Sacsaywamán

Our host this morning invited us to join her for breakfast. This comprised a healthy juice of a secret concoction containing maca, a bowl of fruit salad, a comforting selection of fried eggy bread morsels, followed by cake and coffee. She was at pains to emphasise that the fried bread, cake and coffee were only for when she was joined by guests.

Mary joined us also on a walk to the nearby Sacsaywamán ruins. These are the remains of a large Inca fortress on the hill overlooking Cusco. The pronunciation is close to "sexy woman", which makes a good mnemonic.

On the way, we passed Cristo Blanco - the hilltop white statue of Christ that seems to be de rigueur for any South American city.

At many tourist site in and around Cusco, women can be found dressed in traditional Andean costume, often leading llamas. Occasionally, one can see genuine shepherdesses (or whatever the llama equivalent of that job title should be) wearing the same costume with their 'flock'.

Genuine?

The hill gives a wonderful view over then centre of town, so it is no surprise to discover that this was chosen as the site for an Inca fortress.

Plaza de Armas from above

As with much of the Inca construction, what was not looted or destroyed by the Spanish has stood the weathering and battering from earthquakes over the centuries.

Standing the test of time

Walls constructed from enormous 9m high stones remain and defy all explanation of how the Incas moved them, even with significant manual labour at their disposal. Size and strength aside, the masonry skills required to butt together the oddly shaped rocks so precisely without mortar is astonishing.

How?

We jointly descended into town, taking in some of the nicer colonial hotels, which surround beautiful courtyards that show obvious Moorish influences by way of the Spanish.

Finishing at the Fallen Angel on the picturesque Plazoleta de la Nazaretas, we had our first taste of a Chilcano - well, it was happy hour (which seems to last from midday until 6pm). Chilcano is pisco sour's sister cocktail, made with the same local brandy, but with the addition of ginger beer in place of egg white, sugar and lemon juice.

Fallen Angel

A late lunch saw us scouting for vegetarian places which seem mostly to have been closed down in swathes and, through hunger and desperation, resorting happily to Green Point yet again. We rang the changes by visiting the second establishment, ordering the creole tamales - corn dumplings steamed in their husks with sautéed oyster mushrooms and chewy seitan strips, topped with a salad of onion and tomato, garnished with a white flower.

Almost a shame to eat it

At home, I opened a couple of beers from Peru's Lima-centric craft beer scene. These were from Oveja Negra, meaning Black Sheep, which reminded me of the Yorkshire-based brewery of the same name. I wondered whether the foundation story bore any similarities - i.e. breaking away from a larger commercial brewery to pursue artisanal brews.

From Lima with love