Thursday, this morning we had a "late" wake up call and after breakfast we went to the Santo Domingo Monastery, built in the 17th century on the walls of the Koricancha Temple of the Sun. Here we saw the smallest of the carved stones and the Inca "Lego" blocks. Then it was on to the market place where the citizens of Cusco buy the food and many other items. I believe the group really enjoyed this because we were right in with the people and not in an area designed for tourists. After the visit to the market we were off to see sexywoman, actually Sacsayhuaman, but pronounced the way I spelled it first. Here we saw the largest stone and also one with 11 corners. Our last evening in Cusco we heard and saw Kike Pinto discuss, and play a number of Andean preColumbian instruments. He collects and plays traditional music on these. There were whistles, flutes, horns, drums and other percussion section instruments. I was most impressed by a "whistle" that was two bowls connected by a tube. One bowl was closed except for a small hole. Water was placed in the bowl and by tilting it back and forth he forced air through the small hole causing the whistle. I did by one of his cds featuring these instruments.
On Friday morning we flew to Lima and were met by a city guide. She took us to the Rafael Larco Herrera Museum. Here we saw Peruvian pottery and artifacts. We were able to visit the storeroom of the museum where we viewed many "extra" pieces of pottery and artworks. The grounds were full of beautiful blooms. Before we left we were able to go to the pre-Colombian Erotic gallery. I'll simply say these guys were really into sex.
We then bussed to the city center and walked past the Lima Cathedral and the presidential palace. We were going to Casa Aliaga. This mansion was built in 1535 by Pizarro's treasurer, Don Jeronimo de Aliaga, and has been in the family ever since. This is where we had lunch. Then we drove through the residential areas on our way to the hotel for our last night in Peru. My room was on the 6th floor and overlooked a beautiful park and the Pacific Ocean. After settling in I walked to a mall. On ground level was a park or plaza, then the mall was at least three stories down, built into the face of a cliff that overlooked the ocean. The stores were the same as you would find in a nice mall here. Underground was also a movie complex and parking garage.
Most of us were going to Miami, but as there were different locations and those of us going to Miami were leaving very early, a lot of good-byes were said tonight. This smaller group, 21, had grown close during the Peruvian trip. Lots of hugs and even a few kisses were exchanged.
Some of the travelers were discussing which part of the trip was best. I couldn't say because they were so different. In the islands we were experiencing and interacting with the animals and enjoying what nature provided. In the Andies we saw things that people had built and see how those peoples had changed. Personally, I wouldn't want to have missed any of either part.
Now for a few pictures from Cusco and Lima. I believe I've got over 1000 photos total. Bet your glad I did post them all.
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| The extremely close fit tells us this was a temple |
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| Laura telling about fitting these "Lego: blocks together. |
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| The smallest stone, one of the ladies covered this with her finger. |
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| Now a few market pictures. |
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| The largest stone, about 130 tons |
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| Casa Aliaga |
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| Lunch at Casa Aliaga |
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This picture should have been with the largest stone, this is the many cornered stone.
That's all folks, I hope everyone enjoyed sharing my trip. Ralph |
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