A few more from Cusco

Cusco is such a beautiful city, I needed another post to get all the pictures we liked. Visiting Puno now, we appreciate even more the uniqueness of Cusco's architecture and history. Unfortunately, we also found it to be extremely touristy, and were soon longing to get outside the city center and back into the more ¨Peruvian¨parts of town. Still, it was a memorable trip.

Sitting right in the valley, I think it's the only city in Peru with all red roofs, like something out of Spain.

Much of the city center consists of narrow, winding streets, often quite steep, and often built atop Inca structures.

Back at Sacsayhuaman, this Inca masterpiece was really something to behold. All the rocks, many of them enormous, are cut and fit together so perfectly

On the backside, there was a natural rock slide, worn smooth by hundreds of years of happy riders. We felt compelled to follow in their steps.

This sweet woman was weaving beautiful cloths, and selling others she had brought in from the countryside, so we bought a couple.

One of the highlights of our time in Cusco was getting to spend time with Bill and Jeanine Allen, and their family, MTW missionaries to the rural villages around Cusco. As they were one of our earliest inspirations toward coming to Peru, it was a real treat to see their ministry firsthand. Bill is a doctor, and helps to run this clinic (above) outside Cusco. He also takes frequent trips into the mountains, one of which I will be relating in the next post.
Bill, on the job with a patient.

What a city!