Peru was perfecto!

I've been home a week now and I seriously miss the cooler temps in Peru compared to the hellishly hot ones here in Texas. This week I downloaded more than 500 pictures and have culled through about half of them. Here are some of the pictorial highlights of my week that included Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu.

No matter where we went, there they were... the llamas of Peru. City or countryside, it didn't matter. Like big overgrown dogs on leashes, you could tell they were well taken care of and appreciated.

Thanks to the Spaniards and their efforts, Peru has a Catholic church on practically every corner. Despite the fact that I'm Protestant, I find old Catholic churches absolutely fascinating. I just wish I had been allowed to take pictures inside of the churches because most of them were beautifully decorated.

One day we went way up into the mountains to a remote village where we got to meet descendants of the Incas who were conquered by the Spaniards in the 1500s. They live a simple life and shared with us some of their rituals and routines in exchange for loaves of bread (in yellow bags) that we purchased for them in a town predominated by bakeries on the ride up the mountain. 

We were fortunate to tour and trek over several types of Incan ruins, including those at Ollantaytambo, Saqsaywaman and Machu Picchu (in order below). As you drive through the countryside, it's easy to spot Incan ruins due to their common practice of terrace farming.

I spent a week at elevations ranging from 6500 to 14000 feet. The beauty of the Andes Mountains does not disappoint. I drank a lot of coca tea to keep the ill effects of higher altitude at bay. 

I got out of breath as we scaled every set of ruins, but the view from the top was worth the huffing and puffing to get air into my lungs.

Llamas everywhere, including at the ruins and in the mountain villages with the Incan descendants, and even some resident long haired suri sort at one of our resorts to add to the Peruvian experience.

We visited the workshop of artist Pablo Seminario one afternoon and got to meet him. He specializes in pre-Colombian art, which isn't exactly my decorative cup of tea. However, seeing his original art and hearing him speak about the evolution of his pieces over the decades was really interesting.

And lest we forget, the precious guinea pigs. The very same ones we saw in roadside stands and on menus everywhere, served up roasted or fried. The cuys (what guinea pigs are called in Peru) are just too danged cute to even consider eating.