MY trip

downwithpants · Post by **downwithpants** » Thu May 10, 2007 1:14 am

sorry to steal your thunder code_chrono, but Peru > DC.

so as you may have not noticed, i was away two weeks ago. more specifically, i was vacationing in Peru, and as per local custom, pictures shall ensue. i went with mommy on a vacation organized by a local outdoors fitness program. the trip was 9 days in duration, including 4 days of hiking to machu picchu, an ancient Incan city that was abandoned during the 1500s Spanish conquest and rediscovered in the early 1900s. we also toured the cities of lima and cusco for 2 days each.

i must say, if you enjoy hiking, i cannot imagine a better site to head to than the Inca Trail, leading to machu picchu. it extends about 40km (25 mi) horizontally, and ranges from 2700-4200m (9000-14000ft) in altitude. it took us 4 days to make the trek, and apparently, the fastest runners (they hold a race on the trail every year) can do it in about 4 hours, which is absolutely insane by my account. the scenery is absolutely gorgeous and changes to something new with every mountain you pass. not to mention the ruins of machu picchu and various ruins the Inca Trail passes by are really interesting to explore.

but without further ado, PERU:

April 21
We arrived at Lima International Airport at 1am local time, thanks to a 2hr delay in Newark. We had about 4 hours to sleep at the hotel before we had to return to the airport and head off to Cusco.

apparently one of the tour groups was greeted by a group of peruvian girls. they must have paid extra >_>

~7am the coast in lima. surfing and soccer are popular. i wish we had more pickup soccer courts in the states.

yep, i was pretty tired.

downwithpants · Post by **downwithpants** » Thu May 10, 2007 1:15 am

~11am we arrived in Cusco

heck even from the airport, it's a pretty city.

midafternoon, we reached the motel.

had a tea break

i hid from the camera

downwithpants · Post by **downwithpants** » Thu May 10, 2007 1:16 am

and we headed out for lunch. the roads in Cusco are real narrow, many are single lane alleys, so if two cars meet head on, one has to hit the reverse. making turns are tricky too.

it was fun watching this car nearly miss a painter's ladder

one cool thing different about peru than most other places (save maybe china) i've been is there are lots of dogs on the streets, and most of them are tame and friendly (i think they were pets let loose, some may have been stray). well, this one wasn't too happy to see me.

downwithpants · Post by **downwithpants** » Thu May 10, 2007 1:16 am

i think i could pass for a peruvian...

so walking to lunch was simple enough, since we were walking downhill

but walking back sucked ass. we were at 3400m above sea level mind you, so it was just horrible trying to recruit oxygen out of the air. after walking up about 10feet in altitude, i could feel my rib cage shake everytime my heart was slamming into it.

downwithpants · Post by **downwithpants** » Thu May 10, 2007 1:17 am

in the afternoon, we visited a cathedral, i don't recall the name - i fell asleep on the bus ride there. the cathedral was a mix of spanish and incan architecture. trapezoids are a common shape in incan construction, and they carved stone to fit each other perfectly without mortar. this shtuff has survived many earthquakes - peru gets a lot of em.

the arches (same cathedral) were taken from spanish architecture:

downwithpants · Post by **downwithpants** » Thu May 10, 2007 1:18 am

we had a nice view of the city... and the courtyard

in the evening, we went to saccsayhuaman, pronounced like "sexy woman." the site was like a military fortress for the incan city of cusco before the spanish arrived.

downwithpants · Post by **downwithpants** » Thu May 10, 2007 1:18 am

a mummification table

downwithpants · Post by **downwithpants** » Thu May 10, 2007 1:19 am

at dinner, one of the tour members ordered guinea pig, a Peruvian delicacy, and a rodent pet anywhere else.

i had a slice - it was like chicken, but softer, and a bit darker. almost like pigeon.
...to be continued

Kitsuner · Post by **Kitsuner** » Thu May 10, 2007 2:20 am

PeruPeru503?

Willen · Post by **Willen** » Thu May 10, 2007 7:33 am

Hrm, you would think that something called 'guinea pig' would taste a bit like a pig...

I'm always impressed when I see picture of ancient Incan structures. To think how much work went into building them without using the machines we have today is mind-boggling. Look at how those rocks fit together. Even today, with our modern technology, getting that kind of precision is very difficult.