Almost there...

Its election time in Peru!
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BTW - it's election time in Peru (Nov.19th, I think) and as part of the democratic process in this country, just about every building is painted with a candidate´s name and slogan (generally a box with an X in it and an icon of a pot or broom, or even a number).  On top of this, in each town, vehicles with makeshift loudspeakers drive around, shouting rhetoric and encouraging the people to get out and vote.  (See VW photo).

The day started out with a short hike with all our gear to the Urubamba River where the group was divided in three in a rather disorganized queue for the basket that carried across the raging river below.  Fun stuff, but sorry, only took a video instead of a static shot.

Crossing the Urubamba River etc.

Rainbow temple
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Rather than hiking up to our lunch spot, we all opted to take a truck as it was quite hot and we´d be doing quite a bit of walking in the other half of the day.  Again, an interesting ride, particularly for those who had to duck to avoid the branches.

Near the MP hydroelectric dam, we explored the area above where we would have lunch.  In a relatively overgrown area, our guide showed us Kuiychi, the Rainbow Temple, a structure that was used by the high priests to observe the movement of the stars and sun.  While there, we ran into a couple of American professors, including John McKim Malville from Colorado, an astrophysicists.  He and his colleague are studying the positioning of the temple versus MP and Llactapata, (another Inca ruin visible from the temple that was never found by the Spanish and as yet, has not been significantly excavated.  Unfortunately, no time to truly investigate this, but perhaps when I come back...)

Paradise Orchid
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Under the shade of a large avocado tree, we enjoyed a scrumptious feast, mainly consisting of the fruits of said tree. Afterwards, we enjoyed a relatively easy hike along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes, perhaps the second most ´touristized´ town in Peru (see restaurant sign).  That being said, it has a few charming streets (where you will undoubtedly be accosted by hostesses offering you free pisco sours to dine at their establishment).  After a couple drinks and a simple dinner, I enjoyed a glorious luxury: a hot shower.  To bed early for a 4am wakeup...