Ayacucho

As I left Huancayo I began what would be three days of traveling down dirt roads to Cusco.Of course I wouldn't do it all at once. The first stop in the long trip was Ayacucho. . . a nine hour bus ride. The landscape here continuously changes everywhere I go. After a while it started to look allot like Arizona. Ayacucho is your typical Peruvian colonial city. After a while, they are all the same. . . nice, but all the same. Almost every city/town has a nice old colonial center centered around a plaza which has a cathedral on one side, a government building on one side,and a fountain or monument in the middle. The theme varies from town to town, but is basically the same. I spent two nights in Ayacucho. After a good nights rest and some breakfast I ventured out to the Huari Ruins which are about twenty kilometers outside of town. The site consists of what was once the ancient capital of the Huari empire. Acording to Lets Go, 50,000 people lived here between 700 and 1300. Apparently it was eventually sacked by the Incas. The park sprawls over a 16 square kilometer area. Whats left today are the remains of some walls, and arch,and piles of rocks that were once buildings. Trails cris-cross the area, but without a map or guide, you just have to use your imagination regarding what your looking at which was OK by me. The place was cool. . . the views were great, and there was all sorts of semi-wildlife roaming throughout: goats,cows, donkeys. Not very much has been excavated, and everything was overgrown with giant cactus.
Views from the bus on the way to Ayacucho:

Ayacucho:





Huari Ruins:













After Ayacucho I continued on to Andahuaylas to spend the night before finishing my trip to Cusco. . .

Stopped here for lunch. . . middle of nowhere:


The crazy dirt roads: I sat next to a lady with a bag full of chickens. . . she was really nice, but I felt bad for the chickens.