Gettin' into the swing of things...

Okay, now this is what I came for.  Good times and great experiences.  We have been exploring the streets of Cusco, getting into the local markets, livin' it up at the bars, and taking in the sites.

Yesterday we took this tour of the Sacred Valley that stops at three ruins.  I'm not gonna cover all the names because, well, do you really care?  Didn't think so.  The tour started at 8:30 AM and was nearly 12 hours hoping on and off the bus with about 20 people total.  We were about an hour in, nearly to the first ruins.  Driving slowly up the mountain, the views were spectacular and everyone was quietly taking it all in... Suddenly Clarke blurts out "Holy crap!  That cow is totally peeing on that other cow's head!!!" ... Let me tell you, Peru is really putting me in touch with my spiritual side.
      

Speaking of cows... The markets here are AWESOME.  We pretty much eat here every day.  Three of us can eat for about $2.50.  Sometimes it can be difficult figuring out what you are ordering, but you just kinda roll the dice and hope for the best.  
Which reminds me, my Spanish is horrible.  I'm working on it...

Moooooooooooooooooooo!!!

Clarke and I hanging with some of the peeps at the hostel and doin' "Machu Picchu shots."  Yes the night life is thumping.  It seems like every night there is something going on and new people getting to the hostel.  Put  bunch of young people together (no old jokes, jerks) with nothing to do every night and you get some good times. 

Hiking around the ruins is a lot of fun, but it also kicks your ass.  I find my heart pounding out of my chest and sucking air pretty much as soon as we start climbing.  Then, of course, we think its hilarious that we cant breath so we start laughing uncontrollably... and surprisingly that doesn't help you catch your breath.

Check out the mountain to the right.  They carved a face in the mountainside. I think this guy was supposed to guard the grain that they stored in the side of the mountain.  They put it in the mountain because it would stay dry from rain and the wind would blow through the storage center...

Educational, huh?

This is a picture of the best ruins we have hiked yet.  They are called Ollantaytambo and right across the valley from the picture above.

This is the same ruin from the other side.  These pictures don't really give it justice.  The scale and size of these mountains is awesome.






That's it for now boys and girls.  Today I took a huge 400 FT leap of faith, and tomorrow is Machu Picchu.  The next blog should be fun...

-Jefe

Showcasing my eye for photography...