Cusco, Days 6 & 7 (Saqsaywaman)

On my sixth day in Cusco, I decided to switch hostels. Pisko & Soul was wonderful, particularly my hosts, Pedro and Eduardo, but other than my roommate and I, everyone was in a couple so it was a bit difficult to find people with whom to see the sites. With that in mind, I switched to Pariwana just south of the Plaza.












Pariwana features lovely courtyard, large bar/cafe, and brand new lounge/computer room, making it an ideal place to meet fellow travelers, like Zuzanna from Slovakia and Marcelo from Chile.





I did little that first day in Pariwana, but I did go out that night with my roommate Ian, a Canadian journalist for a mining trade magazine, who would leave the next day. We had a few drinks in an out-of-the-way local bar, then made it an early night, both of us feeling rather tuckered out.

The next day, I decided to check out Saqsaywaman, a set of Inca ruins one mile outside of Cusco and the site of a battle of the final revolts of the Incas against the Spanish. Before I did, I lunched at Jack's, an Australian-owned tourist haunt, with dishes savory enough to merit the only wait in Cusco. ITypically I try to avoid the more notorious gringo spots, but doing so in Cusco has proven difficult; besides which, having been recently sick, I craved healthier fare than offered by most Peruvian restaurants.) The upside of waiting in line was being invited to sit with a fascinating couple, Sarah, a sculptor from Australia, and Miguel, a fisherman from the jungles of Iquitos, Peru. They had met during her first trip to Peru, as he assisted a local shaman with administering the hallucinogenic huanasca to her and other travellers. Now, they are carving out a life together across two continents. Truly amazing.

I took my leave from Sarah and Miguel, and headed toward Saqsaywaman along a short but surprisingly steep and taxing route, culminating in a lovely view of the city.





All that remains of Saqsaywaman, pronounced comically as "sexy woman", are a few terraces and walls, the latter of which were constructed with gigantic stones not found in the area.
























At the lookout point at the top, a spectacular view of Cusco awaits, with the Plaza de Armas right at the forefront.











My good luck Buddha enjoyed the scenery.





As I left, I was greeted again by the most common sight in Peru: dogs, in this case, pestering a poor llama-- another very common sight.





That night, we weathered a storm, an apparently common occurrence in Cusco, which I had yet to witness. The Pariwana bar nearly brimmed over with folks foregoing the outside night life because of the rain. I spent the evening in conversation with Zuzanna, Marcelo, James (another roommate, this one from England), and Liz, also from England. Marcelo and I decided to tour the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu together over the next three days, and James and I discussed the possibility of tackling Colca Canyon over the weekend. We shall see...


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Location:Meson De La Estrella,Cuzco,Peru

Cusco Days 3, 4, and 5

My third and fourth days in Cusco were rather uneventful as I was ill, and my fifth was spent mostly on odds and ends like laundry, shopping for toiletries and groceries, and the purchasing of souvenirs, so not much to write about really.

I did, however, have an excellent time at my hostel's free Pisko Sour night. The owners, and our bartenders for the night, Pedro and Eduardo compete to see whose cocktails best exemplify, as Pedro says, "the perfect blend of sweet and sour".

I hadn't really had a chance to interact too much with the other people here because of having been ill, and I really enjoyed getting to know them. There were two couples from Britain, one from Germany, one from the US, and a pair of friends from South Africa. We spent the night trading stories, and as most of them had been traveling through South America longer than I have, I collected quite a bit of valuable advice. I also had a good laugh with my fellow pelirroja (redhead) in the group about the tendency of Peruanos to stare at our hair and complexion, particularly small children who want to touch our freckles. And my hair is barely red anymore! (Although the sun is blessedly bringing it out again.)

Plus, thanks to an explanation by our London couple, I finally have an understanding of the British academic system, the previous lack of which has always prevented me from fully grasping two of my favorite works of literature: "The History Boys"... and "Harry Potter". ;) (Now I finally get OWLS and NEWTS, for those of you in the know.)

So since I haven't got any crazy stories to tell or many pictures to show, I'll just tell you a few things I've learned or noticed since being in Peru, particularly in Cusco.

