raqchi ruins

After leaving Pukará, we moved on to the Raqchi ruins. They were so surprisingly cool.  Also, our awesome tour guide, Epi, told them that we were students here so we got into the ruins for 5 soles instead of 10 soles.  SWEET.

Epi, our awesome tour guide, and one of the obnoxious Italians on our tour bus.  I have never encountered grown people act like such immature children.

This adorable little girl was "reading" the newspaper (upside-down).

Then she smoothed it down on the ground and get a better look...

...And almost lost her pants!!

The Incans were brilliant.  They stored grain in these big circular buildings and had really neat methods f preserving the grain against mildew and rot.  They could keep potatoes for up to 8 years with some of their methods!  They layered muña (some kind of preserving herb of sorts) in between the potatoes to keep them fresh.

Here Epi demonstrates why the Incans placed the windows precisely where they did to get maximum air flow and light at certain times of day.

sicuani

Here are some cuy (guinea pigs) being raised to be eaten as a Peruvian delicacy. 

One of the largest and most frightening/hippie alpacas that I have ever seen.  

Look at those dreads!!

After being attacked by a llama in Ecuador, I was hesitant to get near this thing...

He was quite cute...and didn't attack me!!

Would you look at that face!

I loved it's little furry head.

This dude's face is priceless.

This pretty lady was a proud, proud princess. 

She smiled the whole time.

Our bus.  Not sure why I took a picture of this.

pukará

On the way home from Puno/Lake Titicaca we decided to stop at some cool touristy places on the way back to get a feel for the area.

Pukará was our first stop.  Very anticlimactic.

Mom, you would be proud.  We went inside a church!!

See!?  Here I am by the altar!

A very official looking sign on the wall of the church that reads:

"Give me help for my temple."

Simple, direct and to the point and strategically positioned right by the altar for all to see.

The attractive exterior of the rather ugly church (pictured above).

Some cool Incan statues in an overpriced museum:

This one had no head and really didn't seem to mind.

These bulls ("toros") are often found on the roofs of houses.  Interesting.

isla taquile

After departing Isla Amantaní, we headed to Isla Taquile.  It is a smaller island, both in size and population and we walked around most of it in the 3 hours we were there.

Me in the main plaza.  It looks like there are a lot of people, but trust me, there really aren't.  Pretty tiny place.  Talk about island fever...only 1,000 inhabitants.

Alex and I posed for this pictures and these two girls literally dropped all their belongings and ran into the picture. It was shocking, but hilarious.

The view from the boat...before we hit a storm.

1 hour from the Puno dock the storm hit and it was hell.  No pictures exist of that hour.

The delightfully squished and stinky boat we took.

peruvians come to dartmouth!

I just read this little ditty...how awesome for these three Peruvian dudes!

technical difficulties

Just to update you all...I have TONS of great pictures to post, but my external hardrive is failing (meaning my music and photos are unreachable).  To make matters worse, my old iPod mini that I have had since the dawn of time has passed away for good.

I am working on fixing this, but it's not looking good.  I will keep you updated.

insight from a dock on lake titicaca

As I laid in the sunshine on a dock by the shores of Lake Titicaca, I couldn't help but notice the things written on the wood.  

I have included translations below each picture, but it's really so much more beautiful in Spanish.

When you look at the stars, remember me.

I love you.

No big deal.

The crystal waters here attract me, and in the depths I find, with thought and breath, that I lost the happiness.  The happiness was already lost in my breath.  I love so much...  If one day, I do not leave these waters, forgive me for leaving my love....

...I will protest you. 

I love you, Marcos.

A kiss erases.  A tear is enough for a forgotten word, but you will never remember it again.

 

You and I always together.

The supernatural.

How sad it is to love without being loved.

Love.

Alex 

(her name was written multiple times!) 

Jenny ("Yeni") 

(My name was no where to be found so one of my students scratched it in the wood.)