That's Cristo Blanco on the left, from ground level, in the hills north of Cusco. I hiked up there from the city below...a little further than I anticipated.My destination was the Qenqo ruins, about 500 metres (1/3 of a mile) east of Cristo Blanco. The walk to Qenqo from the Plaza de Armas is only 1,000 metres as the crow flies, but I am not a crow. It is at least three times as far on a winding road. You'll walk through some small villages (very destitute), so if that makes you uncomfortable, you should probably take a cab.
Qenqo is like visiting a fort, with crumbling walls and internal passageways. You might find yourself amongst a busload of children, as it seems to be a frequent field trip for 10 year olds. The focus at Qenqo is the Inca stone carving, which involved fitting gigantic blocks of stone together seamlessly, without any mortar or sealant.
The walk from Qenqo to the Sacsayhuaman ruins is pastoral (pictured above left). It is about 1,000 metres west of Qenqo, but it is worth the walk. You have to pay a small sum to enter the ruins, but the ruins are spectacular even from the outside.
Sacsayhuaman (pronounced a little bit like "sexy woman") is probably the most impressive set of ruins I saw in Peru. There are something like 21 bastions and the walls run for more than 350 metres (over 1,000 feet). The surrounding landscape is also gorgeous (at least it was in May), with the Inca stonework set against green grass and blue skies.
