"Sexy Woman" and Downhill Adventures!

The past two days we have spent enjoying the beautiful city of Cusco. The city is so full of history and culture, it is a challenge to drag yourself away at night to sleep. Yesterday we explored the Incan ruins called Saqsaywaman. At breakfast, with me not yet knowing our day's agenda, my dad said, "I'm really excited to go see 'sexy woman' (Saqsaywaman) today!" It gave us all a good laugh!

The Saqsaywaman ruins are on the mountains above Cusco and feature three-tiered defense walls made of limestone and volcanic rock. The structure was considered by some a fortress and to others, a place of worship. The stones used in the construction of the three terraces are said to be among the largest used in any building in prehispanic America. I was in awe of the precise placement of each stone! The stones are so closely spaced that not even a single piece of paper could fit between them. The largest stone is estimated to weigh between 128 to 200 TONS! It is truly a work of art!



Locals enjoying the Festival

One of the things I am learning very quickly about Peru is that every day is an adventure. After a wonderful tour of Saqsaywaman, we crammed into our small, beat-up, barely held together taxi and decided it was time for a delicious lunch in Cusco. The driver turns the key in the ignition and... nada. Let me just paint this picture: A mountain, a one-lane road leading down (with no guard rails, of course) buses, other cars, stray dogs, small children, and four gringos packed into a MUCH too small taxi that won't start. Quite the dilemma... but do not fear, Miguel, our driver is here! He quickly jumped out of the car and does a seven-point turn, in neutral, to move the car without hitting any other objects. Perfect, we are now facing down the mountain, in neutral, in a car that may or may not start. My dad jumps out to help push the car downward and once we strted rolling, he and the driver try to cram back in, nearly missing and/or losing a leg! Once rolling, the driver turned the key and voila! The car started! The best part was watching all of the locals' faces as we almost rolled off the mountain. Pure delight on their eyes, haha! We proceeded to head down to Cusco and enjoy an afternoon filled with more sightseeing!



Anniversary Festival

My favorite part of traveling is the spontaneity; the ability to change your schedule whenever you desire.  Our last day in Cusco we planned to see the museums, churches, and historical buildings.  As we walked down the steep hill from our hotel to the Plaza de Armas, we heard loud music, laughing, and cheering.  It turns out it was an anniversary festival!  (We couldn't figure out what anniversary was for, but as my sister says, Peruvians love to celebrate, so it didn't matter!)  There was a parade of dancers performing dances specific to their region of Cusco.  They were dressed in their beautiful native clothing with not a cloud in the sky (at 10,912 feet = very intense sun!).  It was such an amazing sight.  Vendors sold hats, umbrellas, ice cream, watermelon, and a frozen treat called Marcianos, which are flavored frozen cream sold in plastic baggies.  Children ran around, dancing to the music, their chins dripping with ice cream.  Meanwhile, my family stood in awe of all the photo opportunities (if you know my Dad, he was in heaven!).  I probably took 200 pictures alone.  It was a photographer's paradise and an amazing cultural experience. We did make it to a couple museums, but nothing compared to the festival!