1) Peruanos will but "ito" behind anything. For example, they rarely just order "cafe" (coffee). It's a "cafecita". And if you want to say "right now" rather than just "now", you say "ahorita" instead of "ahora". Hell, I even heard a doctor refer to another doctor as "doctorita"!
2) Wear a hat! The sun here is gorgeous and radiant. And punishing. I've been wearing SPF 50 everyday, and my skin still looks kinda rough.
3) Don't buy crafts from little girls. I'm kidding of course, but damn if two 11 year-old cousins working one of their mother's craft stalls weren't the toughest bargainers I've yet to come across in Peru.
4) Yes, people love telling me what my name means in Spanish
5) Dogs. My sisters would love it here because there are dogs everywhere. Strays and owned and it can be very difficult to tell which is which. Like this one.


6) Alpaca wool is about the softest thing I've ever felt, which reminds me that I can also show you a picture of the lovely souvenirs I've bought. Family, some of these are your Christmas presents, so avert your eyes.



Anyway, that wraps up my sick time, so things will get more interesting again shortly, I promise.

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Location:Carmen Alto,Cuzco,Peru

Cusco, Day 2

My second day in Cusco began splendidly with a trip to the grand site of Qoricancha.


Upon the foundations of the once-great Incan Temple of the Sun sits the Church of Santo Domingo, built during the time of the Spanish colonization.


Rather than start afresh entirely, the Dominicans used those parts of the existing structure, which had not been plundered and moved elsewhere, incorporating two exterior and several interior Incan walls into their design.



Within those walls, four of the original rooms of Qoricancha still remain.





Two of these rooms, so stark and simple, stand not twenty feet from the opulence of the classically Spanish courtyard.



The striking juxtaposition of two such disparate yet oddly complimentary styles fascinated me.


Yet my favorite views of this awesome structure awaited me outdoors... down a rather intimidating stairway with no rails. (Not a welcome sight for an inelegant klutz like myself.)









On a second staircase, above the idyllic rose garden, potted plants rest upon loose stones and sculptures left over from the original Qoricancha..





I can hardly imagine, in either the details or the design, a more apt symbol for the mestizo (blending of native and Spanish) culture of Cusco. Or having had a lovelier day upon which to see it.


Sadly, shortly after leaving Qoricancha, I began felling poorly once again, and the rest of the day was kind of a wash. but at least it started off beautifully!


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Location:Atocsaycuchi,Cuzco,Peru

Cusco, Day 1

Upon my arrival in Cusco, I proceeded immediately to Pisko & Soul... A lovely hostel...





... in the San Blas barrio.



Stunning vistas waited just outside the door.


The beauty of Cusco far surpassed my expectations.






The famous Plaza de Armas, with its lofty cathedrals and emerald-green fountain, swarms with locals plying their wears to the d of tourists always passing through.



Andean women wear native dress and pose for pictures for donations.



Unfortunately, I only enjoyed a cursory survey of the historic district before beginning to feel poorly. A 22-hour bus-ride and 11,000 foot change of elevation will do that to you. So I decided to spend the night in. Ah, well.



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Location:Atocsaycuchi,Cuzco,Peru

The Bus Ride

After receiving numerous warnings against taking the bus to Cusco, I have been pleasantly surprised. I highly recommend Cruz del Sur. The seats recline back almost completely, the attendants serve full breakfast and dinner, and the driver navigates hairpin turns along stomach-dropping precipe with impressive skills. My only objection would be the choice of movies: 'Water for Elephants' was good. 'Arthur'? Better than I expected, and I'll watch anything with Helen Mirren. But 'Step Up 3', or at least the 20 mins of it that I got through, has to be the worst written movie I have ever seen. And 'Taken'? Enjoyable, but who shows a movie about a girl getting kidnapped while on vacation on a tour bus?? Anyway...


I slept like a rock, and I can't imagine much of a better way of seeing the countryside. Take, for instance the view that greeted me upon waking this morning.


The sun rising over Abancay, as we passed through.


An hour later, we were high on the mountaintop amongst the clouds...


... and could see Ababcay below.


Yet, even at such heights, communities were scattered along the roadside.


After almost 22 hours, I was rewarded with my first view of Cusco.



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Location:Peru

Leaving Lima

Feeling a bit worse for the wear after my night on the town, I packed my things, checked out of Casona Roja, left my bags behind the front desk, and headed out to explore Barranco one last time, taking a few final photos of the defining characteristics of the neighborhood: avant garde art, VW bugs, ocean views, and gorgeous houses surrounded by large defensive walls:















In fact, one of the most prominent barrio artists also decorated the inside of the hostel.






By 1pm, a taxi was whisking me off to the Javier Prado bus station, from which I departed on a 22-hour bus ride to Cusco.


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Location:Lima and Bus through Peru