Nearing the End

We had arrived in Cusco the night before, and today was a Sunday.  We would do a few days of touring around the area before leaving for Lima and then home on Tuesday.  We were supposed to do a city tour in the morning, which included the cathedral, but because it was a Sunday, the cathedral was closed to tourists in the morning.  We did the city tour in the afternoon instead. 

After breakfast at the hotel, there was a bit of free time before heading up to the Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman before lunch.  I thought I’d head over to the Cusco central square, the Plaza de Armas, and chill out for a bit.  After all, it was a Sunday so things should be fairly quiet. 

Not so!  These are the scenes I encountered when I got there.

I do not know what kind of event this was, but it was the first time I had ever seen the troops parading. 

An older couple were the honorees.

After hanging around for a brief while, I turned around and went back up the street past our hotel.  When I returned to the Plaza, this is how things looked.  Back to business as usual! 

I have to say that Peruvians love to celebrate, party, and have a good time.  On my previous trips there, there has always been some sort of event with parades, dancing and music.  

This is my last post on the trip to Peru.   Of course, there is much more to tell, but I did not want to make these posts into a travelogue!  Hope you enjoyed my stories and photos.