Another High In Cusco

Sorry about the lateness in this post... I got behind, literally about this time in the trip. None the less, Cusco is exciting and over the top. We began our high altitude drugs a couple of days before while still in the jungle so we were already anticipating the trip. The city is bigger than we thought with around 600,000 residence but most of the historical and tourist sites are located in the central square so it seems smaller. Cusco is a jumping off place for people on adventures in the Andes, coming and going to the Amazon, passing through to Lima and the big city and people from the Peru countryside. The square is full of shops and cathedrals and a mix of locals and strangers. Jim and Tina were hit with a forced weight reduction program that kept them indoors in sight of the plumbing fixtures while Krimhilde and I thanked the god of Peru and took a look around.

Our buddy Allison from our jungle experience lives and grew up in Cusco and wants to show us around. Way Cool! And so we meet in the square and off we go to the biggest central market and it a busy Saturday with locals (mostly) shopping and selling. Allison tells us of all the fresh vegies and foods and how they are prepared and helps us find some presents to take back home. Outside the market we get our first sighting of the famous Peru Guinny Pig cooked and ready to eat! Guinny Pig is a special treat in Peru and we hear they are tasty. We pass on the pig but we later try a little Alpaca and it was pretty good.

Later we take a guided tour of Cusco and find the Catholic Church and Spanish conquistadors were not exactly politically correct. The Inca holy sites were destroyed and a church built on the same site. The Inca people were made to accept the church or were executed in the public square. Bad stuff and it made the beautiful church a bit less impressive. However, since local artists were used the guide points out how the local people placed important Inca symbols into the paintings and woodwork. He who laughs last....