Cusco

On our second day in Peru, we took an early morning flight (as would become our tradition), into the city of Cusco. We were there for 2 days, and got so much in I'm actually shocked we were still standing afterwards. Between the city tour organized by our travel agency, the exploring of the city we did around town on our own, and the thousands of little arts and crafts fairs that we walked through, I think we managed to cover the whole city--every square inch. Here are some highlights:The Cathedral in the Plaza de Armas. Yes, we went to a zillion Cathedrals in Peru. No exaggeration--a zillion. And they were all beautiful. Items of note: 1. You will see a rainbow colored flag in the foreground. That is the official flag of the city of Cusco. It seems remarkably similar to a flag proudly hanging in bars all over West Hollywood. Which begs the question, where the first homosexuals Peruvian Incas? 2. The mountain on the right-hand side has writing on it. It translates roughly to Peru is Glorious. And I thought U.S. patriotism was big.

Breakfast at almost every hotel we stayed in contained a key element to deal with the altitude most tourists have a hard time adjusting to--tea from coca extracts. Yup, every morning, along with a toast or two, I had myself some coca tea. Did I suffer from altitude sickness? Hell no. Was it the coca tea? Who the hell knows. I'm gonna say yes.
Me at the ruins of Sacsaywaman, where once a year the Festival of the Sun takes place. Here hundreds of Peruvians practice dances and rites of the Incan times. We missed the festival, but walked through the ruins nonetheless. After so much climbing and jumping and climbing some more, I was damn proud to have made it!

This is at the Ruins of Tambomachay. Tambomachay has an extraordinary hydraulic system. Two aqueducts, artistically carved on the rock, transport and keep a constant flow of clean water during the whole year, which comes from a large puddle located at a higher level. At the top of a huge hill, there is a small fountain that is rumored to be the Fountain of Youth. It began as a source of life for Indian believers of the Nature deities, and quickly developed into a myth of eternal life after the Spanish conquerers took over. I did not drink from this fountain. But I did sprinkle drops of it all over my face and arms. A spiritual baptism, if you will. Except non-denominational. It was absolutely beautiful.