Cusco

Cusco is an awesome blend of monuments to the Spanish Conquest and ruins of the great Inca pre Inca civilisations.

A fun, touristy kind of town it is a great place to hang out.

The 12 sided stone pictured here, was cut and placed in Inca times. This wall is over 500 years old and the 12 sided stone is around a metre long and must weigh tons.... pretty impressive for a culture that had no writing.  Their record keeping was via Quipa, which is where they place a series of knots on string that can no longer be deciphered.

We met the Merckel newlyweds for an evening out and a fine evening it was. Claire used to work with Jeremy who was honey mooning with his lovely new wife ....

Upon our return from the Inca trail another friendly face was in Cusco.

Inca Barry of the Clapham flat fame was around for a few days and a few Piscos.

Barry and Kate joined us for dinner and an evening of red wine (girls drink) and Pisco Sour for the boys.

Pisco makes for a great hangover.... we's like to thanks the waiter for taking the worst photo for sometime.

Welcome to your temple emperor.... a role reversal for Claire who is used to being greeted at her palace rather than doing the greeting.

Pisaq, in the Sacred Valley outside of Cusco.

More Inca walls... this one a perfect curve.... we are getting a bit ruined out by now.

Our favourite... It turns out the Inca were bang into skull deformation.

The children of nobility had their heads wrapped in tight bandages from an early age in order to elongate their skulls and thus create an illusion of superior genes.

.... the royals of Europe use a much simpler method of making themselves look unusual that is colloquially referred to as in-breeding.

... please... no more Inca ruins, churches, museums or Pisco Sours for a few weeks as our stomachs can't handle it any more.