Peace-ing Out in Peru

If how stray dogs are treated by a society is any indication of its culture, then the Peruvians are "peace". Happy, well fed dogs can be seen everywhere--romping through the squares, lounging in the streets, sleeping on the sidewalks. Taxi drivers honk and they jump on the sidewalk getting out of the way just in time. When asked about the dogs, the reply: "We take care of our homeless." Ouch.

We arrived in Cusco yesterday. So far, it's living up to its reputation as a "magical city". Narrow stone roads and alleyways give way to pristine squares surrounded by small shops and cafes. This is not to say that the city is not intense. Like most touristy cities, this one has it's share of hard working, even somewhat aggressive, hawkers of wares. But not like other cities that I've traveled to, these hawkers back off with a smile and maybe a joke or two.

I wanted to avoid the tourist trap of the whole llama thing. But who can resist a baby llama?

Perhaps with a bout of over-enthusiasm on our first full day, we unwisely booked a horseback ride to the Moon Temple while the sun was still shining. Just as we got to the horses in our tee shirts and jeans, the sun got jealous of our moon worshipping and unleashed rain and hail. At that point we could only laugh and practice our Spanish with Jose. "Hace frio". Welcome to Cusco during the rainy season. Now we know.