CUSCO

After days (meaning at least a week!) of periodically checking for good internet connection and getting a few pictures uploaded each time, I now present you with the following blog regarding my time in Cusco, Peru...

These are views during my 22 hour bus ride between Lima and Cusco. You climb and descend 3 different mountains of incredible altitudes during this drive. It's a miracle I didn't get altitude sickness, but I may have been too mesmerized by the views to care!

I arrived in Cusco on 17 December and found a hostel, "Pakcha Real." That same night, while reading in a cafe, I met Noeshe (or something like that), a man from Bosnia who now lives in Canada. We chatted for a while and agreed to meet the next day to do a tour of some local ruins just outside of Cusco.

We first saw Qoricancha in town, with all its temples and the modern crap built over old foundations.

A little girl dancing in front of Qoricancha

The Colonial style courtyard built over and around the ruins

A view from Qoricancha, overlooking the grounds

Then we were off to Sacsayhuaman, a very large area overlooking the valley of Cusco city. All of the smaller stones were removed by the Spaniards to build churches, monasteries, and convents and homes, but the large stones which they couldn't figure out how to move remain. The Inca were really incredible people - how they constructed stone structures using no mortar, and that those stones have withstood multiple earthquakes while the colonial buildings crumbled, is amazing.

Part of Sacsayhuaman

A doorway at Sacsayhuaman

Check out those stones! They're huge and perfectly placed together!

A view from Sacsayhuaman

Another view from Sacsayhuaman - That's a MASSIVE statue of Jesus overlooking all of the valley in which Cusco lies. The clouds that day made the image incredibly powerful.

A view between sites

Another view between sites

Women selling their goods next to a ruin site

Another gorgeous view...they're endless!

These waterfalls never change throughout the year - regardless of droughts or increased rain. The canals run underground and no one is sure how these were constructed to never change. It is also said that these waters bring everlasting life. Don't worry, I didn't drink this one.

The waterfalls pictured above are behind me in this picture

The massive stone to my left in this picture is a famous '12-sided' stone. Not counting the front and back faces, there are 12 sides that are all perfectly connected to adjacent stones. This is an example of the Inca stone work that has lasted through numerous earthquakes while other buildings have not.

We saw 3 other sites that afternoon and were surrounded by perpetual beauty and filled with wonder at it all. Little did I know those sites would be the least amazing of all I would see the following week!

Shortly before I got back from that tour I spoke with Jared, who had just arrived in Cusco as a surprise! We didn't exactly accomplish much sightseeing because we were out late, slept in, and then his bus left that next evening. We walked and saw a lot of the city while we did some Christmas shopping. We also had lunch with some friends from Oregon who live in Puerto Maldonado, who I was with when I first arrived in October. Tyson and Tracy and their son were in Cusco with Tyson's parents and it worked out to meet them for a couple hours. It was nice to have good friends with me for the day, even if it was short-lived.

Jared and me in the Plaza de Armas of Cusco

I had a lot of time to relax over the next couple days, but I also fit a lot into those days. I visited museums, of course :) and watched a local play in a church square one day. The following are some pictures I gathered from my museum day. I wasn't supposed to take pictures in any of these places, but I secretly snapped some shots here and there because they were too gorgeous to pass up!

I think it's fairly obvious that this is a Cathedral
In the largest Cathedral off the Plaza de Armas is this massive painting, a Cusquenan version of The Last Supper. The main dish being served is Cuy, the traditional dish of guinea pig in Peru. Also, the face of Judas in the lower right is that of Francisco Pizarro, a Spanish conquistador and the conqueror of Peru.

In one cathedral I climbed some back stairs (they tried blocking them with a piece of wood - ha! Like that's gonna keep me out! Just makes me want to know what's up there) and found what must be the inner workings of the bell tower.

A view through the windows high in one Cathedral, looking onto another

The Plaza de Armas through a Cathedral window

The first piano to ever be brought to Peru - you can't tell from this, but it's gorgeous!

While there (at the play) I met a guy named Rajinder (Raj) who would be alone the next week plus. We got some mate de coca and found ourselves discussing the more important things and ideas of life rather than the typical "where are you from" "what's your travel time line" "what do you do for a living" questions that fill so many conversations here. We covered those in time, of course, but they were more afterthoughts than the focus.

A view from the San Blas district where I was staying, and in the courtyard next to this church is where the "play" was being held

Raj and I met later that night to hear the blues being played down the street. I wouldn't exactly classify the music as "The Blues," but I will say I enjoyed it. Peruvian music is typically awful, so to hear this group of young Peruanos play such good music so skillfully was a delight. One man, playing the cello, busted out two classical solos during a break. We begged him to play more it was so beautiful.

Thunderous pounding on my door at 8 am...Ryon arrived! About a week later than we expected, but here nonetheless. Exhausted from traveling, he passed out while I went to a cafe and spent a leisurely morning writing. The streets began to awaken and I strolled a bit, finding an internet store. After a while I prepared for the hike back to my hostel. It's only a 5 or 10 minute walk, but it's practically vertical, and at over 11,000 feet in elevation, the breathing part of walking isn't easy. Although there are many taxis, it takes just as long, if not longer, to find one that is small enough to drive through the "streets" of San Blas (the area of my hostel, connected by narrow alleys that barely classify as streets). Then, as you see another car approaching, one taxi must back up to an intersection (one wide enough for 2 cars) to allow the other through, and then resume forward, hoping to make the whole stretch before another car arrives and you must back up all over again. I'll stick to free exercise, thank you.

