Kirsten Fix is in Peru!

One of my best friends from college has come to visit Cusco and stay with me for two months. I am incredibly grateful to have her here. I have been in Peru for five months and Cusco for three, marking halfway point in my time. Daily life is like anywhere else. Days pass with routine: work, spanish classes, exercise (these days it's spinning classes and an occasional run) and cooking dinner. I enjoy life here, but I miss the people who know me best. It is great to have a little piece of that. Plus Kirsten is the perfect excuse to adventure on my free time and see the tourist sites I have heard so much about.

Moray Agricultural Ruins

Her first weekend was packed with activity. First was a day trip to the famous ruins Moray and the Salineras (salt mines). Moray has a series of circular terracing for agricultural research. It is thought that the terracing could replicate a variety of micro climates, including the wet, humid, hot jungle and the dry, aired dessert of the south. Everything from the type of rock that would retain the sun's heat to the circular structure to trap air movement, and the type of soil at each level was intricately planned.

Moray

The Salineras are salt mines fed by a salty warm spring. There are over 3000 wells producing the majority of salt for the region since Incan times. The system, structure and irrigation of these wells were again incredibly impressive.

Kirsten and I can someone else's motor bike with the Salineras in the background.

Salt mines

Salt crystals

Big chunk of salt

Saturday started with a high altitude morning run around a lake about 45 minutes away, followed up with a brunch feast, Netflix, and wandering the City. Oh and drinking beer and watching the olympics.

Kirsten and I post run 

Brunch Feast Featuring (from left) Pastries (pear pie and alfajores), Peanut butter french toast with bananas and mango, topped off with yummy Peets coffee courtesy of Mom!

Beer and the winter Olympics

Sunday we went to Pisaq, a town about 20 miles away in the Sacred Valley. We hiked up to some ruins just above the city. Agricultural terracing, military look outs, sacred baths, living quarters, and storage rooms. The ruins are so much a part of the Peru history. The Incan and pre-Incan people were incredible architects and engineers. All of the living quarters had running water and the agricultural area was irrigated. AND it was all built to last thousands of years, withstanding earthquakes and storms all on impressively steep slopes. We then spent rest of the afternoon exploring the enormous Sunday crafts and food market.  We supplemented the slow economy due to the tourist low season, picking up a few beautiful textiles, yummy empanadas, and (my favorite) a chocolate lúcuma smoothie.

Storage houses

Water irrigation for baths

Taking in the view and glimpse of sunshine