Oh, Cuzco

We arrived in Cuzco last week with me feeling pretty sick. Laura thinks it's all the salsa aji I've been practically drinking lately. It's a fiery green sauce you get with all meals here served in a tiny cup with a wooden spoon that you dabble on to your food. Good times, except for last week, when it was bad times.

Cuzco is the ancient home of the Incas, and was settled in something like 1200 AD when a chief was ordered to go look for the belly of the Earth. It's set in a staggering valley and bordered by two rivers. The center of the city is sprawling cathedrals and a warren of winding alleys bordered by characteristic stacked rock Inca walls.



Much of the city has been unchanged for centuries, though of course now in the prettiest parts there are upscale restaurants and hotels.



Bill, Laura's brother, flew in from Atlanta via Lima at sunrise on Saturday.



We toured Cuzco on Saturday and today went to Pisac. Pisac is a tiny village high in the Andes empty Monday through Saturday and packed come Sunday with highlanders who come down to a very colorful market. Oh, and the several thousand tourists who come by bus at about 10:30. We left the crowds and hiked up to Pisac's Incan ruins. Mostly, the ruins are an extensive system of terraces etched into nearly vertical rock walls. It's quite a sight, and quite a quad workout to make it to the top, where the remains of a modest village hangs on to a small saddle.

We'll be in ruins of one sort or another for the next week. Tomorrow we take the train to Machu Picchu -- exciting! Except for the cost of the train ticket. Not exciting! Anyway, until there, here's one more photo of Cuzco.