Moray

                                      Moray is an example of extreme Inca landscaping. 
                                   The terraces staircase down more than 30 metres. 

                                                           Detail of terraces
Air temperatures between the top and bottom layers can differ by more than 20 degrees, which has led some researchers to theorise that Moray was an Inca agricultural site where experiments on crops were conducted.                

                                                  Spectacular country

                                          The second pit with curious stone mounds.

                                                                  The third pit

                                               Surrounding countryside

Carnaval

                            In the orphanage everyone gets into the spirit of Carnaval
Each house has a "Mami" so it is really appropriate they celebrates Comadres Day.
There was a lunch for the whole orphanage and a couple of the "Mami's" got commended for their work over the last year.

Before the main days of Carnaval, there are Compadres and Comadres Day. Compadres Day just took place on Thursday, February 5th, while Comadres Day took place on Thursday, February 12th. Aside from showing signs of appreciation to your girlfriends or boyfriends, or playing pranks on them, the day is characterised by the fabrication of life-size rag dolls satirising certain individuals in the neighbourhood (or local authorities) and hung up in prominent areas the night before. Women (comadres) make the dolls for Compadres Day, and men (compadres) make the dolls for Comadres Day. Generally, the women and the men will each be offered meals or drinks on their respective days.

                          In the San Pedro Markets - the display for Comadres Day

                                               And another representation

For compadres day the week before there were male dolls like this one with Pinocchio noses and lots of alcohol presented.

                                                           Cute kids everywhere

As part of the festivities, children and adolescents play with water, talcum powder, streamers, confetti, and foam. Unsuspecting travellers are often targeted and may find themselves suddenly soaked with water. 

Kids and Water

It is Carnival here, which means the kids get to chuck water at and over each other. Not content with water bombs they use buckets. The orphanage has it quite well organised as different houses have a go each day. The boys are really into it. The girls do it too. It is supposed to be over this coming Sunday when the town gets to party with water bombs.

There is a  very large dog at the orphanage! Had no idea if he had a name until today - it is Berto. He cops a lot of rumbling but seems to survive it. Some boys were trying to get him to chase the two ducks. He was not too interested. They encourage the kids to play outside as much as possible. They have a vegetable garden in the grounds as well.

The girls were not too interested in the boys and the dog. They just wanted to pose for the camera. So not so different to anywhere else in the world.pin
In the houses the kids have a roster of jobs to do such as sweeping, washing and wiping up. They sweep the stairs and make their beds.

The Sacred Valley of the Incas

The Sacred Valley

I really wanted to get out of Cusco and a tour of the Sacred Valley was a perfect choice.

First we travelled to Pisac. The town is lovely.

                                                            Narrow streets are typical

                                        A tricyle taxi cab - you don't see these in Cusco

This is the view from the coach driving down the seemingly too narrow street!!

The hilltop Inca citadel lies high above Pisac.

It is on a plateau with a plunging gorge on either side.

The Inca terraces are amazing. Their wealth was established in agriculture. The terraces also stop erosion.

                                                                     Detail shots

It was a huge climb and I made it to the top. It was truly awesome.

                                         See how high up the mountain the terraces are! 

                                             Another view of the Sacred Valley.

On this tour most of the people were Peruvians and I was so encouraged by this. Here you get the impression that Cusco is only a tourist town. Not so.
The valley was formed by the Urubamba River. It is also known as Willkamayu in Quechua, inca for sacred river. Indigenous Peruvians speak Quechua as do my host parents. 
We went to Urubamba for lunch. We were dropped off at different restaurants i guess to support them. I was with a small group of Cuscoans. Andean musicians played. The food was a copious buffet. My fellow diners were an amusing group and we all loved the music.

Next we drove to Ollantaytambo with huge, steep terraces that guard spectacular Inca ruins. Up to 3800mm. It is one of the few places where the Spanish conquistadors lost a battle.

 The Incas fortified and also had a Temple to the Sun here. The stone was quarried from a mountain across the valley. They used wooden poles that they saturated with water so that they swelled and this is how they split the rock for the very big boulders. Ingenious. Between the huge boulders were slim slabs to stop friction between the big boulders and to stabilise them.

                                                  A detail of one of the rooms.

              Ollantaytambo has been continuously inhabited since the 13th century.

                                                         I made it to the top 

          You still have to come down. The view is spectacular the stairs very uneven.
We drove through truly beautiful farm land to Chinchero, another terrace landscape. My camera battery had died. Not such a great deal as there was a spectacular storm and we quickly made it back to the coach. They are proposing to put an international airport at Chinchero.
I had a fabulous day. Despite a few hours of clambering up and down I was energised.

The Orphanage Day 1

Finally I have begun work as a volunteer. The orphanage is Juan Paul 11 after the Pope. There are about 45 children here ranging in age from 17months to 16 years. Most are between the ages of 8 and 12. Not all are orphans as some are here because of abuse. One of the little girls I spent time with yesterday was found in the trash and has been here all of her 7 years. They live in separate houses with a "Mami" who looks after them and of course the volunteers who come and go.

In this house the little girls are always very busy creating lots of games for themselves. It is great to see how active they are. Yesterday they had out lots of dolls and built houses for them out of blocks. This is in sharp contrast to other houses in the orphanage where the children spend a lot of time watching TV. The administrators want the kids to be doing things and like the volunteers to engage with the them. This can be a challenge when my Spanish skills are not quite there yet. Getting better though!!!

This little boy was find numbers and writing them down in sequence. He did a perfect job.

Rescued Animals

                                        This is a Peruvian Dog. Not the prettiest dog in the world.
This is an ancient breed. Although it is often perceived to be an Incan dog because it is known to have been kept during the Inca Empire, they were also kept as pets in pre-Inca cultures from the Peruvian coastal zone. 

We walked up the road from Awanakancha to this zoo where the majority of the animals and birds have been rescued.

  

                                           I had no idea they were deer in Peru. 
                                                             Friendly too.

                                                         Gobbles Cousin

                                                 Scarlet Macaws are Native.

                                     Blue and Yellow Macaws come from Panama. This guy was                                 found in the jungle. They mate for life and he had a mate in his enclosure.

                        This cute little monkey kept hiding his head - that is his long tail. 
                                       It was really difficult to take a photograph of him. 

                                   Here he is all curled up with his show off offsider.

                                   Believe it or not - wild cats are endangered here!!

                    Mr Condor  is 65 years old. I was not quick enough to get him in flight.

                              Mrs Condor only about 20 - he likes younger women!!

                                            The Vicuna lama that is endangered 

                                   Not quite endangered but definitely a rare breed.