Cuzco, Peru – February 13-14 & 19
We left the hotel at 7:30 a.m. to catch a local bus at 8:00 a.m. The trip to Cuzco is to take 6.5 hours but it is a nice comfortable double decker bus with a toilet so it will be okay. The first part of the journey will be a repeat of the journey into Puno but the rest will be new. We will be on the upper deck and have a great view of the countryside. We just turned into the new area and it looks pretty much the same with rolling hills and some flatter agricultural land. There are mud huts along the way and every once in a while there are people out in the fields. The road is very bumpy so I’m glad I’m typing and not writing.
We just had our first bathroom break in some small town. Banos weren’t great and cost 1 soles or about 30 cents. One would wonder why we pay when there is a bano on the bus. Oh well, the break gave me a chance to have an ice cream bar, which was delicious. Dear John is playing on the TV on the bus but it’s pretty hard to follow since the sun is coming in the windows and reflecting on the TV screen and the movie is in Spanish but with English subtitles that are hard to read. The Blind Side came on later and it was easier to follow since I’d already seen it.
The countryside is now flat and wet looking but lots of cattle and sheep around and they are enjoying the lush green. There are small farms everywhere and a few people around. And of course you have the rolling hills in the background. No mountains in sight at this time.
We passed through several small villages and at one of them some people got off the bus but no one got on. The buildings in town are no more than two storeys high and mainly made of brick. Some are pointed bright colours. The mountains are obviously much higher in the background now as some of them have snow on them. There are animals and small fields between some of the buildings in town and lots of smaller buildings that I assume belong to the bigger buildings. The train track is running parallel with the road but we haven’t seen any trains. The crops look incredibly healthy and the corn looks just about ripe. The valley we are now going through seems to be much more populated and there are homes everywhere even when not in a town. Some of the farm homes are two storeys as well in this area so obviously a more affluent area.
I keep missing good shots as we are going too fast. It’s obviously wash day so at every stream or pond there are ladies out doing washing. Once washed they simply lay the clothes out on the grass so it makes for a very colourful scene as their clothes are bright red, green, yellow, etc. I’ve even seen a few people with their cars right in the water and washing them.
We arrived in Cuzco around 3 p.m. and took a van to our hotel, which is just two blocks from the main town square. We had lunch and then a quick walking tour of the area. At 6 p.m. we met with our guide for the Lares Trek so he could tell us all important details and, in my case, scare my totally about doing this trek. What was I thinking? I might walk 10 km once or twice a year and totally on the flat. We have an afternoon, a full day and a morning to do over 25 km going up 1000 metres in altitude and back down and then up again before finally descending and all at high altitude 3400 to 4400 metres above sea level. I can barely breathe walking around town so how am I going to climb a mountain? And it’s cold – possibly -10 degrees Celsius so we have to wear layers of clothes, and it’s rainy season so we’re probably going to be wet most of the time. Who in their right mind would do such a trek???? Okay, enough of that. I’ll tell you all about it later, assuming I actually survive the ordeal.
After the meeting we went out for dinner. The next day some of us decided to go to the archeological sites in Puno. Our intention was to go to the highest and most distant one, about 11 kilometres from town, and then walk back down to each of the three other sites. Well, it was a bit cool and rainy so we managed walking from one to two, took a taxi from two to three, walked from three to four and then took a taxi back to the hotel. We were all soaked by that time. Do you suppose there will be taxis on the Lares Trail?
The sites were actually quite interesting and they were all Inca remains. Tambomachay was the first and it is the location of a natural spring. The Incas built three waterfalls in the area so it is quite intriguing seeing the water through the huge stone walls. It was built around 1500 AD and is considered a religious site related to water and the regeneration of the earth. Puka Pukara was the second site and it was a fortress like structure with reddish stones on the walls. It was apparently a great place for the Incas to watch what was happening in the valley as it is on the side of the hill above the city. Q’Enqo was the third site and the name means labyrinth. This was a sacred Inca shrine where ceremonies tot eh sun, moon and stars took place. There was a semicircular amphitheatre on one part of the structure. There were narrow winding pathways through the stone, sometimes just wide enough for one person to pass. At the bottom of one of the tunnels was a cave with a large smooth slab of rock that looked like a table. This was apparently the altar for sacrifices. Mummification also took place in this area. Saqsaywaman was the final site and it was huge. It is thought to have been either a religious centre or a military fortress. The walls are high and three tiered and form a zig-zag pattern. The stones used in the construction were huge with some of them weighing as much as 125 tons. The Incas did not understand the concept of a wheel so it is amazing to think that they move these huge stones over many kilometers to get to the tops of these hills. This site was the closest to town and from the top tier there were wonderful views of the city of Cuzco. Of course we would have seen more if it hadn’t been raining and if the clouds hadn’t been so low. Cuzco was the main city for the Incas and it was laid out in the shape of a puma. This site was the end of the planned city and the zig-zag pattern of the walls was actually to represent the teeth of the puma.
