Wow I’m finally here! I’ve been waiting to get here for 10 years, in fact Peru was the first guide book I ever purchased.

So Cuzco in winter is not searing cold, but it’s definatly not warm. I’m thinking it’s somewhere around 45-55 all day, but with a clear sky at times so the sun feels good on your back

On getting to the hostel I realized that Cuzco was not a properous area at least in the outlying parts. I later realized that I really wasn’t a properous area at all. So knowing me I loved it. Though not 100% sure about the feral dogs, fluffy yes..kinda scary maybe! THe host a tiny little native woman greated me and my town van mates at the door. Ushered us upstairs and had us relax on some nice soft couches while she busied herself making tea. The tea arrived in cups that I hope I can figure out how to bring home without breaking. If you look above you can see they were quite cute. THis was only about 7:30 in the morning and the rooms weren’t ready yet so out i went to see if the thin air wouldn’t kill me, by that of course I mean find some Adventure.

The streets were narrow and cobbled. Cars zoomed past barely a hairs width from you and the smells exaggerated by my rapid breating burned with exhuast fumes. Fortunatly after only a kilometer, it all opened up into this.

The fresh clean mountian air was finally available, if sparse, to my abused sense. These were the Basilica, and the other working churches and chapels of CUzco. It was service time so I could not go inside, and photos are not generally allowed in churches in Peru regardless.

Old crosses outside the Basilica

Stone work at the base of the columns

Front view of the Catherdral de Cuzco

Snack Time – Finally I was feeling the need for something, but I couldn’t decide. I had eating a large breakfast earlier on the plane so I wasn’t really hungry yet. So I got some fresh squeezed juice at YAJUU

I actually got Carrot Papaya (better than it sounds) which isn’t very photogenic so I snapped this one instead.

I wandered around a bit and found a convento that while still a functioning convent with 16 sisters living there, also had been restored to a museum. I couldn’t resist.

First I sat by this cute this fountain to finish my YAJUU.

So chatholic churchs are grand affairs, with gold leaf covering every surface that isn’t buffed and shined to a beautiful sheen. The priest are cleaned in silks, and some of the finest embroidery ever seen. All this is as befitting the house of good. A convent provided an amazing contrast, though this one had been mostly converted to a museum it was still stark and spare. It seemed almost inappropirate to do more than simply nod at any other guests as to break the quiet and reflective silence.

The Mourning Mary Statue in the mourning room, where the dead Nuns where displayed before being buried.

The confessionals where built into the walls of the Convent so that the nuns could confess their sins without even leaving the walls.

A table in which to eat in silence.

I took a few other photos, but the dim lighting rendered most of them too blury for my to post here.

In addition to the exhibits of convent life, the mueum was also full of to the brim of classical oil paintings b Cuzco artisits. Photos are not allowed of these so I will see that some were passing and others quite good. THe most odd and hopefully this wont offend anyone of a religous bent, was one called the I believe something along the lines of "The Holy Wine Press" and was a painting of Jesus on the cross still bleeding from the spear marks, while crushing grapes in a vat, while other figures from the bible look or or collect the juice below. That was made even more slightly odd by the fact that god is showing in the top corner turning a ghostly looking screw as if tightening the press.

Regardless below are a couple other photos of the day

A altar chest. This folds back up into a box.

While the nuns wore little more than white and black they produced all of the clothes and embroidery work for the priests and offcials and statues.

Okay breakfast time for me here. The rest of the day was interesting, but i’ll cover that in another post.