Cusco City and Surrounding Area

On our second day in Cusco, we had the morning off to recover from our long previous day, so after breakfast my colleague Brand and I wandered around the city near our hotel to see what we could see. Lots of buildings here are made of adobe (can you say adobe? "ah doh bee"). Wandering around an alley I saw this exposed wall that showed the painted clay fresco, and the eroding bricks (filled with straw) underneath.


Next we visited a Catholic convent built over the site of an Inka ruin. Inside there were some Inka walls, but what caught my eye was this bronze copper relief. I love how the guides tell about all the theories that (us) scholars have about what pictures mean, but in my head I thought saw something on this relief that might just have a different interpretation than what I heard on the tour. See the two guys standing next to a roundish thing that maybe could be a pool of water? And then there is this straight "rod" leading past a tree? And then there is the cross pattern that our guide said represented a planted field, maby it is a building? Sound familiar? What do you think?

Our next stop was a bluff overlooking the city. On top of the city were the remains of an Inka settlement of some kind called Saqsayhuaman. At this site are the largest stones ever found in Inka construction. I found out later than instead of the 1/2 hour bus ride, there is a little path from near our hotel that goes right up the bluff and we could have walked it (steep hike) in about the same time it took to drive.

These ladies were posing for pictures and then asking for money. The flat hats indicate pure ketutua (Inka) blood. The hats with the higher crown indicate mixed "mestizo" blood.

A little way up the road is another Inka ruin site that has an underground temple. This alter is thought to have been part of a funuary (burial) complex.

At another stop up the road is the "Water Temple". A stream of pure water pours out from the temple walls.

Mid-August is the end of the winter dry season, and fields are being prepared for planting. This mountain side near the city was being burned in preparation for barley and wheat planting. Cusco is about 12,000 feet above sea level, so that mountain they grow crops on is between 13,000 and 15,000 feet elevation. The reason they can grow there is because it is on the equator and the days never get short; they get twelve hours of sun every day, every season.

The big finish of the day was my dinner of roasted "cuyo" or guinea pig. The guinea pig was oven roasted whole, then split in half the long way, and then my half was cut into thirds. It tasted like a cross between a chicken darkmeat and rabbit. Great taste, but not a lot of meat.

Peru Day One: Sacred Valley

What an amazing first day in Cusco, Peru. I flew from Lima to Cusco and arrived at about 8:30am. We were rushed into a tour bus and drove about an hour to the "Sacred Valley". I picture it as a place where Book of Mormon people must have lived. Many of the terraces are thousands of years old, and within the valley are the remains of buildings and temples. Archeologists date them back to the middle 1500's but a voice in my head tells me otherwise; these date back to the time of Christ or older. Our first place was a villiage in the Sacred Valley called Pisac. We visited the market and saw lots of people, especially women in traditional Andean clothes. Flat hats on Women indicate pure Inka blood. A hat with a raised crown indicates mixed blood.

This is the Sacred Valley from the pass leading into it. The river flows away into the distance and eventually join the Amazon.

This little girl and her pet llama greated us at the entrace of the market and collected coins from those who took her picture.

These are powered textile dyes producted from local plants, flowers and insects (the purple comes from dried beetles that live on cactus plants.

The more I look at this flute the more Iwish I would have asked how much it cost.

Inka weapoon reproductions in the market

An authentic Andean buffet. The Alpaca Stew kind of tasted like goat: not my favorite

The cafeinated drink in very popular, and tastes like cheap Halloween bubblegum, or bubblegum-flavored ice cream. I smelled it and decided not to try it.

This house, in an Inka village that has been continously occupied since before the Spaniards landed. The kid is trying to do homework while his mom is showing us her house. There are niches in the house that have skulls of the ancestors of the original builders to keep the bad spirits away.

Outside in the Inka village water aquaducts run past front doors bringing drinking-quality water.

At the remains of an Inka fortress. There are two qualities of stone work. Late stuff that was probably make in the 12th or 13th centuries. Then this obviously high quality stone work used without morter that are perfectly matched, but that have odd geometric angles to add stability.

Another example at the ruined fortress/temple of perfect stonework with no mortor use

From the top of the fortress looking down into the valley

Another view of the fortifications, paths and the valley.

This little girl has a pet monkey and the monkey begged coins for her

Cusco at night near our hotel.

At the end of the time my total number of picture count for the day was 278.

Look Mom! I'm Famous!

Remember that blog post last month with the video of Kevin Guthrie and his companion in Krakow, Poland? Well someone at Deseret News found out about it, edited a bit and featured it on today's "Mormon Times", the online magazine run by the Deseret News. Here is the link:


http://www.mormontimes.com/article/16287/Today-in-the-Bloggernacle-Mission-life-in-Poland-LDS-Booksellers-trade-show?s_cid=addthis

Caution: Little Kid with Big Umbrella

We had a early evening rain shower and Bryson and Grandma Jane grabbed umbrellas and went for a little walk. The umbrella was a little hard for Bryson to handle.

Bug Bites

While I was in Poland and Jane was visiting family in Utah, Seth went on a three-day rafting trip. While the float down the river was for the most part enjoyable, the mosquitoes were awful. Seth estimates that he came home with over 200 bites. I think his estimate is low. What do you think?

A Day with Elder Guthrie and Elder Smith in Poland

On my last day in Warsaw, Poland I decided to excuse myself from a lot of meetings that didn't really relate to my job and go visit Nephew Kevin down in Krakow (pronounced Krakov). It was a three-hour train ride each way. The 6:15am train was very nice and between my nap and a book the time went really fast. On the way home I got the crummy train where we were packed in tight and people had to stand and sit in the aisles for the 3-hour ride home. I had a seat but my knees and feet were touching the person facing me so I had to sit more or less motionless for the three hour ride back to Warsaw. There was no air conditioning and the sun was beating my face most of the time, but it was definitely worth it.

Kevin and his companion met me at the train station about 10am, and we visited some of the local sites that were within an easy walk. We also stopped to talk to one of their contacts that owns a souveneer shop (I bought a hat and shirt to help out with the relationship). We had a yummy lunch of "kebab" which the Elders pronounce "kaybob". We visited a castle where the Kings of Poland (and the past President) are buried. The four or five hours went be very quickly, but it was fun seeing Kevin and his companion in their area.

Outside the train station

At a castle overlooking the river that flooded in the Spring

Inside a local Catholic Church

Down in the burial crypts

A contact that they are working on

Giving directions to visitors at the castle

In the castle courtyard

Castle panorama

Ordering some kebab for lunch

Looks like a Polish taco to me

Elder Guthrie and Elder Smith in Krakow, Poland from randy guthrie on Vimeo.