Yesterday we set out to buy tickets for the train up to Aguas Calientes (and from there Machu Picchu), but we found out that the train was not running because of a ¨campesino¨(rural people´s) protest. Apparently the peruvian government now wants to charge them to take water from nearby rivers to irrigate their land. I´m kinda glad they have such a good card up their sleeve -- interrupting the Machu Picchu train is very bad for business! So...we go up on Sunday now, sleep in Aguas Calientes and come back Monday. I heard today that the protest is over, and that the government is willing to talk to them, and maybe negotiate the new law...?

The rest of our day was spent walking...lots! around town. We visited Qorinkancha, the site that used to be the temple of the sun, where the Inca ruler lived. It is only partially there now, with a Dominincan catholic church built on top. Later we hiked about 2 km up to Saqsaywaman (sorry if some of this is spelled wrong - the names are complicated!). Saqsaywaman is also an inca ruin site. The incas envisioned Cusco in the shape of a puma, with Saqsaywaman as the head. While walking around up there I was approached by a local Quechua who gives guided tours. He explained some of the amazing construction of the incas -- how they carved each stone with stronger meteorite stones, how for each new space in the wall they would make a mold and then carve down the rock accordingly. Afterwards, they used a ramp to push the new rock into place, and covered it with an oily substance so that it would slide in. Amazing!

However, as always, there is some sort of injustice at play. The fees to enter the arqueological sites, and to take the train up to Machu Picchu are quite steep. Only about 30% of the money stays in the Cusco area and reverts back to locals. The trains are foreign owned, and the visitor fees end up in someone´s pocket back in Lima.

View of Cusco.

















Traditional weaving
















Saqsaywaman.
















View of Cusco with mountains.