Tag Archives: peru

DAILY PHOTO: Sacsayhuamán in the Peruvian Andes

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This Incan site overlooks Cusco, Peru.

This Incan site overlooks Cusco, Peru.

Sacsayhuamán may well be the first Incan site you see, if you fly into Cusco. It sits on a hill overlooking Cusco. If you’re in the mood to stretch your legs and aren’t too queasy from the elevation (Cusco, 11,200ft), it’s  not too difficult a walk from the city center.  You can use the Cristo Blanco (huge white Jesus), which shares the same hill, as a navigational reference.

The Incans were the master masons. These stone walls were made without mortar. Yes, those irregularly shaped blocks sit perfectly on each other and have for hundreds of years.  The one thing that Sacsayhuamán has that other sites don’t is a naturally occurring fun park of slides. One can also traverse a pitch black cave, and get spectacular overview shots of the city.

Naturally occurring slides

Naturally occurring slides

DAILY PHOTO: The Floating Isles of Lake Titicaca.

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We're being shown how they make the islands with a scale-model.

We’re being shown how they made the islands via a scale-model.

The floating islands of Lake Titicaca began as a way for pre-Incan people to avoid subjugation by the Incans. Today they exist for the twin purposes of tourism and tax evasion. The latter is the result of a loophole whereby individuals living on floating islands are not taxed (terra firma island residents are taxed like all others.) Of course, one’s earning potential is quite limited when living on a floating island. I suspect these villages make money from the tour boat operators. They definitely earn money from handicraft sales and “tips” from the tourists — the latter often in exchange for short boat rides on reed boats and photos (either pics of the locals or pics of oneself dressed  up in their traditional garb.)

If you can deal with the “ground” squishing under your feet, you should definitely make the ride out to these islands while you’re in the Peruvian Andes. Take a bus to Puno, Peru and from there it’s easy to find a boat at the docks. Make sure to visit Amantani and Tequile islands while you’re at it (these are actual islands.)