• Peru, Bolivia & Easter Island
    The drive there allowed us to see the Bolivian landscape
    Arriving at the siteSo glad I didn't wear my stilettosNotice how intricate the carving isOne of the museums… No photos allowedThe site where the priests and royalty livedThe Sky Temple.3How did they cut the stone?One of the monolithsAnother monolith. The largest one discovered is in a museum on site where photographs are not allowNotice this monolith has two left handsThe entrance to the Earth temple that aligns with the summer solstice sun on December 21The sun gate was carved from one piece of stoneThe entrance to the Earth temple aligns perfectly with the monolith.The underground templeThe sculptures of human faces are all around the underground templeMonolith in the underground templeH blocks used to build walls. How did they carve them so perfectly?Llama lunchBrad approvesLa Paz after dark. The vendors are out in full force.

    Tiwanaku Ruins, Bolivia

    February 17 in Bolivia ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Our guide Franz and our driver Jesus picked us up this morning to take us outside La Paz to see the Tiwanaku Ruins which date back to 400 to 900 AD. The drive there takes about an hour-and-a-half but is well worth the drive. The site is an important and interesting window into an advanced pre-Inca civilization. It’s a UNESCO world heritage site.

    The ruins were discovered in the early 1900s but weren’t really excavated until the 1960s. The ruins cover a lot of ground and include two museums. Brad and I were fascinated by their ability to carve stone when the only metals being used in that period were silver, gold, and copper. As you’ll see in the photos, the monoliths have detailed carvings, and the structures and stones used have precise cuts. How were those cuts made? It’s a mystery. You can read more about it here:

    https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/567/

    It was mid afternoon by the time we got to the La Paz so we had a late lunch/early dinner. We were keen to try llama which we hadn’t found anywhere in Peru and sure enough we found a restaurant that served it. It was quite beef-like and delicious. When we finished lunch, it had started to rain so we went back to the hotel and relaxed before going out later once the rain had stopped for another walk around.    Read more