Wow, what an amazing city. It is fun to walk down a street, and find an Inca wall in the middle of the street.

Here in Cuzco we were joined by my parents and a friend of Ellen from London. We went about our days discovering never before discovered Inca Ruins: right. Here it is a tour with hundreds, in a city with almost no industry (source: Inca Trail guide) supported only by tourism.

Losing the Parents

Beginning our time together with a bang, my parents got lost on the way to the hostel, on account of the shuttle driver not being there. Slightly panicked (I had just heard of a story of a couple from Austria disappearing in the wrong Taxi in Cuzco), they found their way to us.

English Invasion

The next day, we toured around Cuzco, finding some of the walls that the Spanish had not riped down to build their cathedrals. Joined by Kate on midway through this day, we now had our historian to teach us about... well, English History. Kate actually funcioned more as a comedian, with prophetic dreams and quick English wit. Proud of her country, her 2 weeks with us Midwesterners will be shure to embarrass her as she continues to use Americanisms like "thanks" and "guys."

During her first day, we were all impressed by the stonework, with the famous mortar less joints perfectly meshed, that have withstood 400 years of earthquakes (unlike the cathedrals, which collapsed the last time in the 50´s).

School Visit

The parents had a mission while we were in Cuzco. They have some friends who met doing the Peace Corps in Peru (they are now married). They had purchased a oven for a school in the area. This school finds children from the street or impoverished familys and teaches them the full school curiculum as well as teaching them a trade for when they leave school. Quite impressive, we got a 3-4 hour tour, and the children were always very excited to meet us.

Ruins around Cuzco

Following this day, we headed out on one of the Inca Trails to explore some ruins in the area. The most impressive, Sacsayhuaman, had stones that weighed 3,000 pounds (or more). Unfortunately, our camera was broken on this day, so Kate or Ron and Linda will need to help us out with a photo. That night, we headed out for a belated birthday dinner for Tim and Ellen at a wonderfully spunky restaurant called the Witches Garden. Next day, Inca Trail.

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