After returning to our hotel and drying off a bit, and after the rain had almost stopped, we went out for some lunch and some shopping and made it back just before another downpour. We spent some time repacking for our trek as we’re only allowed 6 kg on the trek. The rest of our bags will stay here in anticipation of our return in 5 days after the trek and Macchu Picchu. I will pick up more on Cuzco at that time.
We arrived back in Cuzco around 8 p.m. on the 18th. Half of the group went out for dinner and drinks and half of the group stayed at the hotel. I had an orange some chips and some water with Crystal Light in it for dinner and spent the rest of the evening trying to unpack and rearrange. I had things hung everywhere in hopes of drying before morning as laundry is done based on kilograms and wet clothes are heavier. After a couple of days in plastic bags the wet stuff was getting just a tad smelly so it was not a nice process. Oh well, it all went in this morning and it just arrived back as I typed that. 4.5 kilos of dirty laundry in at 9 a.m. and back at 4 p.m. all neatly folded for $13.50 soles or under $5 Canadian.
Today was a free day in Cuzco so I think we all slept in a bit later and relaxed a bit more. I headed out about 9 a.m. and went to the Sun Temple or the Convent of St. Domingo – Qorikancha. The last part of that name refers to the “golden enclosure” of the Incas dedicated to the celestial deities (sun, moon, stars, rainbow, and lightning). Excavations still continue on the site but it is believed that there were four main buildings and three of them are still intact while the fourth is half destroyed. The three remaining buildings and the partial building were all empty so it was just the Inca stones that were visible. More excavated stones were also on display and it was interesting to note the carved designs and holes that were visible in some of them.
When the Spanish arrived they took over the area and gave the land to the Dominican Order in Peru. On the land and using some of the bricks from the other buildings in the 16th century they built the Church of Santa Domingo, which now runs the tours. The church itself is a light brick and it has a beautiful square bell tower complete with Baroque stone carvings. Inside the convent there is a two-storey cloister with beautiful arches. However the centre of the square is quite barren looking with only a few flowers around a centre fountain, which is from Inca time and carved out of one piece of rock. The gardens outside the convent are gorgeous and the flowers are beautiful with many different colours and mainly types I didn’t recognize. The complex is on a hill so the gardens are tiered and some archeological findings are on the bottom flat area, specifically a drainage ditch. The views from the upper patios were also quite nice and the architecture, especially the doors, was quite impressive.
At one point in the exhibit they have a piece of art that explained the various components or symbols from the time of the Incas. It was neat to see all the symbols together in one place and try to relate them to what they were supposed to mean. Some were easier than others. In another place they had the Inca calendar both agricultural and ritual so it was interesting to see what was involved in each month of the year. I definitely felt sorry for the young people of the tribe as young people were often sacrificed in the rituals. I think there were three months where sacrifices of young children were mentioned and one of them noted that they were simply buried alive, which sounded quite horrifying. One of the exhibits involved Inca astronomy and it was quite interesting. While we tend to see the milky way as being white on black and find images in the white stars, the Incas found images in the black spaces between the stars and considered the dense white the river or pool of water where all animals would come to drink. It took me a while to find some of the images but their hint boards helped. Next to this exhibit was one on the seque signs of the Inca empire and how the four provinces were divided. It was also interesting but much harder to describe. Suffice it to say that Qorikancha was the centre from which all lines radiated to the other areas.
From the Church side of things, there was a good exhibit of garments that the priests wore. They were incredibly detailed and beautiful with lots of gold and other medals and jewels. The cabinets and other artifacts were also quite impressive. I also have to mention that the doors throughout the complex were absolutely beautiful. Many were heavy wood doors with intricate carvings and detail. And there were a couple of rooms of religious art work. Most were from students in one school but three of the paintings were by Tito and they were very impressive. They had a couple of other art exhibits of a more modern era but neither of them impressed me as much as the old art and architecture.
