CUZCO***LIMA

May 12
Almudena Cemetery***Sacsayhuaman***Shaman***Kenko***Cooking Class
Today we visited the Almudena Cemetery which is unique because they have stacked tombs above ground. They also have mausoleums for families. There were a lot of offerings for the dead like beer, soda, and food.

Next stop was Sacsayhuaman, a walled complex on the northern outskirts of Cusco which like many Inca constructions is made of large polished dry stone walls, with boulders carefully cut to fit together tightly without mortar. The site was added as part Cuzco to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983.

We went next to a Shaman, who did some rituals.

Next to a Kenko, which is the site of an Incan temple. It is known for the large sacrificial altar in its underground cavern. Nearby there is a huge statue of Christ overlooking the city.

We were entertained by four Inca musicians with their Panpipes which led some people from our group to dancing.

Lunch was at Don Tomas Restaurant where we had a cooking class led by the chef.

A nice dinner that evening was with some of our fellow travelers at Cicciolina Ristorante. Later we walked to the Plaza de Armas for a nice evening stroll on our last night in Cuzco.

May 13
Larco Museum***Lima City Tour***Miraflores***Huaca Pucllana
Flew to Lima and went directly to the Larco Museum where we viewed the exhibits and had a nice lunch at the museum's restaurant. The Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera is a privately owned museum of pre-Columbian art, located in the Pueblo Libre District of Lima. It is housed in an 18th-century vice-royal building built over a 7th-century pre-Columbian pyramid. It showcases chronological galleries that provide a thorough overview of 4,000 years of Peruvian pre-Columbian history.

Next was city tour of Lima, the capital of Peru.

We drove to the Miraflores section of the city which is by the Pacific Ocean and checked in at the Sol de Oro Hotel. Then we drove to the romantic Parque del Amor with the statue El Beso to view the beautiful sunset.

Farewell dinner was at the restaurant inside Huaca Pucllana, an archaeological site and a great adobe and clay pyramid. Great setting for our last dinner in Peru!

May 14
Flew out of Lima to Miami. Very nice trip and a fulfillment of my lifelong dream of seeing Machu Picchu in person!