The Golden City of Cusco

The symbol of the Inca Empire.

Even the Peruvians love this city!

Looking out onto Santa Catalina.

By now, the long over-night bus trips are just part and parcel of travelling in South America. I have only caught one plane, from El Calafate to Buenos Aires to save me 3 days on a bus (for the same price), and have done nearly from top to bottom (in the other order) of this continent on buses. There are various grades and sizes of buses, some with 2 decks and some without toilets (or some with toilets that state "liquid only"), cama and semi-cama (basically business class and cattle class), and now I have discovered that in Colombia the long distance buses have WiFi on board and USB chargers for your phone and devices. The bus from Copacabana to Cusco was an overnight trip, and nothing special to be honest. The guy that got left behind managed to catch up to his bus (a $5 phone call from our bus driver to his), and I got my stamp into the country after the mess-up after getting into Bolivia, and so all was right in the world. I arrived in Cusco at 5am, and although I usually walk to my hostel, a chance to stretch my feet and save some cash, I figured that this time of day is not the best time to be wandering around searching for a bed (not I didn't book one this time, as the internet in Copacabana was very limited!), and the centre was about 7kms away. 6 Soles ($3) later (I'm glad I changed it at the border) and I was in the Plaza de Armas.

The fountain in the Plaza de Armas.

The Santa Catalina Convent on the Plaza.

The gold 'face' of the Incas - now on street signs.

I stepped/fell out of the taxi in the main square of the city, my legs not quite working normally after the long trip and my bags are just damn heavy too. It was early, the sun was just getting up, and I was blown away by Cusco. With a population of just under 500,000 people and sitting at a pretty 3,400m, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983 and visited by more than 2 million people a year. This city was the capital of the Inca Empire between the 13th and 16th Centuries, this ending when the Spaniards arrived in 1533 and conquered the city and took it's leader, Emperor Atahualpa, as a captive and eventually executed him. The whole account of how the Spanish conquered many parts of South America are long and sometimes doubtful in my opinion, as they were written by the people who did the conquering (unlike Caesar's accounts in Gaul and Britain that are said to be very accurate and honest), but some tales and stories are interesting and probably mostly true - the Spanish did come for gold and silver, and the Incan Empire was granted to Francisco Pizzaro in the name of the Spaniards. When the Incan leader was captured, he offered to buy his freedom by offering 2 rooms full of treasure - 1 full of gold and the other with silver, up to the reach of his arms. The 'gold' room measured 22 feet by 17 feet and 9 feet tall (6.7m x 5.1m x 2.7m) and the other one slightly smaller, but the gold alone was worth more than $15M. Long story short - he was executed, originally to be burnt at the stake but later changed to garotting if he got baptised (which he did to Juan de Atahualpa). A very sad story, one of greed and betrayal, signifying the end of the Inca Empire and the start of Latin America.

Women in tradition Peruvian clothes in a festival to start the new school year.

The beautiful clothes (and women) of Peru.

Free chocolate samples!

The city itself is beautiful, and you can see why the Conquistidores were impressed. The city was called Qusqu or Qosqo in Quechua (the language of the Incas and now a French clothing brand), but couldn't be pronounced by the lispy invaders, and made Cusco. Although the city is no longer filled with gold (which was not used as currency or seen as important by the Incas), the square is huge and the building that hug it's sides are really something. Stone buildings and clay-tiled roofs, colourful balconies, small streets that wind up the surrounding hills - it all adds to a magical city. Nowadays, the city retained 30% of the original stonework and buildings and 70% is what the Spanish built - most of this is the base of buildings built my the Incas, the iconic, huge stones that fit together perfectly, and then the white-washed structures above that which the Spanish built. If it weren't for the bloody and horrible history of how this city became so beautiful, it would be perfect! Sitting the plaza, or walking slowly around snapping pictures, I like to dream of what it would have looked like the day before Pizzaro and his men arrived - towering stone temples and block-paved streets, colourful marketplaces and people walking in the streets wearing their traditional clothing and speaking Quechua still. We'll never know and must accept the past, learn from it, and enjoy it as things are and keep them for history. The historical centre is what everyone sees and visits, but the modern, urban sprawl is the real city - streets climbing to hills, small buses chugging round corners billowing smoke on everyone that is in it's path, and the noise of people all living, working and trying to enjoy themselves along with half a million others. Although you get harassed for massages, tours, sunglasses and just about everything else, the people hawking these things are polite and don't really hassle you.

The streets of Cusco's Historical Old Town.

Photos for money - unless you're quick!

Two women in traditional outfits.

Like most South American cities, the Municipal or Main Market is a great place to start. Firstly, there you can find all the local handicrafts (yes I bought a few things), as well as fruit and veg, and of course cheap eats! My first day in the city I headed straight for the market for lunch, and I just love the feeling of these places. Like Sucre, there is a vibe here - the ladies making fresh fruit juice wave their menus at you and call out, each trying to out-do their neighbour in friendly (or not so friendly) competition. It's the same with the soup ladies here, and I decided to go with a "sopa de pollo," filled with real chicken on the bone, noodles and veg, and a bargain too - 5 Sole ($2). It really filled me up and tasted great too, and I came back day after day, but choosing a different food stand each day to spread the love. Walking the streets, saying a polite 'no gracias' to all the offers, you find some really interesting things when you get off the main road. I found the local markets, a block away from the more touristy one, and here it is the real deal - whole pigs on benches ready to be cut up and bought, goats heads and feet and a variety of other things that I wasn't quite sure of. The smell here is also not for the feint-hearted, but you can eat here with the locals if you can take it. Nobody here really looked at me like I didn't belong - they thought it was amusing that I was here and not on a tour somewhere, but everyone was very polite and just accepted me. I also found a shop that sold Guinea Pigs - this and only this. They are layed out on little trays, all naked but whole - I was told later by a local tour guide (and now friend) that they are popular to eat in Peru, and some restaurants run out after lunch.

