Photos Of Saqsaywaman, Cusco Peru

We slid down the polished rock, as we imagined Inca kids did hundreds of years ago.

"The Inca's Throne", carved directly out of solid rock.

These are some seriously large stones, perfectly fitted together.

Zane looking over the ruins of Saqsaywaman, with the city of Cusco below in the valley.

Remaining stones are massive.  Note worker in center on upper wall.

Impressively large defensive walls.

Photos Of Qorikancha, Cusco Peru

Solar calendar.  The shadows from the protusion I am pointing to line up with those below on the solstices.

Can stonework be more precise?  No mortar here!

The projections of the sun through the year on this wall mark the Inca calendar.  Note the white line through the alcoves, this was the extent of the solid silver coating on the lower walls.

Platform believed to be used for sacrifices, including human.

Temples said to be dedicated to thunder and rainbow

Entryway for Inca Ruers.  Fantastic masonry.

Spanish masonry on fine Inca stonework.

Church of Santo Domingo, built over Inca's "Temple of the Sun"

Church most recently rebuilt after 1950. Foundation of Inca walls sustained minor damage.

Photos Of Cusco, Peru

Cuy - roast Guinea Pig.  Not bad if you can get past the teeth and claws.

Peruvian - Italian fusion cuisine

We made friends with this kitty, and later went back to the restaurant where it lived so we could play with it some more.

Zane and a baby Alpaca getting to know each other.

Zane checking out the Inca craftsmanship.

A very impressive Inca wall, supposedly the foundation of the palace built for the 6th Inca Ruler.

Local bread store.

Cusco has many interesting doorways.

For some reason the road is built around this stone.

Puffing uphill.  Unfortunately Cusco is not flat.

Woman tending a shrine outside the cathedral.

The Cathedral, Plaza de Armas, Cusco

Locals at Iglesia de San Cristobal

Central Cusco

Cusco, Peru

     After surviving our first cancelled flight of our trip (Quito airport closed due to bad weather), we made it to Cusco, Peru only a few hours later than scheduled. We were immediately taken with the city, which is literally built on Inca foundations. It is amazing to walk the narrow streets and admire the spanish colonial buiildings perched on stonework at least 500 years old.
     We visited Qorikancha, “temple of the Sun”, perhaps the center of the Inca universe. The Spanish stripped hundreds of tons of gold and silver from the site and then built a Dominican church on top of it. Several of the original Inca temples remain inside the church, constructed with amazingly fine masonry. The church was destroyed by earthquakes as recently as 1950 – the Inca stonework only suffered minor damage. Several of the temples were used to follow the progress of the sun and track the Inca calendar (18 “months” of 20 days each, plus a couple of extra days at the solstices). We had a great guide who had studied the astronomical features of the site and shared his findings with us.
     Our next excursion was puffing up to the Inca ruins of Saqsaywaman, located above the city, which itself is 3,300 meters (11,000 feet) above sea level. What is left of the ruins is very impressive – the Spanish hauled away most of the samller stones in the mid 1500's to build the cathedral and other buildings in Cusco. The remaining stones are massive and perfectly fitted. We wandered around and found an area of the natural rock formation that formed a natural slide, polished smooth by countless people sliding down, which we did of course – just like we imagined the Inca children did hundreds of years ago.
     Aside from exploring the historical aspects of the city, we enjoyd wandering the streets, sampling the roast cuy (Guinea Pig), and searching for the perfect Pisco Sour.

Next stop, the Sacred Valley and Machu Piccu.

Photos Of Galapagos Islands: Birds

Galapagos Lava Gull

Galapagos Pelican

American Oystercatcher

Noddy, a type of tern.

Flightless Cormorants on the nest.

We practically had to step over them as we

got off the boat.

Flightless Cormorant. Only in the Galapagos.

Flightless Cormorant checking its shadow.

Lava Heron hunting for crabs among

Marine Iguana tails.

A curious Lava Heron.

Great Blue Heron.

Galapagos Penguin. Strange to see a penguin

sitting under a cactus!

Galapagos penguins relaxing on the lava rocks.

Storm Petrels. They practically walk on

the water while eating insects.

Blue Footed Booby in mating dance.

Blue Footed Booby

Magnificent Frigatebird

Magnificent Frigatebird. They loved to follow

the boat and were very entertaining.

Immature flamingo. No pink yet.

Flamingo, of course.

Galapagos Mockingbird.

Galapagos Flycatcher.

Medium Ground Finch. The 13 species of finches

found in the Galapagos supposedly inspired Darwin's

theories on evolution.

Cactus finch. Males do most of the feeding.

Cactus finch.