Peru 9

This post is about our time at Machu Picchu and Cusco. This first picture is of our view of Machu Picchu just before we left. We had some rain on the day we were there, but it cleared at the end of the day and this picture shows how Machu Picchu sits in the clouds.

This picture is from the top of the mountain behind Machu Picchu. We were able to climb this mountain and it gave great views of the ruins below.

This picture is from the three window temple. This is one of the more famous areas of Machu Picchu.

The next picture is from Saqsayhuaman, the ruins that sit just outside of the city of Cusco. The stones here are enormous and perfectly shaped and placed. The entire structure is in the shape of a lightning bolt.

This picture is Qoricancha. This was originally an Incan temple and the Spanish conquistadors built a church on top of it. You can see the ancient building style under the more colonial style.

This last picture is a view of Cusco from one of the mountains outside of town. A storm was coming in, but we were able to walk back to town before getting soaked.

Peru 8

This post is about the day that we visited the Sacred Valley. It is the area between Cusco and Machu Picchu that has many ancient Incan cities and ruins. This first picture is from our first stop where we fed llamas and alpacas. This picture is of Angela feeding a llama.

The next picture is from Pisac, one of the ancient Incan cities. This picture is from the main religious area of their city.


These 2 pictures are from Ollantaytambo, the next set of ruins that we visited. It is easier to see in these pictures the amazing stone work. Many of the stones were as large as this one that Chuck is beside and fit together so perfectly that there was no mortar!

This picture is from Chincheros, the last town that we visited. It is famous for its old church and also the ruins. The sun was setting and this made the ruins even more beautiful.

The last picture is of Salkantay, the largest mountain in the region at over 20,000 feet. It was rainy at times during our day, but the sky cleared and gave us a perfect view of this impressive peak.