Cusco - 24 Mar 2008
I've fallen so far behind in updating notes, so its fortunate I have my diary to refer to to help my slackness.
We took our diamox tabs in the morning but when we arrived at 3600m of Cusco, we felt quite out of breath but only slight dizziness soon after getting off the plane. We were met by representatives of Condor Travel (the agents for Adventure World who we book with) and time and again throughout our stay they were really excellent, reliable, informative, friendly and more than head-and-shoulders above any other similar organisation we have been involved with. Go Condor!
Anyhow, I was not really sure what to expect with Cusco, I thought it was a small place in the mountains, but it has 300,000+ people and many of the houses have terracotta roofs and brick or mud-brick walls and it has a Tuscan feel to the look. There are a number of squares with trees and open spaces and in the city area, lots of touts and people selling stuff. The first day we decided to not do much, to "acclimatize" so we rested in our lovely hotel (The Picoaga), but couldn´t resist walking to the main square and looking at the Cathedral from the outside - quite an impressive building, built by the Spaniards after they destroyed the Quechua religious building that was there before. There are many traditionally dressed people, some women carrying babies in the colourful large blanket-like things on their backs, others pulling a llama (pay for photo). The touts were persistent, but quiet and respectful. It was a little weird.
We went to markets to buy some snacks and to a restaurant where I managed to chat with the waiter in Spanish a bit - much easier than in Argentina or Chile.
We were really spoiled at the smorgasbord breakfast with heaps of fruit, lots of coca tea (which is supposed to be good for altitude sickness, stomach ailments and probably many other things) and there was even the chef to make omelets to order.
Eva had heard of a statue called "Sexy Woman" and we wanted to track that down, even though we had never seen it in any guide books. So, at the shop at the hotel, when we were buying stamps, Eva asked the young lad, "Can you tell us where is the sexy woman". He knew straight away and Eva was ecstatic!
Unfortunately it was off the city map we had and very highup as we had to go up steep stairs etc, but he drew a rough guide and we set off - after all, a promise of a sexy woman is enough to get me going too! We got to a church most of the way up, and I asked a policeman, in Spanish, if he knew where was the sexy lady? He looked a little puzzled for 2 secs and then said, "Yes Saxy Wooman just up the street 20 minutes". So we huffed and puffed up further, having walked quite a way, and there it was! Unfortunately, it wasn't spelled Sexy Woman, but Saysachuaman, and pronounced "Saxy Woman" and it was an Inca Ruin!! We laughed SO hard, and I took a photo of Eva next to the sign, so I'd have two sexy womans in the one picture! On one of the highest hills around Cusco there is a big white statue of Christ looking over the town, and now we were higher than it! We paid 20 Soles ($10) for an excellent guide that took us through all the buildings and showed us stuff we would never have found (including a really cool pitch black narrow tunnel that we went down, that the Incas used to control water to an artificial lake. By the time we came back I was exhausted, and crashed in bed - so much for taking it easy!
We did lots of other stuff in Cusco - the Inca museum is really cool, with many explanations showing the different tribes over time and the tools and utensils they used. Very informative and well laid out. I normally last 30 mins, but we stayed over an hour.
Went to the Cathedral, and lasted 20 mins. So much money on religion. The thing I liked was a religious structure that used to be pulled along on parades by people, then horses and now had a cloth covered inbuilt car! No photos allowed inside, so I took a couple. We decided 1 church in 2 months is about our limit.
We also went to Alpaca factory outlet (actually just a factory), many other shops, cafes restaurants. I didn't eat guinea pig, Eva didn't either, as she said she didn't really like them alive OR cooked! BUT, I do like the alpacas, well, when I say I like them, I couldn't eat a whole one so I just had a few steaks! And it doesn't really taste like chicken, it tastes like, well....hard to say....sort of....cute. Hehe. No it did taste nice, not gamey and was tender.
We have also had some Pisco sours but not much wine. I let the side down, and bought two T-shirts. I´d been surviving on just 2 T-shirts for 5 weeks and doing well, but now I have more.
At a restaurant Eva wanted a shandy - we knew there was no use ordering one, so we ordered a beer and a lemonade. Beer came straight away and the lemonade was taking ages. Finally it arrived in a tall, fancy cocktail glass and it was delicious old-fashioned lemonade, made with lime. No way that was going in a beer!
Met our wonderful Inca Trail guide, who comes from a farming family in the hills, as the next morning at 6:30am we were being picked up to go on the Inca Trail, but that´s in the next chapter!