Just some of the interesting things found in the markets.

Hello Llama!

The extend of the Inca Trail.

My new Peruvian tour guide (and friend!) Paul took me for an afternoon around the countryside just outside the city, an area called Ureos. I got to see a real traditional town, where the women wear different clothes and hats, and don't ask everyone for money. Just outside of the town we watched a funeral service at a church - not something you usually do, but the priest was singing in Quechua and I couldn't just walk away. We continued on to see some ruins - a huge gateway that the Incas built, mainly to collect tax from people walking along what is now known as the Inca Trail. People think that it is just a 5 day walk on the way to Machu Picchu, but this road rain from Southern Colombia right down to Santiago de Chile - part of a huge road network the Incas built. The gate and wall was also used to control people moving around the Empire, which was strictly controlled - the people didn't really have much power. On the other hand, homosexuality was not illegal or frowned upon at all, and gay people were usually sent into the medical profession; women were treated as equals in society, virginity was not the 'be all and end all' of holiness and being faithful to your partner was far more important, and you could leave them as long as you did so with notice and reason. Money was non-existent, and gold was not seen as a sign of wealth, and people worked to give back to the State, adding labour to big projects and getting things done together - all these reasons were why the Spaniards hard such a hard time dealing with the local people as it went against everything they believed - one reason why they tried to convert them as quickly as possible. I'm sorry but everything comes back to the Spaniards here in Peru - on the brightside though, the people, although very Catholic, kept their language and customs and beliefs (such as Pachamama) to the present day.

Cuye - Guinea Pigs - ready to be sold. The name "cuye" comes from the sound they make as you try and catch them!

Mary and her Little Lamb.

Mmmmm chocolate and coffee!

The city is just too chock-full of history and culture to do in a week even, not enough time to look at and explore all the little doorways that lead to courtyards that sell coffee and chocolate and other tasty (but expensive) things. My favourite store was the Cafe Y Chocolate store just off the Plaza de Armas. The chocolate was too expensive to buy and justify it, but they gave out free trials of every flavour, which was wide and varied. The woman was very nice and had no problem with me eating all the offerings and commenting on how this one was incredible and better than the last... but by the third day she wasn't as pleasant and so I felt terribly guilty and never showed my face in the store again. This didn't stop me from walking past and sniffing.

'Pollo' is very popular here, but fresh is best!

Goat's everything for sale at the markets.

My half of the guinea pig for lunch!

With my partner in crime in Cusco (and chocolate shops with free samples) Laurel, we went to eat Cuye at one of the top restaurants - by 'top' I mean the top of the city with a wonderful view. From the window you get to see the whole city and mountains that tuck it all in neatly, and it doesn't seem so noisy or busy from up here. Our Guinea Pig was served on a plate with potatoes and spaghetti and laid on a bed of herbs (which are actually marijuana, but the variety used for cooking and not getting high), and although it was tasty, I don't think I could eat a whole one, as the meal is quite filling and the flavour rich and possible an acquired one. Laurel and I shared one, cut right down the middle, so we both got a front leg, back leg and half a head to chew on too. The feet, and the little claws, are just like a crunchy chicken wing, and I devoured mine and Laurel's. Inside the head, or more specificity the ear, you can find a bone that resembles a little fox - it is used in a drinking game here in Peru where you place it in a shot of alcohol, if you can down the shot and the bone, then it's good luck. Usually it takes a while, people get drunk and soon the 'fox' is forgotten. I didn't think it was fair, but Laurel downed the bone first go, but had a slight upset stomach afterwards, so fair is fair in the end I guess.

The view of the city from San Cristobal Church.

A church doorway.

A straight and well-paved road in Cusco.

After 5 days in Cusco, I was already in love. I could stay here, live here, teach and take photos. I really wanted to - some cities do that to you. But, I had come to the city, not to live and stay, but to enjoy it while I could. Part of that enjoyment would be Machu Picchu - a place that some people find hard to pronounce or spell, but a place that is on most people's Bucket List. I spent a bit of time walking around trying to find a good deal - this time of year wasn't easy as some places don't offer the van option due to it being the rainy season. I looked at the train, but at $100US, it would cost more than the whole MP trip! We didn't have the time for a full 5 day hike there either, and again it was quite costly. I found a good deal, 2 nights accomodation, transport, 1 lunch and 1 dinner as well as the entry to Machu Picchu and Hujayapicchu for 440 Sole, or $173 Australian. My travel buddy Laurel that I just keep running into would do it together before heading off on our separate ways for a bit. But that will have to wait for another entry.

Cusco sitting in the Sacred Valley.