A new day and we are headed out to Puno situation on Lake Titicaca.  We would be making stops along the way.  Along the way was our first look at some of the damage, roads washed out and entire villages washed out.  If you wonder what happens to mud brick houses in this situation, they dissolve and crumble and all that is left is a floating tile roof.  It was really sad and I had to stop and say to myself, "I am lucky to have a camera to begin with".

Today I travel from Cusco to Puno via bus - an 8 hour ride with stops along the way. First stop was Andahuaylillas where we saw the "Sistine Chapel" of the Americas - a Jesuit Church.  Despite the outside looking modest, the inside is impressive if not over the top.  The rumor goes, that there is significant amounts of gold and silver hidden within the church.  True or not, the town's people guard it 24 hours. 

Raqchi, our next stop, is the location of the remains of the temple Wiracocha, an Incan temple and holy shrine. Prior to its destruction by the Spaniards, it is believed to have been the largest single roof in the Incan empire. The Spanish first documented it in 1540.

As we continued to Puno through the Andes Mountains, we continued to climb in altitude to the point where we could see snow in the near distance.  There were plenty of Alpacas around.

Last Updated 01/29/2010

Created by

Jim Gaidula