Cusco, Peru

Right now we´re in Cusco, Peru, ancient capital of the Incas. Cusco itself has lots of charm, but frankly the city is starting to annoy us a lot. First of all, it´s much more expensive for food and hotels here than many of the other places in South America. Even more annoying is the price inflation. Our 4 year old guidebook is hopelessly out of date for prices. And the sights in town have jacked up their prices, including many churches that used to be free to see that now charge over $3 to get into just to see 1 or 2 nice things they have. And finally, as this is tourist/gringo central, you seriously can not walk down the street/stop in the street/sit on a park bench without getting harrassed 3 times a minute by people trying to sell you something. Even westerners that have been here for months or years still get this treatment. There´s no escaping it.

Having said all that, the reason to come to Cusco is to see all the wonderful archaeological sights in the area. We haven´t even made it to the granddaddy of them all, Machu Picchu, yet, but we´ve still seen plenty in the area. Today we walked over 10 kms to see a few sights in the surrounding area around Cusco. The level of sophistication in stonework that the Incas achieved is massively impressive. These stones weigh tons and the Incas were able to sculpt them precisely to fit perfectly together. Considering Peru is in a serious earthquake zone, these stone edifices had to be perfect to last for centuries. It´s sad that the Spanish conquistadors destroyed most of the buildings and/or used the stones as their personal quarries to build churches, etc. But what is left is still very interesting and exciting to behold.

Here´s Karen celebrating her 30th with friends. The restaurant was kind enough to give us a free cake.



Cusco has lots of hilly and windy streets that are quite charming.





As Cusco is set among the hills, you can see some dramatic scenery while walking around town.



Here´s an overview of the central square, La Plaza de Armas. That is La Compañía church, which has a beautiful façade.





A very strange sign to be seen in Cusco. The literal translation: "It´s prohibited to effectuate your physiological needs and paint on the walls under penalty of fine and arrest".



The archeological sights around Cusco also provide great views of the surrounding hills and valleys.







Impressive Incan stonework.



And who might this "sexy woman" be? Saqsaywaman is one of the key Inca sights near Cusco. A very large sight with lots to see and extremely significant during Inca times.



Some of the most impressive of Incan stonework is to be seen at Saqsaywaman.









A great view over the city of 250,000 people.



Her age might be catching up with her: Karen being very confused by conflicting signage.



The main temple area at Saqsaywaman.



An close up look at the intricate stonework.