Cuzco

Cuzco was a nice change from Lima. Although very touristy, I still enjoyed Cuzco. The white washed buildings with bright blue doors and windows were charming. Cuzco is in the middle of everything. You have to get here to go anywhere including Machu Pichu and the amazon rainforests. Cuzco was the capital city of the Incas. It is very beautiful, nestled in the Andes and is full of old colonial buildings which have been built with the stones of the blown up Inca temples and palaces. The ancient Incan temple of the chosen women (think sacrifices and more sacrifices) on the main square has been blown up and replaced with a catholic church/convent full of nuns who are allowed no contact with the outside world. Seems a bit mean to locate something like this right in the middle of tourist central as the nuns can hear the icecream trucks but are never allowed to get a cornetto. A similar fate has fallen upon all the ancient Incan palaces, including that of the last Incan Emperor - Inca Tupac. All these places are in the middle of the city and to me it is really weird to think that people were sacrificed to the gods in the middle of a city centre.