Wari and Qiunua Ruins

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Hola Amigos!

Today we visited the Wari ruins. It was quite amazing to see the tombs, sacrificial tables, and artifacts that were found at this site. As you walk around, you see pieces of terra cotta that were used in the pottery made by the Wari people. I picked up a few pieces hoping to make them into jewelry when I return. The vistas were unbelieveable and it was really nice to get out of the city and get some fresh air. The weather was gorgeous( 70´s). The ruins were filled with interesting trees and tons of cacti. I took so many pictures. We actually saw of first critter. It was a spider inside its web. It was really cool. I took tons of pictures of that as well.

We then went to Qiunua. This is the place where the Spanish were defeated, rendering all of South America free. Apparently, Quinua was the last Spanish stronghold in South America. All of the important Spaniards were there, so when they were defeated it fred all of South America from Spanish control. It was very cool to see, but before we even stepped off the bus, children came running. They wanted to sing to us. They were so precious, but when we got off the van, I couldn´t even walk straight---they were herding me like sheep into a zig-zag formation--holding my hands and singing. SOOOO cute. Our guide told them to leave for the time being so that he could teach us about the site, but that we would buy candy from them later on, which we did. When we left our guide brought us to the town of Quinua to do a little shopping, which consisted of roaming through peoples´ backyards. They had beautiful pottery. One of the places not only sold pottery, but had two live hawks. One was very high in a tree, the other sitting on a stump at eye level. I got very close to it with my camera, all the while thinking he would claw my eyes out( You sometimes have to sufer for your art!) He was very calm and domesticated. I wanted to pet his hind tail feathers, but the others were afraid I´d lose a finger. Oh well. It was a great trip. I´m glad I decided to go. Chao. Hasta Luego!

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