Our last week in Cusco

---

This past week was a bit more laid back and relaxed compared to previous weeks. The weather reminded us of home during late fall, cloudy and chilly and a few rain showers. We planned on mountain biking last Saturday but b/c of the lack of communication between us and the tour company we found out we wouldn't be biking but riding around with other tourists to a couple different towns outside of cusco's city limits. It wasn't what we wanted to do but it turned out to be a fun day, visiting more ruins and a salt mine that supplies some of the US with salt.

Much of the week Kristine was busy keeping up with her Spanish course and preparing for a power point presentation which went well and concluded another productive and studious 3 weeks....2 down, 3 more classes to go! In between the studying we worked on finishing up our wedding thank you's and tried to research the best way to send them home. We weren't to excited about sending them from either Peru or our next stop Bolivia, but as luck would have it we met fellow patriots at an Irish bar who said they wouldn't mind bringing them home with them and then sending them to our parents to mail out.

Towards the end of the week there was a 2 day city wide strike and protest that shut down the city for the most part. There was no public transportation in or out of the city, most of the restaraunts and shops were closed and everyone marched into the main plaza to demonstrate. From talking to local Peruvians and some expats we found out what the protesting was about. Apparently the president who is going to be out of office at the end of the year is trying to privatize Machu Picchu and the surrounding ruins, meaning that all the local guide and expedition companies would no longer be in business and there would be one single entity running everything, jacking up the prices for tourists and charging locals to visit them. It was an interesting being able to experience all the protesting that seemed to go as peacefully as possible despite the amount of people involved. Hopefully the Peruvian people will end up on top on this one.

Now it's off for a 5 day trek to Machu Picchu via the Salkantay trail. We're both pretty stoked to get out into the mountains and away from the city after 3 weeks in Cusco. Hopefully the weather will cooperate since it's the beginning of rainy season and we won't have too deal with the bugs that everyone has been telling us about, but I guess we will have to find out for ourselves.

---

Photos

One last picturesque day in Cusco!

Writing our wedding thank yous over some beers

COOLEST dog EVA! We named him Bobiego.

This is what we are doing instead of mountain biking!

Sneaking into the ruins. On a backpackers budget we are trying to get into as many places as we can for free. Making you proud Papa Hank!

Inca Ruins

More ruins in the middle of nowhere

You are RUINING our selfie!

Salineras Salt Mines from above

Why you so salty BRO?,

If your salt tastes like feet know why!

This gang runs the town. We named them the stairmasters because you couldn't walk up these stairs without having to pay your toll. Stray dogs are everywhere here in Cusco.

We might be coming home with a Peruvian child because they are so cute and a street dog.

US postal service. We met this lovely family at a bar and they brought all of our wedding thank yous back to the states. If you don't get your thank you, blame these people! Haha!

View of plaza de armas which we nicknamed selfie square

Our Monday night Eagles brethren. (His mother grew up in Havertown and went to St. Denis)

God I'm so much taller than the Incas!

This guy watching over the plaza you don't want to mess around!

Hippie chick doing acrobatics in the plaza. Hours of entertainment!

Police enforcing the protest

This was a leader of the protest who looked like he was fighting for his roots. He was looking up at the sky for a little while at a couple of birds and seemed to find some kind of significance out of it because he was telling other people around him to look up. Then again it could have been just a plane!