A view of Cusco - those are all rooftops, spread across a large valley surrounded by mountains

This is one of the streets/alleys near my hostel which I walked through every day. Very quaint.
This is yet another view of the Plaza de Armas and a surrounding Cathedral (There are 3 off the one plaza - this is the one I mentioned previously in which I have views from it's higher windows). The Plaza de Armas is the main square in Cusco, and a short walk downhill from my hostel.

Ryon and I met Raj for lunch and then hired a taxi to drive us out of the city to the ruins of Pikillacta and Tipon. I made the mistake of beginning friendly conversation with our taxista (driver) who then talked incessantly for quite some time. It was one thing to listen to him ramble on, but you don't want a driver to know just how little Spanish you know, so I had to listen carefully for questions and make appropriate remarks as he went. All I wanted to do was soak up the scenery of ramshackle homes, the odd construction taking place and the surrounding mountains. The sun was shining bright with very few clouds and to escape the touristic city felt incredibly peaceful.

The first site of Pikillacta was practically deserted. A few men stood around to offer guide services and one woman sat on her blanket with her souvenirs spread round. Our taxi driver slept while the three of us roamed the hillside. Lacking roof-tops, walls spread out across the landscape. We traipsed through the paths and tried to maintain interest, but before long felt we were ready to move on to Tipon.

Rajinder at Pikillacta
Me climbing on ruins at Pikillacta
Rajinder and Ryon at Pikillacta

Back in the taxi we backtracked to a small town and turned to climb a large hill. As we weaved through cows, pigs, dogs and horses, we switch-backed up toward a large area of trails and terraces, precisely arranged with a beautiful irrigation system.

The following are images of the livestock on our way up the hill to Tipon. I wanted to get out and pet them all, of course :)

Hiking up...up...up...stopping for breath repeatedly along the way...up...up...up...and check out the view! Absolutely incredible! More thorough at this site, we combed through the terraces and across the plateau. I climbed through 'DO NOT CROSS' ropes and drank "ancient Inca waters," as well as used an ancient altar to decapitate Ryon as a sacrifice for the Inca gods :) We had a lot of fun exploring and got a lot of good exercise in the meantime. Back down the hill we followed dogs following a VW Bug - it was picturesque.

Ruins of Tipon - you can't see it, but there is water running strategically all through this place

I swear this guy was doing a music video shoot at the ruins of Tipon. There were even some girls nearby that looked like the backup singers. SWEET shiny shirt :)

The great beheading


Me laughing on the hill by Tipon

It's hard to see, but the stones I'm walking down are "stairs" sticking out of the walls. AWESOME.

The view from the back side of Tipon


The sign says, "NO ENTRY TO FUENTE." I love that, often, if they don't know a word in English, they just leave it in Spanish for the English translation rather than look it up.


Another fountain


The picturesque departure

We watched a few native dances at a concert hall back in town, but before even intermission we'd had enough of the awful music and left for dinner. We also went to Nuna Machay, a great bar in which I had previously heard a really good Reggae band perform. As the three of us sat down with our Peruvian Cusquena beer, a different band set up their "stage" (a few seats in the corner practically under the stairs - the place is TINY!). I don't think I spoke more than 3 words once they began playing. I thought the previous nights' band was good, but these guys had me glued. The voice coming from the lead singer, whom I later discovered was Juan, was a shocker. With hair covering most of his face, only one small slit revealed a handsome mouth and released that powerful voice. Occasionally you could catch a grin, but his expression was usually focused, as if his own music sucked him in as much as it did me. The band covered a lot of classic rock songs and other English hits, but even performing covers you could tell these guys were good.

'Native Dance' dancing dancers

Juan, on the left, with his band crammed under the stairs

The bartender, Jen, was a girl from Santa Cruz whom I immediately liked (she reminded me of my cousin, Jenna, from Nor Cal - she looked and acted just like her!) She took me to her apartment down the street and it was awesome to see how the local crowd there lived. In these old, run down colonial buildings people grouped up and shared rooms surrounding a courtyard. I loved it! I'll admit I'm a little envious of her! Maybe I'll quit my job and stay in Peru....SO TEMPTING!!!

Before I finish this I must include a little blurp about Cuatro, pictured here:

The first time we met, Cuatro walked uphill by my side for quite some time, barking and biting at every car that passed me (they pass very closely in the narrow alleys) and the people as well. We were all laughing at the way it appeared he was being protective of me. It turns out he was...every time I saw him he would join me, walking with me to whichever museum I entered or walking me back to my hostel, etc... The day I took the above picture Cuatro had seen me in a courtyard and cheerfully joined me to my favorite cafe. As I entered he placed himself square in the doorway where he proceeded to investigate each and every customer who dared pass into my presence. He laid there for about 45 minutes waiting for me, occasionally looking back to ensure I was still there, and then turning back to keep watch. I had never fed him until that day, but how can you not reward such loyalty! Ryon even shared his favorite bread roll with him :)