My ticket to the first site included a visit to the Monastery of Santa Catalina so I went there next. Along the way there were lots more excavations but they seemed to be locked so I guess the general public doesn’t get to look around. The llamas and/or alpacas were inside but then they are actually working so I guess that’s allowed. Everyone uses these animals to keep their grass cut and it seems to work well. But I digress. Back to Santa Catalina or Saint Catherine of Siena. During Incan times, this area consisted of a compound called Aqllawasi or “house of chosen maidens”. Females from noble families were chosen from all over the empire for their beauty and high lineage. They entered Aqllawasi very young and spent their entire lives here with no contact with men. Instead they were thought to be wedded to the sun or other deities. They spent their days making the textiles and beverages needed in special ceremonies. When the Spanish arrived they called these women nuns.
In the 17th century, the Monastery of Santa Catalina was officially formed in this location. It is still active today with 13 nuns in residence. The museum included some art work, furniture, vestments, etc. from the Spanish period and later. Most of the rooms were set up as they would have been in the 17th century and you had the sleeping quarters for the novices and for the head nun (not sure of that terminology!), the working area, prayer room, etc. It was interesting but very quick to go through, which was a good thing.
I then went to lunch at a local bakery and it was delicious. From there I walked up to San Francisco Square to see the Church. The church was closed but the square was really busy with a stage set up in one end and some young people singing. There were food stations and there were lots of vendors selling their wares. And of course it just had to rain because that’s what it does in Cuzco in February so everyone was squished under the few tents that were available. I made my way out and put on my poncho to continue my journey.
From there I went back up to San Blas Square but didn’t go into the church as I really didn’t want to pay to do so, especially since they wouldn’t let me take pictures. San Blas Square was quite nice with a lovely curved fountain at one end. There were vendors in that square too but everything was under cover because of the rain. I wandered around some of the streets, which are very narrow at this stage, and which have lots of galleries with nice artwork. Then I started the walk back to the hotel. I think every street vendor in the area was out today. You couldn’t move a block without being hounded by someone. And there were lots of people wanting you to take their picture. They were in costume and had their babies on their backs or they had alpacas or llamas or baby sheep with them. They were cute but it did get tiring saying, “no gracias”, over and over again. I stopped for a drink up on a patio overlooking the main square and then went back to the hotel for a few hours of blogging. I then met the group for a meeting and dinner and that was it for the evening.
We left the hotel at 7:30 a.m. to catch a local bus at 8:00 a.m. The trip to Cuzco is to take 6.5 hours but it is a nice comfortable double decker bus with a toilet so it will be okay. The first part of the journey will be a repeat of the journey into Puno but the rest will be new. We will be on the upper deck and have a great view of the countryside. We just turned into the new area and it looks pretty much the same with rolling hills and some flatter agricultural land. There are mud huts along the way and every once in a while there are people out in the fields. The road is very bumpy so I’m glad I’m typing and not writing.
We just had our first bathroom break in some small town. Banos weren’t great and cost 1 soles or about 30 cents. One would wonder why we pay when there is a bano on the bus. Oh well, the break gave me a chance to have an ice cream bar, which was delicious. Dear John is playing on the TV on the bus but it’s pretty hard to follow since the sun is coming in the windows and reflecting on the TV screen and the movie is in Spanish but with English subtitles that are hard to read. The Blind Side came on later and it was easier to follow since I’d already seen it.
The countryside is now flat and wet looking but lots of cattle and sheep around and they are enjoying the lush green. There are small farms everywhere and a few people around. And of course you have the rolling hills in the background. No mountains in sight at this time.
We passed through several small villages and at one of them some people got off the bus but no one got on. The buildings in town are no more than two storeys high and mainly made of brick. Some are pointed bright colours. The mountains are obviously much higher in the background now as some of them have snow on them. There are animals and small fields between some of the buildings in town and lots of smaller buildings that I assume belong to the bigger buildings. The train track is running parallel with the road but we haven’t seen any trains. The crops look incredibly healthy and the corn looks just about ripe. The valley we are now going through seems to be much more populated and there are homes everywhere even when not in a town. Some of the farm homes are two storeys as well in this area so obviously a more affluent area.
I keep missing good shots as we are going too fast. It’s obviously wash day so at every stream or pond there are ladies out doing washing. Once washed they simply lay the clothes out on the grass so it makes for a very colourful scene as their clothes are bright red, green, yellow, etc. I’ve even seen a few people with their cars right in the water and washing them.
