re quickly falling in love with this country. We first explored Cusco and Pisac where impressive ancient Inca foundations are overlapped with Spanish colonialist architecture and the effect is some of the most stunning places I have ever seen. It´s winding cobblestone streets, adobe walls, terricotta rooves, and ruins everywhere. The locals are quite friendly, and they may have an adorned alpaca in tow. The markets are full of colorful textiles. One night in Pisac we didn´t sleep because of the festival celebrating July 1st, and there was the infinite ringing of church bells and horns and drums and dancing.

Market day in Pisac

Then we were off to two more places in the Sacred Valley- the first was Ollantaytambo which is a thriving town that remains the same as the original Inca design. It is truly a magical experience to wander through that town of thatched rooves, impeccable stonework, and ruins looming on every hillside. Rumor has it that there was one hell of a battle there between the Incas and the gold-thirsty conquistadors. The mountains are huge, and there the climate is actually a mountainous desert. Cacti and orchids growing side by side. White capped mountains jutting up in the background in every direction.

Enjoying an afternoon in Ollantaytambo

Next we decended down a little bit into a lush climate known as a cloud forest to make our way to the most famous Inca ruins in South America-Machu Picchu. It was never even discovered by the Spanish because it was in such a precarious location. We woke up at dawn and made our way there, and our 1st glimpse literally took our breath away. We spent the whole day there in awe of it´s prisine beauty and how in the world they could build such an asthetic and complex city literally on cliffsides. Phenomenal. I think its impressiveness is due to the combination of unbelievable stonework and the dramatic green mountains jutting up all around it. We have been climbing mountains every day and are becoming accustomed to the altitude, and now we are back in higher elevations. Next destination: Lake Titicaca. There is so much more to say, and I am still working on uploading pictures from our camera so that I can pair images with my lacking descriptions. Adios!

Machupicchu early in the morning

Damien looks out over the sacred valley