Peru

I have always wanted to go to Peru, so it was exciting to be sent for work! I was working at CARE's office in Lima for 2 weeks and took 3 days over the weekend to go to Cusco and the Sacred Valley. There is so much in Peru that I have long been interested in experiencing - the Amazon jungle and the Andes mountains, Machu Picchu, the native Indian culture of 50% of the population, and the interesting ancient and colonial history. It certainly did not disappoint, except that I needed much more time to explore! I'm definitely hoping to go back, in particular to get to the jungle. Click here to see my pictures.

Being in Lima was fine - my work itself was very interesting, and the staff I worked with are young and fun and I enjoyed spending time with them outside of work. But the city itself was a modern sprawl - some pockets that were interesting, but not much. The real plus was the incredible food and drinks - ceviche, Peru's national dish, and pisco, the national drink, a type of brandy made from Peruvian grapes.

So the real highlight was Cusco and the Sacred Valley. Ancient Peru was home to several large and well-developed civilizations, the best known, of course, being the Incas. The Inca empire extended throughout much of South America and was one of the largest in the world upon the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century. The conquistadors were apparently most shocked by the Inca's capital city of Cusco, whose stonework and precious metals adorning the temples were better and finer than any in Spain. Around Cusco is the Sacred Valley, a long, steep-sided river valley in the Andes studded with Inca ruins and holy sites. At one end of the valley is the citadel at Pisac (which I also visited and is in my pictures) and at the other is Machu Picchu.


What makes Machu Picchu so amazing is the setting - literally on top of one of the Andes mountains, surrounded by clouds - and how well preserved it is. The conquistadors never found it due to its ridiculously high and remote location - it wasn't discovered until 1911 by an American explorer. So unlike most of the ancient sites in Peru, it was never dismantled by the colonists for the stones to be used for their own construction purposes or for the gold ornamentation to be sent back to Spain (the former jewel in Spain's colonial crown, Peru's abundant gold was 16th century Europe's main source of treasure).

The pictures don't do it justice. It was incredible! As was seeing the life and culture of the indigenous Andean people, half of whom still practice the Incan religion and use ancient agricultural techniques. It was a great trip and I'm hoping to go back and visit the jungle tribes.