We arrived in Cuzco around 3 p.m. and took a van to our hotel, which is just two blocks from the main town square. We had lunch and then a quick walking tour of the area. At 6 p.m. we met with our guide for the Lares Trek so he could tell us all important details and, in my case, scare my totally about doing this trek. What was I thinking? I might walk 10 km once or twice a year and totally on the flat. We have an afternoon, a full day and a morning to do over 25 km going up 1000 metres in altitude and back down and then up again before finally descending and all at high altitude 3400 to 4400 metres above sea level. I can barely breathe walking around town so how am I going to climb a mountain? And it’s cold – possibly -10 degrees Celsius so we have to wear layers of clothes, and it’s rainy season so we’re probably going to be wet most of the time. Who in their right mind would do such a trek???? Okay, enough of that. I’ll tell you all about it later, assuming I actually survive the ordeal.
After the meeting we went out for dinner. The next day some of us decided to go to the archeological sites in Puno. Our intention was to go to the highest and most distant one, about 11 kilometres from town, and then walk back down to each of the three other sites. Well, it was a bit cool and rainy so we managed walking from one to two, took a taxi from two to three, walked from three to four and then took a taxi back to the hotel. We were all soaked by that time. Do you suppose there will be taxis on the Lares Trail?
The sites were actually quite interesting and they were all Inca remains. Tambomachay was the first and it is the location of a natural spring. The Incas built three waterfalls in the area so it is quite intriguing seeing the water through the huge stone walls. It was built around 1500 AD and is considered a religious site related to water and the regeneration of the earth. Puka Pukara was the second site and it was a fortress like structure with reddish stones on the walls. It was apparently a great place for the Incas to watch what was happening in the valley as it is on the side of the hill above the city. Q’Enqo was the third site and the name means labyrinth. This was a sacred Inca shrine where ceremonies tot eh sun, moon and stars took place. There was a semicircular amphitheatre on one part of the structure. There were narrow winding pathways through the stone, sometimes just wide enough for one person to pass. At the bottom of one of the tunnels was a cave with a large smooth slab of rock that looked like a table. This was apparently the altar for sacrifices. Mummification also took place in this area. Saqsaywaman was the final site and it was huge. It is thought to have been either a religious centre or a military fortress. The walls are high and three tiered and form a zig-zag pattern. The stones used in the construction were huge with some of them weighing as much as 125 tons. The Incas did not understand the concept of a wheel so it is amazing to think that they move these huge stones over many kilometers to get to the tops of these hills. This site was the closest to town and from the top tier there were wonderful views of the city of Cuzco. Of course we would have seen more if it hadn’t been raining and if the clouds hadn’t been so low. Cuzco was the main city for the Incas and it was laid out in the shape of a puma. This site was the end of the planned city and the zig-zag pattern of the walls was actually to represent the teeth of the puma.
After returning to our hotel and drying off a bit, and after the rain had almost stopped, we went out for some lunch and some shopping and made it back just before another downpour. We spent some time repacking for our trek as we’re only allowed 6 kg on the trek. The rest of our bags will stay here in anticipation of our return in 5 days after the trek and Macchu Picchu. I will pick up more on Cuzco at that time.
We arrived back in Cuzco around 8 p.m. on the 18th. Half of the group went out for dinner and drinks and half of the group stayed at the hotel. I had an orange some chips and some water with Crystal Light in it for dinner and spent the rest of the evening trying to unpack and rearrange. I had things hung everywhere in hopes of drying before morning as laundry is done based on kilograms and wet clothes are heavier. After a couple of days in plastic bags the wet stuff was getting just a tad smelly so it was not a nice process. Oh well, it all went in this morning and it just arrived back as I typed that. 4.5 kilos of dirty laundry in at 9 a.m. and back at 4 p.m. all neatly folded for $13.50 soles or under $5 Canadian.
Today was a free day in Cuzco so I think we all slept in a bit later and relaxed a bit more. I headed out about 9 a.m. and went to the Sun Temple or the Convent of St. Domingo – Qorikancha. The last part of that name refers to the “golden enclosure” of the Incas dedicated to the celestial deities (sun, moon, stars, rainbow, and lightning). Excavations still continue on the site but it is believed that there were four main buildings and three of them are still intact while the fourth is half destroyed. The three remaining buildings and the partial building were all empty so it was just the Inca stones that were visible. More excavated stones were also on display and it was interesting to note the carved designs and holes that were visible in some of them.
