Peru: Inca Tour: Cusco

After a couple of days in Lima we were up early for our flight to Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire. This one hour flight takes us from Lima, which is at sea level, to Cusco which is 11,000 above sea level.

The "thin air" of Cusco was noticeable but we were soon out exploring the streets around our hotel.

One of the many churches ... and Starbucks

Local girls with a baby lamb posing for pictures (for a price)

Street scenes

Traffic police. You can tell the foot patrol police from the motorcycle police by the uniform.

"Viva El Peru" carved into the hill surrounding Cusco

At the end of the day we enjoyed another "Gastronomical Delight" at a local restaurant,alpaca tenderloin with wasabi glaze.

Group Dinner

Chupe de quihua (soup with cheese, vegetables and milk) and alpaca tenderloin.

Cuzco Behind the Scenes

Our optional tour started off with a ceremony preformed by an Andean shaman.

The offering prepared by the shaman.

Shopping at the market

Our first stop is the central market of Cusco. As with many towns and cities in Peru, the local market hasn't been replaced with the American style supermarket.

Purple corn, used to make the drink Chicha morada. Chicha morada is non-alcoholic, and is made by boiling purple corn with fruit (quince & pineapple), cinnamon and cloves.

A mainstay of Peruvian cooking is the vivid orange Aji amarillo pepper.

Mothers working at the indoor market carry their small children around on their backs and the children seemed to enjoy the ride.

The potato is native to Peru and many different varieties can be found at the market.

Fish roe (eggs) and local chuta bread.

How fresh do you want your chicken?

Guinea pigs (called cuy) continues to be a major part of the diet in Peru, particularly in the Andes Mountains highlands. The cuy is so entrenched in the culture that one famous painting of the Last Supper in the main cathedral in Cusco shows Christ and the twelve disciples dining on guinea pig. These guinea pigs are the single serving size that are served in restaurants.

Outside, along the streets, vendors sell food and flowers.

Cusco cemetery

After the market we visit a Cusco cemetery, where we see how the locals decorate the graves with gifts and food for their dead. A traditional belief that the dead eat and drink as they would during life.