A week in Cuzco...

March 27 Arequipa to Cuzco

April 1st, 2008

A week in Cuzco, the center of the Inca Empire! We did a city tour and enjoyed the spanish architecture but were horrified at the destroyed Inca treasures and beautiful buildings taken apart and used for spanish foundations after the spaniards took over the city. When we toured the Sacred Valley , we hiked through the most intact inca city at ollan taytambo.It was one of the only places where the Spanish conquistadors lost a major battle. The 7 sections of the city are high on the mountain with the terraces extending down more than 1 km. To see 6 ton rocks precisely placed to form a wall still intact with no room to even insert a piece of paper between them proudly standing over the valley since 1536 was amazing, even to 2 kids who said they preferred to buy a coke and watch the market rather than hike..... Most of the large polishable rocks were transported from 6 km away. Early civilizations appear very simple at first glance but very sophisticated in other ways. Every Inca house sleeps 8 and has two openings. Each is exactly the same dimension and formed at 24 degrees to allow max. light during the summer solstice and then the winter solstics. A compass in each house will show this fact. We also had a day whitewater rafting. It was the most exciting whitewater we have experienced. Class 3 and4 in glacial water. The guide instilled a strong work ethic during all the challenging sections "paddle like hell and don´t stop unless I say " and we all managed to stay in the boat! At the end of the 4 hour adventure we finished at a rustic lodge on the river with a wood stove heated sauna and a river rock hollow filled with hot water for a jacuzzi ----ahhhh. The kids have mastered enough spanish that we can give them a few soles and tell them to go for lunch or to the internet and we have a couple hours to explore. Dylan pays all the bills, orders our meals and even communicates with taxi drivers now. It is great. Today they are off by themselves (we met the guide first) on a 4 hour historical tour on horseback. A bit uneasy that they may not get transport back to the hostel but it is good for them and mike and i need the time to organize for the inca trail tomorrow. We have heard that a canadian family just finished the 4 day trail with the 7 year old leading each day. Justin says he is looking forward to it now ---says the negative comments we had to put up with were just because he did not know much about it---yay right. We are excited yet nervous. We have been hiking a 400 step steep street before breakfast 3 times each morn ing and altitud e is not an issue any more so ....just go for it.

Gail