Peruvian countryside

We stayed in a small country town overnight before our condor/Colca Canyon morning, and we hiked and walked about a bit. The dry season is about to end here, and soon it'll be green and productive - a bit hard to imagine. Here are a few photos of the small town action, and the nearby countryside.

Pigs in the backyard, afternoon siesta. 

So comfortable in the sun.

This mama pig and her 8 babies were out walking around town after sunset.

Gazania, so lovely.  We sat for awhile at sunset and watched these cows, which were right next to our place.  The one near us had chosen to hop the stone fence gate and go for a walk outside of the pasture, and then came back wanting back in, but couldn't figure it out, so stood by us talking with her friends below - lots of conversation.

Baby burro in an enclosure.  So cute, covered with burrs.

On a hike to a viewpoint, these nearby terraces were being worked.  The big rock outcropping had been used for a home with a great view hundreds of years ago.

Weeding a terrace (above) they'd likely planted a couple of weeks ago.

Taking a break. 

Steve took this great photo of one of the cactus topped rock fences, with the light pouring through.  Equally effective as its city counterpart of a broken glass topped fence but less in-your-face confrontational as the glass shards.  You probably have to enlarge it to see the light effect on the cactus, worth it.

Me, showing the easy effectiveness of the fence above.  Tiny little buggers. 

Tiny, tiny flowers growing out of the rocks.

I walked into the town center in the waning light , not much going on, and walked into the empty, dark church.  Interesting feeling. 

The next morning we went through the town of Yanque to pick up canyon-goers and saw a dance in town performed by the local youth in native costume.  The boys are in ladies' clothing, as it's the "dance of laughs", telling the story of a local boy in love with a girl whose father disapproved and only let other girls visit her, resulting in his subterfuge visits dressed as a girl - hence the dress up and the low hats (with nose straps) worn by the boys.  The local embroidery is over the top -- all over the hats, the vests, the hems of the skirts. 

   

Dancing camouflaged boy.

First paid tourist pose.  Note the embroidery on her, and her relative size.  The ladies here tuck their light weight overskirts into their belts.

Typical clothing in this area -- a flowing flowered cotton skirt, with embroidery added around the bottom.

Weird landform on the way through the desert.

They just cut through these giant hills to build the road.