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Tag Archives: South America

Machu Picchu

June 26, 2011  /
Machu Picchu
We arrived in Aguas Caliente late last night and after finding our hostel decided to try and hike up Huayna Picchu this morning. Huayna Picchu is the iconic mountain that serves as a backdrop to the ruins of Machu Picchu. Today the park limits...

Pinkuylluna

June 25, 2011  /
Pinkuylluna
While exploring the town we noticed a sign that read Pinkuylluna. The sign pointed towards a trail the traveled up the mountain and a few ruins. Knowing that sun was setting soon we got up there as fast as we could. Once there we had a wonderful...

Ollantaytambo

June 25, 2011  /
Ollantaytambo
Arriving in Ollantaytambo a few hours before our train departure we decided to grab some dinner and explore parts of the town. While my group ordered some food I decided to head towards the ruins on the west of the town. When I got there I...

To Ollan

June 25, 2011  /
To Ollan
We found a taxi/van that would take us to Ollantaytambo only a few blocks from our hostel. As we left the Cuzco we can see the Andes looming over the horizon, which reminded me of the San Juans in southern Colorado. After passing many small towns...

Old Walls

June 25, 2011  /
Old Walls
Walking down from the Christo Blanco we encountered a couple of llamas milling around the stone paths. Up close they are rather interesting looking animals, and to me they were very similar to a camel minus the long hair. Along the streets we...

Christo Blanco

June 25, 2011  /
Christo Blanco
Before leaving Cuzco this morning we thought we’d visit Saqsaywaman and see some of the ruins without the hoards of people from the day before. Instead of walking up the hill we took a small taxi up to the entrance to the park where we realized...

Plaza de Armas

June 24, 2011  /
Plaza de Armas
After sitting down for a nice dinner, pizza topped with alpaca meat, we wandered around the plaza until the sun began to set. The rainbow flag flying high above the plaza is the official flag of Cuzco, which supposedly has its roots during...

Cuzco Afternoon

June 24, 2011  /
Cuzco Afternoon
With the main Inti Raymi ceremony over we walked back towards the city. While heading down the curvy road we encountered quite a few people selling goods and local cuisine. One of my favorite things about walking around Cuzco is seeing all the...

Saqsaywaman

June 24, 2011  /
Saqsaywaman
Upon arriving at the entrance to Saqsaywaman we followed the festival participants towards the main plaza. The Inti Raymi, “Festival of the Sun”, was a religious ceremony of the Inca Empire in honor of the god Inti, one of the most venerated gods...

Inti Raymi

June 24, 2011  /
Inti Raymi
Waking up early I decided to take a morning walk around the Plaza San Francisco. The plaza was bustling in anticipation of the Inti Raymi festivities, the Incan festival in honor of the sun god (more about this later). After my walk I headed back...