Peru

While we were on vacation we got to see several places in Peru in addition to Macchu Picchu.

 We got to see lots of llamas.

 Jacquelyn was always wanting to see and get close to the llamas.

 I think the llamas were her favorite thing on the vacation.

 We saw lots of local Peruvians in colorful dress.  They had different hats for different regions.  This was in Cusco, the ancient capital of the Incas.  We also went to Lima, Puno, Lake Titicaca, and the Sacred Valley.

 We saw a parade there one day in the streets of Cusco.

 Lots of very ornate and beautiful costumes.

 It was a big festival day.

 We saw pigs walking down the roads.  We also saw dogs running loose in all the cities we visited, even in downtown Lima.  The dogs were not wild, they were all pets.

 Two little boys in Puno, which was at the highest altitude.  I found it hard to breath when we first got there.

 A woman walking her llama in the Sacred Valley.

 We visited lots of grand cathedrals.  The Spanish built these when they came and they are still in service today and most of the people in Peru are Catholic.  We did see one Mormon church as our bus drove by a medium sized town.

 Inside the cathedrals we saw magnificent furnishing.

 A lot of the alters and statues in the churches were covered in gold leaf, which they got from melting down all the Inca statues, the gold they didn't send back to Spain.

 This is the virgin Mary.

 I think this is Michael defeating a devil.

 We also went to the floating islands on Lake Titicaca.  The natives built them out of reeds and lived on these floating islands, about 5 families to an island and a large group of islands forming a village.

 They gather and build the islands out of reeds and these are some of their boats.

 They still live on these islands today and lead a very simple life.  They have extremely long life expectancies.

 I tried one of the reeds.  Not much flavor and kind of watery.

 Me with one of the boats.

Jacquelyn by a fountain with the last Inca King overlayed with real gold.