Peru and Maccu Piccu

After saying goodbye to Bolivia via Lago Titikaka (the worlds highest lake) we travelled northward for a week in Peru. It is a country we would have loved to have spent some more time in. But during the week we did manage to visit the two major cities of Cuzso and Lima. One of the highlights of our trip so far must be our visit to the amazing Inca ruins of Maccu Piccu in the Sacred Valley 4 hours out of Cuzco. Unfortunately for our photos it was a bit misty that day but hopefully the shots capture some of the grandeur of this special place. Above are some of our shots from Maccu Piccu.

Cuzco itself is a very impressive city about 3300 metres high in the Peruvian Andes and was the capital of the huge Inca empire prior to the Spanish invasion. The centre of the town retains most of its old Spanish colonial architecture. Older still are the Inca foundations of these buildings that are still visible.

We also spent a couple of days in Lima - the bustling capital city of Peru. It had been a while since we had been in a city as big as Lima (around 5 million people). In the short time we had we were only able to check out the beautiful plazas in the city centre along with the beachside suburb of Miraflores. But hopefully we will be back to see more of Peru and to understand more about Peru's politics, history and culture.

A few days ago we finally arrived here in revolutionary Venezuela. In four days in Caracas we've attended 3 protests in campaigning for the reelection of the popular Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. One of these demonstrations led by radical campesinos was at least 20,000 people strong and snaked its ways through downtown Caracas for 5 hours. With the brigade organised by the Australia Venezuela Solidarity Network due to begin on Saturday we are in for a fasciniating experience. We will write more on our experiences with and thoughts about the revolutionary process here in the coming days.



The "Plaza Mejor" in Lima















A view of Cuzco from above