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Juliaca
We still have two more churches to explore.
* Huaro. Small village especially known for its church with the rather amazing frescoes of "Tadeus Esclatantes". Like many churches in Peru it was built on sites of Inca or other pre-Columbian cultures.
* Canicunca: Small chapel of rectangular shape of the 17th century and also built on a huaca (place of worship) Inca. The sober exterior walls contrast with the artistic profusion of the interior, where baroque frescoes run from the walls to the ceiling, forming an ornamentation as dense and inextricable as a tapestry
We had planned to go to "Puno" and then descend to "Arequipa", however the weather forecast is not encouraging ... Cold, cloudy and rainy.
We reverse our itinerary and head towards "Arequipa" where the temperatures are milder.
We fill our gas bottle and stop at the end of the afternoon at the exit of "Juliaca" in a gas station.
We travelled in a region with a very diverse landscape, rather arid, passing a pass at 4000 m and always in the company of alpacas and vicuñas
Andahuayllas
We did not want to visit the site of "Chinchero" yesterday because the weather was not fine.
From 8 am the first tourists arrive ... They are part of a one-day tour that explores the main monuments of the Sacred Valley ... An excursion that ends at night as we saw last night!!!
* Chinchero: It is said to be the birthplace of the rainbow.
We discover this small village under a threatening sky, with its colonial church, based on Inca remains, with an absolutely splendid painted ceiling, and original.
It is also surrounded by walls with large blocks of cut stone, typical of Inca constructions. Large terraces extend outside the village.
After a stop at the hairdresser, we are back on our way, having to cross the city of"Cusco" once more.
Back to the same traffic jams and the same way of Peruvian’s driving.
We are also looking for gas for our cylinders but the dealer we chose no longer has gas ... It’s frustrating.
We continue our journey and the weather is not good.
There is a circuit called "Ruta del Barroco Andino" promoted by the Society of Jesus, through four churches: Cusco, Andahuaylillas, Huaro and Canincunca
We have already visited the church of Cusco which is a splendor and we stop in the small village of Andahuaylillas for the evening.
This village houses one of the most beautiful jewels of the religious heritage of Latin America: the Andahuaylillas church,
Called the "Iglesia de San Pedro Apóstol", the church was nicknamed the «Sixtine Chapel of America» because of the many works of art that decorate its interior: paintings of the seventeenth century.
Studies suggest that this Baroque colonial gem was built between the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
The andésite stone used for its construction and the Inca remains discovered near the church suggest that it was built on the foundations of an important Inca temple
Chinchero
We must continue our trip and leave our friends who are going back to Colombia.
Direction Puno near lake "Titicaca".
Our route passes by the "Salinas de Maras" which we reach by an unpaved road that descends at a steep angle where in some passages two vehicles cannot cross
.
It’s a real curiosity in the mountains. Maras salt is a salt river which is unique in the world. It comes from two sources that give rise to a river saturated with sodium chloride.
It feeds some 4,000 ponds that have been laid out like rice fields for over a thousand years.
The extraction of this salt dates back to the time of the Incas ... An engineering feat ... a wonder.
The second site, the "Moray" terraces, is a former Inca agricultural research centre at 3,500 metres above sea level and located near the Maras Salines. This amphitheatre-shaped archaeological site offers a spectacular panorama.
Discovered in 1930, culture experiments were carried out there. Each terrace has a different temperature, which gives a total of twenty microclimates. In addition, an irrigation system makes it possible to cultivate more than 250 species that have been planted.
In the late afternoon we arrive at "Chinchero" where we bivouac in front of the police station.
Ollantaytambo
We spend most of the day with Christelle and Laurent.
We decide to visit the "Ruinas d'Ollantaytambo"
The fortress of Ollantaytambo was a military, religious and political center, as well as a high place of resistance against the conquistadors, led by the Inca Manco Capac II.
Inside the fortress, there are many terraced cultures, so typical of Peru, several buildings like the Temple of the Sun built with the same large blocks of stone perfectly nested that can be found at Machu Picchu and Coricancha in Cusco.
The climb is steep but once at the top of the site, the panoramic view of the high green mountains of the Sacred Valley is exceptional.
After this sport and culture scene that has fascinated us, we have lunch at the restaurant and end up in an "Heladeria" to enjoy an ice cream.
The afternoon is devoted to the maintenance of indoor and outdoor motorhome.
Quiet little evening.
ROAD BOOK 149
ROAD BOOK 090
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