Eleven Kids: Peru

We land in Lima on the Pacific coast where the skies are gray, it seldom rains, and the buildings make up for the lack of color.

After a short visit in Lima we head to the Andes and the Urubamba Sacred Valley

We take an early morning hike up the mountainside and enjoy the hardworking natives

At the end of this long valley is the Temple of the Sun. The Inca's were a highly developed civilization, even setting aside a percentage of their crops each year as food storage for the lean years.

Who do you suppose moved these huge rocks into place?

We happened to be there on Peru's voting day. All citizens are required to vote (this time everyone was casting a vote for the mayor of each city). If you don't vote, you can't cash a check and there is a heavy penalty. As a consequence of this, the colorful mountain people came down to the town. Evidently this doesn't happen often, so the bus driver stopped so we could take pictures. Everyone both old and young wore hats and their festive clothing was joyful.

David orders up a guinea pig (cui) for dinner at the local market. Traci passes on this one....

Macchu Pichu is the most impressive ruins we have ever seen. They are unbelievably extensive and massive. The Incas were crazy with their terracing and building abilities.

How do they mow the lawn with all that terracing? Easy - lots of llamas!

We hiked to the top of Macchu Pichu Mountain. There is a thousand foot drop off on either side of this precipice.... my palms were sweating, but the view was worth it! Click on link below to see video...

Top of Machu Pichu Mountian - video clip

Both the Incas and the Conquistadors said the world revolved around Cusco (pronounced Costco, which I also believe the world revolves around). Often the Spanish built around and over Inca sights, this being a classic example. When an earthquake damaged some walls, the repair workers discovered an Inca temple as the wall foundation.

They were expert stone cutters, always tilting their walls a few degrees to help withstand earthquakes.

On Lake Titticaca (elevation 12,500 ft) we visited the Reed Islands, literally made from reeds. The stacks in the background are reeds that are drying out. Every two weeks another layer of reeds is added. When the islands touch the bottom of the lake, they start another island (this takes 40-50 years)

Everything was made from reeds, all housing, furniture, and boats.

We stopped by the island that has the Mormon church (made from reeds) and these cute children sang us Primary songs. The Elders Quorum and Relief Society presidencies rowed to our hotel the night before to invite us out to their island.