We spent most of our day in Cusco around the Plaza de Armas, a beautiful square in the city’s center. Cusco has a mix of architectures, ranging from original Inca walls to Spanish-influenced cathedrals. The cathedral Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús began construction in 1576. Similar to old cities in Europe, street vendors wander to hawk their wares, most commonly cloth items made from alpaca wool and art work.

Just a block from the town square was Casa Concha Museum, which includes many items initially discovered by American explorer Hiram Bingham in 1911. The Inca mummies were quite interesting. The museum had hundreds of artifacts like cutting tools, weapons and pottery from the Inca civilization.

We had a great meal mid-day, and Deb actually tried the cuy (guinea pig). Our whole group gave it a try (except for me), and all agreed that it tasted like chicken, although there didn’t appear to be much meat.

Once we landed in Cusco, we had a 90 minute shuttle ride to our B&B in Urubamba. The Cusco street markets were interesting, and I couldn’t identify much of what was for sale. Dogs were everywhere, many of which were strays digging through garbage to survive.

In Urubamba, many people get around town with the aid of a Tuk Tuk, or auto rickshaw. These little vehicles can transport a few people quickly through crowded and narrow streets.

We didn’t sleep much the first night in Urubamba. Barking dogs kept us awake much of the time, and the roosters began crowing around 2:45 AM. Ear plugs will be on the shopping list today. I’m looking forward to exploring more of Urubamba today and getting some much-needed rest before we head to Machu Picchu tomorrow.

The excavation of this site is still underway and expected to take another 50 years at least. Our guide stated that prior to 1960, it was simply a large dirt hill and was even the site for motocross racing events until the ruins were discovered below the soil. Analysis shows that there are still many tombs below the walking paths that have not yet been uncovered.

The site was made with adobe bricks that were formed by hand. Each brick still shows ridges made from the fingers of the brick maker, with hand prints clearly visible on many bricks. The site took several hundred years to reach its maximum size.

Today we will be leaving Lima and flying to Cusco, where the 11,200 foot altitude will likely bring some altitude sickness for a day or two. From Cusco we’ll head to Machu Picchu next week.

Food and drinks have been great so far, and the people of Lima have been friendly. We’ve been using a hand cart to haul groceries from a store several blocks away as needed.

With Nicki’s flight from LA being cancelled and her group’s arrival delayed a day, Deb and I spent our first full day in Lima, Peru, walking around the Miraflores area.

We didn’t have a rental car, but that’s probably a good thing. Driving in Detroit or on I-696 does not prepare one for the very fast-pace of Lima’s traffic. Drivers here use their horns as a courtesy signal to others, so there’s a continual cacophony of short horn blasts.

Being Americans, we have to learn to live without a thermostat. There is no heat nor AC in the house, since temperatures range from mid 50s to mid 80s throughout the year. You simply dress appropriately, so we’re wearing jackets in the house, as the morning temps are in the low 60s.

Now that Nicki, Anthony and his mother Bari have arrived, we’ll be exploring the local area much more, and I’ll post updates more frequently.