Cusco

After my very special cruise around the Galapagos islands I have surfaced again in Quito. But before I tell you all about my Galapagos adventures I would like to share some foto's and information on my remaining days in Peru. 

I had 3 days left in Cusco to relax after the Salkantay trek and visit to Machu Picchu. The whole city is built on the fundaments of the Inca capital which was destroyed after the Spanish invasion. One example is the Dominican monastery and church which was built on the Coricancha which was the main temple of the Inca Empire. Some of the original Inca chambers have recently been restored inside the cloister. 

The church was badly damaged in an earthquake (I think it was in the 18th or 19th century) but has been restored. 

Also in other places one can find that houses have been built using the Inca fundaments and elsewhere stones were removed from the Inca temples and re-used for other buildings. 

On my last day I visited the ruins of another Inca site just outside and above the city. The Inca masonry is very impressive as big granite blocks were precisely processed to fit onto each other without any cement or mortar.

The climate during the dry season is the same as I experienced on the altiplano in Bolivia - pleasantly warm days with lots of sunshine but chilly nights.

After this I said goodbye to Peru and proceeded to Ecuador with a lot of uncertainty about what to expect with regards to transport to and from Guayaquil.