cusco

August 2005

I visited Peru for two weeks with three friends from college: Mike...

...Joe...

...and Teo.

We all met at LAX and flew to Lima, and then on to Cusco.

We arrived at the plaza in Cusco in the morning.

Cusco has narrow, often steep streets, just wide enough for one taxi and a few pedestrians.

The altitude (over 10000 feet in Cusco), combined with a lack of sleep while traveling, made me exhausted the first day we were there - so we did what the locals do and drank coca tea and Inca Cola.

Teo bargained for chocolate in Cusco's large market...

...and for assorted alpaca clothes.

The market in Urubamba was sprawling and colorful, and had stalls selling just about everything.

Not all the food in Peru is commonly available in the US.

Cuy (guinea pig), for example.

We visited the town of Ollantaytambo, which has some large reconstructed ruins.

Lunch on Ollantaytambo plaza, with one set of ruins in the background.

We hiked up the terraces of the other, larger ruins...

...and were rewarded with a nice view over the valley (right) and the town of Ollantaytambo (below).

Right: the courtyard ceiling of the Hospadaje Los Cristales, where we stayed in Cusco.

The ruins at Sacsayhuaman overlook Cusco.