Hasta Luego.
We took our diamox tabs in the morning but when we arrived at 3600m of Cusco, we felt quite out of breath but only slight dizziness soon after getting off the plane. We were met by representatives of Condor Travel (the agents for Adventure World who we book with) and time and again throughout our stay they were really excellent, reliable, informative, friendly and more than head-and-shoulders above any other similar organisation we have been involved with. Go Condor!
Anyhow, I was not really sure what to expect with Cusco, I thought it was a small place in the mountains, but it has 300,000+ people and many of the houses have terracotta roofs and brick or mud-brick walls and it has a Tuscan feel to the look. There are a number of squares with trees and open spaces and in the city area, lots of touts and people selling stuff. The first day we decided to not do much, to "acclimatize" so we rested in our lovely hotel (The Picoaga), but couldn´t resist walking to the main square and looking at the Cathedral from the outside - quite an impressive building, built by the Spaniards after they destroyed the Quechua religious building that was there before. There are many traditionally dressed people, some women carrying babies in the colourful large blanket-like things on their backs, others pulling a llama (pay for photo). The touts were persistent, but quiet and respectful. It was a little weird.
We went to markets to buy some snacks and to a restaurant where I managed to chat with the waiter in Spanish a bit - much easier than in Argentina or Chile.
We were really spoiled at the smorgasbord breakfast with heaps of fruit, lots of coca tea (which is supposed to be good for altitude sickness, stomach ailments and probably many other things) and there was even the chef to make omelets to order.
Eva had heard of a statue called "Sexy Woman" and we wanted to track that down, even though we had never seen it in any guide books. So, at the shop at the hotel, when we were buying stamps, Eva asked the young lad, "Can you tell us where is the sexy woman". He knew straight away and Eva was ecstatic!
Unfortunately it was off the city map we had and very highup as we had to go up steep stairs etc, but he drew a rough guide and we set off - after all, a promise of a sexy woman is enough to get me going too! We got to a church most of the way up, and I asked a policeman, in Spanish, if he knew where was the sexy lady? He looked a little puzzled for 2 secs and then said, "Yes Saxy Wooman just up the street 20 minutes". So we huffed and puffed up further, having walked quite a way, and there it was! Unfortunately, it wasn't spelled Sexy Woman, but Saysachuaman, and pronounced "Saxy Woman" and it was an Inca Ruin!! We laughed SO hard, and I took a photo of Eva next to the sign, so I'd have two sexy womans in the one picture! On one of the highest hills around Cusco there is a big white statue of Christ looking over the town, and now we were higher than it! We paid 20 Soles ($10) for an excellent guide that took us through all the buildings and showed us stuff we would never have found (including a really cool pitch black narrow tunnel that we went down, that the Incas used to control water to an artificial lake. By the time we came back I was exhausted, and crashed in bed - so much for taking it easy!
We did lots of other stuff in Cusco - the Inca museum is really cool, with many explanations showing the different tribes over time and the tools and utensils they used. Very informative and well laid out. I normally last 30 mins, but we stayed over an hour.
Went to the Cathedral, and lasted 20 mins. So much money on religion. The thing I liked was a religious structure that used to be pulled along on parades by people, then horses and now had a cloth covered inbuilt car! No photos allowed inside, so I took a couple. We decided 1 church in 2 months is about our limit.
We also went to Alpaca factory outlet (actually just a factory), many other shops, cafes restaurants. I didn't eat guinea pig, Eva didn't either, as she said she didn't really like them alive OR cooked! BUT, I do like the alpacas, well, when I say I like them, I couldn't eat a whole one so I just had a few steaks! And it doesn't really taste like chicken, it tastes like, well....hard to say....sort of....cute. Hehe. No it did taste nice, not gamey and was tender.
We have also had some Pisco sours but not much wine. I let the side down, and bought two T-shirts. I´d been surviving on just 2 T-shirts for 5 weeks and doing well, but now I have more.
At a restaurant Eva wanted a shandy - we knew there was no use ordering one, so we ordered a beer and a lemonade. Beer came straight away and the lemonade was taking ages. Finally it arrived in a tall, fancy cocktail glass and it was delicious old-fashioned lemonade, made with lime. No way that was going in a beer!
Met our wonderful Inca Trail guide, who comes from a farming family in the hills, as the next morning at 6:30am we were being picked up to go on the Inca Trail, but that´s in the next chapter!
Hasta Luego.
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