Lost in the Americas: Peruvian roads and visiting Kuelap

We toured Northern Peru with our friends the Sparks family of Witt, Jennifer and Quinn (age 6). Peru is beautiful with towering mountains, narrow roads and lots of sightseeing. We decided to visit Kuelap, situated 3000 meters above sea level at the northern end of the Andes. The government is building a cable car system, so tourists can skip 6 hours of driving on narrow, twisting roads. We kind of felt like the drive was part of the experience and lucky to see the site before it becomes as crowded as other touristy sites. Here is the Sparks mobile turning one of the sharpest corners, we were glad to be right behind them.

No, no, there isn't a guard rail....

And it gets worse as we drive up the mountain. Westy was at maximum effort for a two wheeled, low clearance rig. Maybe a cable car isn't such a bad idea...

We reached Kuelap without any major mishaps and enjoyed a nice afternoon. Jennifer and Melanie hiking the path to the ruins.

Kuelap's construction is impressive, its sheer size rivals many other archaeological structures in the Americas. The site abuts a cliff, with a 200 foot drop on one side and is fortified by an exterior wall, almost 1,970 feet long and 63 feet tall. Below, Justin is standing in doorway #3, that tapers to only allow one person (or llama) pass at once.

Look who we found grazing atop the ruins!

One of the best preserved building is El Tinton, a tower that is wider at the top than bottom. It is solid rocks, with only a small chamber near the bottom to hold sacrificial objects.

The ruins show that many families lived in tightly clustered round houses. The closer to El Tinton, the more important the family was in the social hierarchy.