Cusco

I spent 3.5 days in Cusco, Peru, acclimating to its 11,000 feet of elevation in preparation for hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Supposedly Cusco used to be shaped like a Puma. Now it pretty much looks like a non-puma-shaped city.

I didn't get altitude sickness, but I did have to stop about every 5 feet to catch my breath while climbing stairs like these (the dog had to stop and rest as well).

The Incas left many ruins in the Andes. I guess they didn't leave them as ruins. And they actually look pretty nice. But they are called ruins. This is in the Sacred Valley, at Ollantaytambo.

Lots of terraces at Pisac, on which crops were grown. Our guide said that they acclimated the crops to the higher elevations by moving them up one terrace a year, but I'm not sure I believe that.

When the Spanish arrived, they tore down and built over the existing Inca sites that they found. Here they made a Catholic church in Chinchero.

The Spanish did a pretty good job converting the Incas, obviously, since everyone in Peru speaks Spanish. They left these ruins on the side of the church though. 

On the last day in Cusco I climbed up to Sacsayhuaman.

This statue (as seen in the background of the previous photo) overlooks the city. So do I. We shall rule it together.

Next stop: alpacas!

I got to hold a three-week-old baby animal. I was told it was a baby alpaca. But I'm not so sure... it could be anything, I suppose. Whatever it was, it was soft and cute!