When the Spanish arrived they took over the area and gave the land to the Dominican Order in Peru. On the land and using some of the bricks from the other buildings in the 16th century they built the Church of Santa Domingo, which now runs the tours. The church itself is a light brick and it has a beautiful square bell tower complete with Baroque stone carvings. Inside the convent there is a two-storey cloister with beautiful arches. However the centre of the square is quite barren looking with only a few flowers around a centre fountain, which is from Inca time and carved out of one piece of rock. The gardens outside the convent are gorgeous and the flowers are beautiful with many different colours and mainly types I didn’t recognize. The complex is on a hill so the gardens are tiered and some archeological findings are on the bottom flat area, specifically a drainage ditch. The views from the upper patios were also quite nice and the architecture, especially the doors, was quite impressive.
At one point in the exhibit they have a piece of art that explained the various components or symbols from the time of the Incas. It was neat to see all the symbols together in one place and try to relate them to what they were supposed to mean. Some were easier than others. In another place they had the Inca calendar both agricultural and ritual so it was interesting to see what was involved in each month of the year. I definitely felt sorry for the young people of the tribe as young people were often sacrificed in the rituals. I think there were three months where sacrifices of young children were mentioned and one of them noted that they were simply buried alive, which sounded quite horrifying. One of the exhibits involved Inca astronomy and it was quite interesting. While we tend to see the milky way as being white on black and find images in the white stars, the Incas found images in the black spaces between the stars and considered the dense white the river or pool of water where all animals would come to drink. It took me a while to find some of the images but their hint boards helped. Next to this exhibit was one on the seque signs of the Inca empire and how the four provinces were divided. It was also interesting but much harder to describe. Suffice it to say that Qorikancha was the centre from which all lines radiated to the other areas.
From the Church side of things, there was a good exhibit of garments that the priests wore. They were incredibly detailed and beautiful with lots of gold and other medals and jewels. The cabinets and other artifacts were also quite impressive. I also have to mention that the doors throughout the complex were absolutely beautiful. Many were heavy wood doors with intricate carvings and detail. And there were a couple of rooms of religious art work. Most were from students in one school but three of the paintings were by Tito and they were very impressive. They had a couple of other art exhibits of a more modern era but neither of them impressed me as much as the old art and architecture.
My ticket to the first site included a visit to the Monastery of Santa Catalina so I went there next. Along the way there were lots more excavations but they seemed to be locked so I guess the general public doesn’t get to look around. The llamas and/or alpacas were inside but then they are actually working so I guess that’s allowed. Everyone uses these animals to keep their grass cut and it seems to work well. But I digress. Back to Santa Catalina or Saint Catherine of Siena. During Incan times, this area consisted of a compound called Aqllawasi or “house of chosen maidens”. Females from noble families were chosen from all over the empire for their beauty and high lineage. They entered Aqllawasi very young and spent their entire lives here with no contact with men. Instead they were thought to be wedded to the sun or other deities. They spent their days making the textiles and beverages needed in special ceremonies. When the Spanish arrived they called these women nuns.
In the 17th century, the Monastery of Santa Catalina was officially formed in this location. It is still active today with 13 nuns in residence. The museum included some art work, furniture, vestments, etc. from the Spanish period and later. Most of the rooms were set up as they would have been in the 17th century and you had the sleeping quarters for the novices and for the head nun (not sure of that terminology!), the working area, prayer room, etc. It was interesting but very quick to go through, which was a good thing.
I then went to lunch at a local bakery and it was delicious. From there I walked up to San Francisco Square to see the Church. The church was closed but the square was really busy with a stage set up in one end and some young people singing. There were food stations and there were lots of vendors selling their wares. And of course it just had to rain because that’s what it does in Cuzco in February so everyone was squished under the few tents that were available. I made my way out and put on my poncho to continue my journey.
From there I went back up to San Blas Square but didn’t go into the church as I really didn’t want to pay to do so, especially since they wouldn’t let me take pictures. San Blas Square was quite nice with a lovely curved fountain at one end. There were vendors in that square too but everything was under cover because of the rain. I wandered around some of the streets, which are very narrow at this stage, and which have lots of galleries with nice artwork. Then I started the walk back to the hotel. I think every street vendor in the area was out today. You couldn’t move a block without being hounded by someone. And there were lots of people wanting you to take their picture. They were in costume and had their babies on their backs or they had alpacas or llamas or baby sheep with them. They were cute but it did get tiring saying, “no gracias”, over and over again. I stopped for a drink up on a patio overlooking the main square and then went back to the hotel for a few hours of blogging. I then met the group for a meeting and dinner and that was it for the evening.
posted by Jayne Brooks @ 8:45 PM
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