Moonlight in Peru: A Beanie Boo Adventure

Written by Moonlight, the Kitten

Mom took me to Cusco, Peru for a week where the highlight was going Machu Picchu, a 15th Century Inca site that sits on a mountain just northwest of the city. Machu Picchu is considered an icon of Incan civilization and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

When we first arrived in the Inca captial of Cusco, I saw many people in traditional Peruvian clothing with alpacas.

Peru has 90 percent of the world's alpaca population. I learned all about them when I visited a place my mom wrote about for a travel magazine called Awana Kancha.

In the Cusco area, there are a ton of ruins to explore. There is Ollantaytambo, an archaeological site in the Sacred Valley that was once the royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti who conquered the region.

That's me, above, at Ollantaytambo, which is also a popular starting points of the Inca trail, which is a four day, three night hike.

This seven-striped rainbow flag is the official flag of the city of Cusco. We waved it during the ceremony of Inti Raymi, which is the Festival of the Sun. This festival occurs every Winter Solstice and honors the Sun God so that he keeps the land fertile and the crops bountiful for the year.

It was fun to watch the celebrations unfold. They began in the streets of Cusco and ended up at the ancient fortress of Sacsayhuaman with processions involving mythical emperors being carried on golden thrones by locals wearing ceremonial garb, chanting prayers, dancing and playing music.

The entire town came out to watch...

Wait! There's more! This story continues on Moonlight's blog, so click here to read the rest including Moonlight's Machu Picchu adventure and more alpacas!