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| On the streets of Cusco |
We took a short hour-long flight on Peruvian Airlines from Lima to Cusco and spent three nights in the former Incan capital. Located at about 3400 meters or 11,200 feet, it is located near the Urubamba Valley in the Andes. Because of its significant history, the city center was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and was designated the Historical Capital of Peru in the country's constitution. Needless to say, there are a lot of interesting things to see and do.
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| The Andes |
The flight was pleasant, though a bit bumpy. And the views unbeatable.
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| Our first Airbnb stay |
Erica had booked an Airbnb place for three nights and it worked out fine. This was our first stay in an Airbnb place, and it was a pretty good deal at about $55/night. The location was good, we made our own breakfasts and the wifi was reasonable though not great, which seems to be the norm for Peru. On the plus site, there was a steady supply of coffee and coca tea if needed.
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| As seen in Cusco. No other caption needed. |
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| Inka Museum |
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Cityscape from the Inka Museum
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After getting our bearings we headed to the Inka Museum, possibly the most famous of the many area museums. It is full of art from the pre-Incan people as well as the Inca themselves, set in a large Spanish-style building. Clearly there is a strong cultural art history over the last couple of thousand years in this area. There were several local artisans making and selling their wares including intricate gourd carvings, fabrics, paintings and weavings. Even though several were extremely impressive and beautiful, we weren't remotely tempted because of our space limitations. We learned later that a number of Incan gold pieces were stolen from the museum in the 1990s.
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| Charming street of Cusco |
The city itself dates to about 1100 and certainly retains much of its old-world charm. Several of the streets are made of stone, are steep and very narrow. Many are barely passable by cars and with extremely narrow sidewalks. It is very pleasant to wander through town.
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| Palomitas |
Despite its touristy nature in the city center, Cusco is still a relatively inexpensive place in which to eat and explore. We sampled a lot of street food including grilled alpaca which was quite tasty.
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| Coca flour for energy and life, found (though not purchased) in a grocery store |
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| New sweaters! |
Despite our plans to avoid buying anything material, Madeleine and I could not resist new sweaters of soft alpaca wool. Despite the layers we'd brought with us, we were cold in the cool Andean rainy season and these great sweaters could not be beat, especially at $15 each.
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| More fine Incan architecture |
We were blessed with a morning of blue skies and sunshine and took a taxi ride way up above the city to the Incan fortress of Saqsaywaman (pronounced just like "sexy woman"). This location is most famous for its fine stonework, with large stones so well matched that even after 500 years a piece of paper cannot be placed between them. It was impressive to say the least.
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| Awaiting photo ops at Saqsaywaman |
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| Cusco from above |
We meandered the grounds in the sun and were feeling quite warm. Within an hour, the clouds, wind and rain rolled in and our sunscreening seemed pretty silly.
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| Rain-ready! |
We strolled down the hill through the steep and charming streets of the San Blas neighborhood while the rain subsided again, to the central plaza of Cusco.
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| Cusco's Plaza de Armas |
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| At least they're having fun. |
After some protestations from some of our crew, we explored another famous spot in town, Qorikancha. This sacred spot was the site of the Incan Temple of Gold. As had happened many times in the past, the Spanish destroyed the site in the 16th century and built a cathedral atop. This particular location had been sacred and special for its gold work, most of which was melted down by the Spanish and shipped off to Spain. There is another interesting museum underground and a large complex and cathedral above. Some of the original Incan walls are still preserved.
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| Qorikancha Museum skulls showing evidence of Incan neurosurgical techniques. Apparently about 65% of trephinations allowed the patients to survive! |
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| Incan mummy in traditional fetal position |
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| Qorikancha courtyard, Incan walls barely visible in the right background. |
One cannot leave Qorikancha (or Cusco for that matter) without being impressed with the destruction that the Spanish delivered to the native Peruvian people and their culture. It is a theme we have seen over and over again.
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| Qorikancha: old and new |
We felt as if we'd only scratched the surface of Cusco after two full days and will be eager to come back again after five days in the Sacred Valley, being able to visit the most famous of Peruvian locales: Machu Picchu.
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