Los Andes

Today I am in Cuzco, in the southern part of the Andes. I haven't noticed any physiological differences due to the altitude (over 11,000 feet). I am, however, drinking a lot of water and coca leaf tea (mate de coca). I am also chewing on coca leaves per the advice of my friend Chris who is from Peru. I am definitely going to take the advice of a peruano in his own country. With that, they taste like shit (as Chris warned), and I feel like I am having a lot of paan.

I learned today that the Incan style of building walls is effective against damage from earthquakes. They used inclined walls, trapezoidal shapes, and interlocking bricks (as opposed to cement between bricks). The guide showed us a picture of a temple with both Incan and Spanish built walls before and after a major earthquake. The Spanish wall wasn't in the after shot.

I need to take back an earlier comment implying that this equatorial climate is warm. Lima was cold and Cuzco is very cold at night. It is like Delhi. The attitude is the same here too; the locals are used to it and don't crank the heat up.

Other random thoughts:
- Cuzco has a Bata shoe store. I think this is amazing.
- The alpaca was my best friend today. I pet one while checking out the sights, I am wearing an alpaca sweater, and I had alpaca steak for dinner. Love that animal.