May 15- Last Day in Cusco

 I love this place but I won’t miss the hills!  Backtracking when I get lost is hard work.

Gold breastplate.

Everywhere you go, it's all uphill.

This sign needs no translation.

Stop at the shop of a man who makes and plays traditional musical instruments.

Guitar body made from an armadillo shell.

Back of guitar body.

We tried to make music but decided to keep our day jobs.  The shop owner was playing the jawbone of a donkey.

Menu featuring guinea pig prepared in multiple ways.  I chose a vegetarian option.

Below, some photos from the Inca Museum.

Baby alpaca wrap.  SO soft.

When I saw this in a guidebook I had to see it in person.  This is a painting of The Last Supper in the Cathedral by  Marcos Zapata, an indigenous artist taught traditional European painting methods by the Spanish.  While plenty of artists have made Biblical characters look and dress like their own people, Zapata added another touch:  Note the foods, which include roasted guinea pig and chicha (the local beer, in characteristic containers).  Photos not permitted inside the Cathedral so this is from the Internet.

I ended my expeditions with a coffee break at McDonald’s- well, you know you’ll get a decent cup of coffee, can hang out indefinitely and use a clean bathroom.

During the day I'd mentioned to Bel, our guide, that I'd never seen the Southern Cross constellation.  That night, not only did she take me up to the solarium on the roof of the hotel, but she used a laser pointer so I could see it.  Wow.  That had been on my bucket list and I hadn't even known it.