Freezing my butt off

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Spent the past week in Cuzco taking in the sights. It's getting cold now so I've had to buy a parka, jumper and gloves.

The hostel I'm staying at is one big frat party, just like being back in uni. It's really amusing listening to people talk about their vomiting and bed-hopping exploits.

Did a city tour - the guide was worth the $5 fee alone. Hilarious to watch him wave his umbrella around, quote Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code as pure fact, tout signed editions of his Machu Picchu book for $20, and wax lyrical about his experiences trying to levitate in India and being at every major archaeological find and historical event in the world in the past decade. Once when we looked sceptical, he said it was true as it was in National Geographic. Yeah, right!

Other sights included the Cathedral and also the local ruins of Saqsaywaman (pronounced "Sexy Woman", and an Inca ceremonial centre), Puca Pucara (Inca gateway to Cusco), Tambo Machay (temple of the waters), Q'enqo (where they prepared the mummies), and Tipon (royal gardens).

Also did a tour of the Sacred Valley and visited the Pisaq ruins (supposedly shaped like a hummingbird), and Ollantaytambo ruins (supposedly shaped like llama). Hard to say if the Inca's really planned it that way (Cuzco is supposed to be in the shape of a puma), or these are modern day interpretations rather like looking at cloud shapes.

Finally went to a native dance show (nice costumes), free pirate DVD screenings at one of the local bars, and to my first and likely last Latino nightclub (like any other in the world).

The presidential election was on Sunday, and all week there have been protest marches and lively political rallies with a few gunshots being fired in the air, but generally quite peaceful. It´s Monday morning, and all the Cuzco schoolkids are marching against protecting the environment, and have shut down Avenida Sol (George Street equivalent). Very different from the ticker-tape parades back home.

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Photos

Pisaq ruins
Does it look like a hummingbird?

Quechua tradition
The Bulls symbolise the land