...hahaha....October 12, 2009
Location: Cusco, Peru
This weekend I explored the temples outside of Cusco, just a breathless, mile or so walk outside of the city. There are three temples perched on top on the hills: The Temple of the Monkeys, the Temple of the Moon and the Temple of the Sun. Each temple served a different function, and to me the most interesting one was the Temple of the Moon, which was sort of like a cave. When you walk into the cave, you see a flat rock bed, which served as a sacrifical table. It was a bit creepy inside fof the temple, because you could also hear the screech of a dying llama...
Outside of the temple of the moon.
View from the top of Cusco
On Sunday, we headed into the town of Ollantaytambo, which required a 2 hour bus ride and a 30 minute cramped collectivo ride. But before we could get on the bus, we stumbled across one of Peru´s famous parades- here, they have parades for every occassion. This one appeared to be sad- since Peru is in the process of renaming this holiday, I am not sure what it is presently called. The parade was resonant of a funeral procession, and the people wearing purple held a giant casket-looking structure. Everyone was crying and praying, and it did not seem like a happy day.
Fruit stands are abundant in Peru- this was is my favorite, as of late, I guess this woman sells fruits as well as her baby :)
The following pictures were taken in Ollantaytambo, a midway point between Cusco and the famous Machu Picchu. For some reason, the town I remembered as being alive and happy was dusty and devoid of humans, so we went for a hike across the river instead of spending time in town.
These are some kids playing in the street. What was interesting about these kids and the man in the previous picture who is carrying the Eucalyuptus plants was the contrast between their actions and those of the world around them. When I was following the man with the leaves, I was admiring his strength, certain that he had been bearing the weight of these trees for many miles as he trekked his way into town. Strangely, as these thoughts were entering my mind, a giant tourist bus came up behind him, paralleling the work he was doing with the invasion of modern society. He didn´t look up and just kept walking...Next, I saw these kids playing with sticks,and just walking in the middle of the road, and then technology came creeping in....the kids continued to play but the bus came in the middle of them, tourists staring out of their windows at the kids, who just went frolicking along. Such a funny juxtaposition- along the town is saturated with tourists and giant cars and buses, the intimate details of the day seem to remain untouched somehow.
