We finally received confirmation of our Machu Picchu Inca Trail booking whilst in Nazca which meant next stop was Cusco. Nazca is approx 500m above sea level which meant our bus had to rise up 3000m over the 14hour bus journey. A real shame that we were asleep for most of it but we were pleased to wake up to see we had left the dessert and were winding up green mountain passes with the sun shining in through the windows. Unfortunatley our hostel didn´t greet us in the same way. A landslide a few days earlier had meant that there was no running water in the hostel, for showers, basins or toilets so we dropped our bags off and went hostel shopping. We spent the day hunting for somewhere better and for an extra 19 Peruvian Soles (4 GBP) per night we ended up staying in a luxury hotel! The advertised cost was the equivalent of 74 GBP and we have got it for just 22 GBP per night. Incredible.
Cusco itself is a really attractive city. Set nestled amongst the mountains in a natural valley it is full of Colonial architecture with red tiled roofs and elaborate churches. The only thing we have found to tarnish the place is the hundreds of street sellers trying to rope you into their restaurants or sell you a massage. Seriously, there must be more massures in Cusco than anywhere else in the world. The other thing that Cusco has it seems more than anywhere else is Inca and Pre-Inca ruins and we spent at least three of our days in Cusco visiting them.
The closest ruins to Cusco and the most accesible are Tambomachy, Pukapukara, Qe`nkqo and Saqsayhuaman. We took a taxi to Tambomachy around 11km away and walked back into Cusco visiting the other three enroute. The most impressive of the four was Saqsayhuaman (pronounced ´sexy woman´) which was the foundations and remains of an old fortress. The site sits above Cusco up a very steep approach and because of this only requires defense walls on one side. The structure features three parallel walls that zigzag for over 600m. The largest stone is huge and weighs approx 150 tonnes. Incredible how they moved it here from the quarry. The Inca stonework was really impressive, not requiring any mortar and fitting tight together in crazy shapes.
The next day we took a tour bus to the much anticipated Sacred Valley of the Incas which starts at Pisaq and ends at Ollantaytambo following the Rio Urubamba to Machu Picchu. The tour bus stopped at the ruins at Pisaq, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero with a stop for a pretty good buffet lunch in Urubamba. Our tour guide gave us great explainations of the ruins and we were amazed we got such a good deal for 6GBP each. Our favourite was the first stop at Pisaq which was set high above the village with a series of stone terracing leading upto it which are thought to be shaped into a partridge wing - Pisaq means ´partridge´.
We bored ourselves senseless the following day by visiting both the Inca Museum and the Qorikancha Site Museum which to our untrained eyes were displaying very similar artifacts. Although both museums are really good in their own right, having visited the Pre-Colombia Museum in Santiago we felt like we had absorbed a lot of detail already. Although please, don´t quiz us on it!
On our final day in Cusco Ryan had spotted a great deal to hire out a Honda XR 250cc trail bike which I didn´t fancy. So we had our second day apart in nearly 5 months. I booked on another tour which took me to visit the Ruins of Moray and a salt mine. The ruins of Moray were unlike any we had seen so far. Firstly, a lot of the site had been reconstructed to allow the visitor the appreciate the acoustics and how the site would have originally looked and secondly, the Inca terracing was circular. The site is thought to be an experimental nursery where seeds and corn were adapted to different climates. In some cases, there can be a temperature difference of upto 5 degrees C between each terrace. Once the plant has hardened upto a lower terrace, the seeds were then used on the terrace above and so on. This method explains the presence of fruits and vegetables in the high altitude which can only be found in other countries in lower plains.
In the meantime Ryan had a fantasic day touring the Sacred Valley. He only got lost a couple of times, managed to get chased by a dozen ankle biting dogs and stopped by the police twice. Which was only routine, certainly not for speeding or anything bravado.
Inca Trail tomorrow with a briefing this evening. Can't wait.
The Plaza de Armas, Cusco at night
Cusco from the Cristo Blanco above the city
Triunfo Hathun, the Spanish literally built their buildings on top of the Inca foundations still seen today
The famous 12 pointed stone on the same street. How they carved with such precision is a mystery
The closest ruins to Cusco and the most accesible are Tambomachy, Pukapukara, Qe`nkqo and Saqsayhuaman. We took a taxi to Tambomachy around 11km away and walked back into Cusco visiting the other three enroute. The most impressive of the four was Saqsayhuaman (pronounced ´sexy woman´) which was the foundations and remains of an old fortress. The site sits above Cusco up a very steep approach and because of this only requires defense walls on one side. The structure features three parallel walls that zigzag for over 600m. The largest stone is huge and weighs approx 150 tonnes. Incredible how they moved it here from the quarry. The Inca stonework was really impressive, not requiring any mortar and fitting tight together in crazy shapes.
The massive stones of Saqsayhuaman
The next day we took a tour bus to the much anticipated Sacred Valley of the Incas which starts at Pisaq and ends at Ollantaytambo following the Rio Urubamba to Machu Picchu. The tour bus stopped at the ruins at Pisaq, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero with a stop for a pretty good buffet lunch in Urubamba. Our tour guide gave us great explainations of the ruins and we were amazed we got such a good deal for 6GBP each. Our favourite was the first stop at Pisaq which was set high above the village with a series of stone terracing leading upto it which are thought to be shaped into a partridge wing - Pisaq means ´partridge´.
Locals in traditional dress. The kids look particulaly impressed with the grongos taking pics.
Which actually cost us 2 Soles
The Inca ruin of Pisaq. The terraces were used for agriculture
On our final day in Cusco Ryan had spotted a great deal to hire out a Honda XR 250cc trail bike which I didn´t fancy. So we had our second day apart in nearly 5 months. I booked on another tour which took me to visit the Ruins of Moray and a salt mine. The ruins of Moray were unlike any we had seen so far. Firstly, a lot of the site had been reconstructed to allow the visitor the appreciate the acoustics and how the site would have originally looked and secondly, the Inca terracing was circular. The site is thought to be an experimental nursery where seeds and corn were adapted to different climates. In some cases, there can be a temperature difference of upto 5 degrees C between each terrace. Once the plant has hardened upto a lower terrace, the seeds were then used on the terrace above and so on. This method explains the presence of fruits and vegetables in the high altitude which can only be found in other countries in lower plains.
The Inca site of Maras Moray
Ryan on his mororbike having just toured The Sacred Valley
Inca Trail tomorrow with a briefing this evening. Can't wait.
No comments:
Post a Comment