cusco
Another epic journey although dirt roads, past an arid and barren landscape which at times seemed more like the moon than the earth. The main highway was blocked at one point with a load of rubble so we had to pay a little kid to show us a way around. This is how they protest here. No sending letters to your local representative. Just block a motorway with a heap of stones and someone eventually listens. Anyway, this road trip was certainly worth it as Cusco takes some beating.
So I had made it to the navel of the world. I don´t mean that in a bad way but that´s how the Inca´s refered to their capital city. What they mean is the centre of the world. The layout of the city was designed in the shape of a puma and divided into sections. It was from here that the Inca´s spread out to conquer a huge expanse of South America. It is a beautiful town and it has one of my most prized features of a town; compact and easily walked on foot. Much of the Inca legacy is gone. The Spanards went to work quickly by ripping out all the gold. The walls of existing structures were incorporated into new Spanish commissioned buildings. There are two main types of walls - for religious buildings, the walls are perfect examples of symmetrical stonework while all other buildings have slightly irregular design. Both have inbuilt anti-earthquake qualities. But the Spanards built some fine buildings too. The Plaza is wonderful as are the many churches. A very nice city.
Apart from the inherent beauty of the town, Cusco is Peru´s main tourist drawcard as it is only 90km from the most famous of Inca sights; the lost city of Machu Picchu. More on that later.But true to form my first activity on the evening of my arrival was to sample the nightlife and yes, get smashed. As a result of the huge gringo footfall through the city, the place is very much geared up for a good night out. There are many pubs. Two Irish ones, one professing to be the hightest Irish boozer in the world. A raft of tacky nightclubs too. I had a few very, very late nights.
The mornings were quite noisey. The whole city was in preparation mode for the forthcoming Independence day. My hotel room overlooked one of the main squares so at about 8am each morning I awoke to a loud marching band. The first morning it was a march by school children, the second it was a march by the civil service, the third a march by the police. My gosh, the Peruvians love an old march. The locals all wore a patriotic lapel bearing the colours of the Peruvian flag or that of Cusco (it bears a remarkable resemblence to the gay pride flag - not sure whether the civic planners thought that one through) and the whole city fluttered with countless flags. An awesome sight.
I had a goof at some other Inca ruins including the fortress of Sacsayhuaman (say it quickly, go on!) and Ollantaytambo along with the Sacred Valley. A spot of horse riding was also very nice. Particularly as none of the others in the group signed up for this optional extra. A day of wonderful sights, rambling over the mountain tops , watching an elderly lady shepard round up her llama´s with the aid of a slingshot and of course, no kidding here, my horse going loco when a pack of random dogs appeared on the mountain side and gave chase. I cut my fingers on the saddle while trying to hold on. But I stayed on.
I would have liked to stay longer in Cusco but the main highlight of my whole round the world thing was beckoning. When I planned the trip I had in mind something that I really want to see in my lifetime. Up to now I had managed to tick the boxes of the other things on my wish list. Now, I would begin a 44km trek over four days to reach at sunrise the ancient lost city of the Inca´s; Machu Picchu.
Better go and buy some coco leaves!!
So I had made it to the navel of the world. I don´t mean that in a bad way but that´s how the Inca´s refered to their capital city. What they mean is the centre of the world. The layout of the city was designed in the shape of a puma and divided into sections. It was from here that the Inca´s spread out to conquer a huge expanse of South America. It is a beautiful town and it has one of my most prized features of a town; compact and easily walked on foot. Much of the Inca legacy is gone. The Spanards went to work quickly by ripping out all the gold. The walls of existing structures were incorporated into new Spanish commissioned buildings. There are two main types of walls - for religious buildings, the walls are perfect examples of symmetrical stonework while all other buildings have slightly irregular design. Both have inbuilt anti-earthquake qualities. But the Spanards built some fine buildings too. The Plaza is wonderful as are the many churches. A very nice city.
Apart from the inherent beauty of the town, Cusco is Peru´s main tourist drawcard as it is only 90km from the most famous of Inca sights; the lost city of Machu Picchu. More on that later.But true to form my first activity on the evening of my arrival was to sample the nightlife and yes, get smashed. As a result of the huge gringo footfall through the city, the place is very much geared up for a good night out. There are many pubs. Two Irish ones, one professing to be the hightest Irish boozer in the world. A raft of tacky nightclubs too. I had a few very, very late nights.
The mornings were quite noisey. The whole city was in preparation mode for the forthcoming Independence day. My hotel room overlooked one of the main squares so at about 8am each morning I awoke to a loud marching band. The first morning it was a march by school children, the second it was a march by the civil service, the third a march by the police. My gosh, the Peruvians love an old march. The locals all wore a patriotic lapel bearing the colours of the Peruvian flag or that of Cusco (it bears a remarkable resemblence to the gay pride flag - not sure whether the civic planners thought that one through) and the whole city fluttered with countless flags. An awesome sight.
I had a goof at some other Inca ruins including the fortress of Sacsayhuaman (say it quickly, go on!) and Ollantaytambo along with the Sacred Valley. A spot of horse riding was also very nice. Particularly as none of the others in the group signed up for this optional extra. A day of wonderful sights, rambling over the mountain tops , watching an elderly lady shepard round up her llama´s with the aid of a slingshot and of course, no kidding here, my horse going loco when a pack of random dogs appeared on the mountain side and gave chase. I cut my fingers on the saddle while trying to hold on. But I stayed on.
I would have liked to stay longer in Cusco but the main highlight of my whole round the world thing was beckoning. When I planned the trip I had in mind something that I really want to see in my lifetime. Up to now I had managed to tick the boxes of the other things on my wish list. Now, I would begin a 44km trek over four days to reach at sunrise the ancient lost city of the Inca´s; Machu Picchu.
Better go and buy some coco leaves!!
posted by Ciarán at 2:35 p.m.
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