We`re ruined!

Hello There,

So, we arrived into Cusco on Sunday, and we were instantly in love with this city. From the plane into town we could see huge snow-capped mountain peaks out the left side of the plane. Of course, all I could think of was the move "Alive" (these are the Andes, you know), but I wasn`t worried, because at least if something happened I knew how to survive ; )

Cusco is a gorgeous city nestled in the mountains, with Inkan stone architecture as the foundation for many buildings, topped with the Spanish-influenced structures with red-topped roofs. Here are views of the city center (Plaza de Armas), Incan walls lining the narrow streets and red rooftops:

Of course, there are a few things that are a bit shocking in Cusco as well. Coming from Huancayo, not a very touristy area, we were overwhelmed by the number and aggressiveness of the street vendors here. It is impossible to look as we do without being mauled by children and locals trying to sell us things. They don`t give up, even if you say "no"! I`m learning to just ignore them entirely, that usually works. It is also a LOT more expensive here. Food and everything is much more expensive than Huancayo, and on top of that we`re going to Machu Picchu, which is the most expensive thing to do in Peru! (Well, it seems that way anyway.)

There has been a slight delay thrown into our plans - the trains and buses decided to strike on the two days we planned to use them to see Machu Picchu (today and tomorrow), so we`ve got to wait it out and won`t be able to leave for Machu Picchu until Friday. It sets me back two days, which I hope doesn`t prevent me from seeing more places down the line. Though, of any place to spend two extra days in, this is a great one.

We`re using our extra days to get to know the area a little better. Yesterday, Jeff, Amanda, and I took a cab to an area just outside the city, where we could take a few hours to walk to various ruin sites imporant in Inca times. Some sites were used as fortresses, others for summer homes or bathing areas for the elite. One of them is called "Sacsayhuaman", which when pronounced sounds exactly like "Sexy woman". All were cool, and afforded AMAZING views over Cusco and down the Sacred Valley. Here are some photos, I think they speak for themselves:

We`re planning to take a few days to get to and see Machu Picchu. If you don`t know what this is, I`m sure you`ve seen photos before, it is the ruins of an ancient Incan city that existed at the top of a mountain. Incan architecture is famous for being very precise in the way of its structure and relation to nature. Needless to say we`ll be sick of ruins by the end of this week!

The trip to Machu Picchu by nature takes a few days. There are day trips from Cusco, but they are very expensive and don`t give you much time at the site. We are going to leave tomorrow to stay in a town in the Sacred Valley, which is on the "Inca Trail" and where there are other ruin sites. We will stay in the closest town to the big site the night before, and get up early to go to the top of Machu Picchu and have most of the day there. To get the cheapest train ticket, we will stay one more night in Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town, the only reason to go there), then take an early train back to Cusco, by way of Ollantaytambo.

So, I won`t be able to post for a few more days, but when I do I should hopefully have some great new pictures!

We`ve already booked our way out of Cusco, we will head next Monday to Puno, a town in Peru on Lake Titicaca. From there its a short jaunt into Bolivia! We decided on the train as opposed to the shorter, cheaper bus, just so we can have the train experience! It is about 10 hours from Cusco to Puno, and they views are supposed to be spectacular.

Hope all is well, I`ll write soon!

Joan