Peru is just Wyoming with alpaca

Friday, we flew into Juliaca, Peru from Lima. From the air, the landscape looks a lot like the Rocky Mountain West:

Juliaca's airport has the coolest baggage claim that I've ever seen. The center of the baggage claim has a scene of a church wedding with dolls in traditional Peruvian clothing all around. There was even a trio of musicians to welcome the plane from Lima/Cuzco.

We drove from Juliaca to Puno, which is on the shores of Lake Titicaca. An island tour tomorrow, but meanwhile, we walked around the city center. Lots of local color, including this absolutely cute mother and child:

We picked a restaurant at random. They had a "tourist menu": soup, entree and dessert for 15 soles (about $5). The soup was quinoa; the entree was an extremely juicy cut of alpaca. Alpaca is a revelation -- lean and juicy at the same time.