The Plaza de Armas in Cuzco

This is some municipal building in Cuzco, built on top an Inca foundation. The Spaniards tore down what was the Supreme Inca´s palace and built on top the Inca foundation. This building was rebuilt at least twice due to earthquake, but the origina Inca foundation is still being used.

The stone to the left of me is estimated to weigh 6,000 lbs.

More detail of stone work. Nobody really knows how they got them to fit so perfectly.

On the bus ride to Ollantytambo, to catch the train to Machu Picchu, a totally bald tire on the bus blew out. They replaced it with an equally bald spare. At least it was the outside dual. Still made my train though.

If you are going to go to Machu Picchu, you might as well have some mate (mah-TAY) de coca. Coca tea is on the menu of every restaurant in Peru, anyone that thinks we are going to eliminate the crack problem in the US by spraying some parraquat or whatever on the coca fields in Colombia and Peru doesn´t understand how much a part of the culture coca is here. It would be like taking coffee away from Americans. It´s just like any other tea, I didn´t get all whacked out on it or anything. I hope Dick Cheney doesn´t read this, I won´t get back into the US.

The classic shot of Machu Picchu, taken during the 10 minutes the sun was shining.

This was taken from on top the mountain on the right in the previous picture. I worked hard for this photo, so you better appreciate it.

I worked even harder for this one. This in in a little visited part of the park known as the Temple of the Moon. As good of stoneworkers as the Incas were, they didn´t have the arch, and it limited the size of the doors and windows they could build. You´d think someone would have slapped their forehead and said DOH! Apparently not.

I signed up for a group mountain bike ride the day after getting back from Machu Picchu. What was I thinking, my aching quads.

This was an easy part. The route was a lot more down than up, but I now have a lot more respect for downhill racers, as my legs were jelly at the bottom of a descent that took forever. Of course the fact that I had hiked Machu Picchu and was at Norton Rats Pub till midnight the night before had nothing to do with it.

No, this isn´t a gay pride flag. The rainbow had mystical meaning to the Incas, it´s an Inca pride flag. Confuse them at your peril.